You'll need a high level of skill and talent in your chosen art form. To develop these skills, you could train by doing a degree or postgraduate award.

Subjects include:

• art and design
• art history
• fine art
• visual arts
• graphic arts
• printmaking

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• a foundation diploma in art and design
• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
• a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

You could do a college course like art and design or creative practice, to develop your skills.

Courses will usually give you the option to choose to study your preferred medium, for example:

• painting or drawing
• printmaking
• photography and digital arts
• ceramics
• sculpture

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Volunteering with community arts projects can open up possibilities and extend your network of contacts, which might be useful for finding work.

If you're exceptionally talented and have taught yourself, you may be able sell your work without formal training or qualifications.

You'll need:

• knowledge of the fine arts
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to work well with your hands
• design skills and knowledge
• to be flexible and open to change
• the ability to learn through your work
• the ability to use your initiative
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

As a fine artist, you'll

• create artworks from your own ideas, or commissions from an individual or an organisation
• promote and sell your work through an agent, or through galleries, exhibitions, shops or online
• research subject matter, materials and new artistic techniques
• develop your expertise in one or more media
• network with agents, dealers, gallery owners and other artists
• attend exhibitions and join artists’ groups

You might also:

• work as ‘artist in residence’ – running classes and workshops in places like schools, prisons or hospitals
• teach art classes privately, in colleges or community learning centres
• run local art projects

You could work in a creative studio, in a workshop or from home.