Back to the main guide: https://bethatartist.com/2024/10/31/unlock-your-potential-careers-in-art-and-design/
So 2D artist is surely the broader role you can get, in terms of definition.
Basically, if you are developing your art on a flat surface, you are a 2D artist.
- Illustrators (Explore: Starting a career in illustration – Tips and Insights)
- Comic book artists
- Storyboarders
- Visual developers
- Graphic designers
- UI artists
- Fine artists
- Pixel artists
- Background artists
- Tattoo artists
- Print Designers
- Pattern surface designers
These are just some of the many disciplines you can cover as a 2D artist.
But what does it mean being a 2D artist in job search terms?
Well, in one case you may be an artist specialized in one or more disciplines. In that case your contract will address you with that specific name or with a more generic “The artist”.
If you look for 2D artist jobs on the various job search platform you can get something more or less specific, usually related to the fields of:
- Illustration
- Animation
- Videogames
This just statistically, but as we said a 2D role is broad and full of different possible outcomes.
Let’s make some examples.
GENERALIST 2D ARTIST
As you can see this kind of role requires you to be prepared on a certain particular style, in line with the game that is being developed:
- industrial
- factories
- heavy equipment
- rockets
- trains
- generally related to technology.
Because even the broader job will always be for a specific project, or for a company with a certain style.
On the other hand, you will have to cover multiple roles (which makes usually 2D artists a bit of Jack of all trades):
- UI art
- Illustrator
- Background artist
- Concept Artist
It’s a common kind of job opening you often find in games.
My role at Red Engine is similar, even if the main focus is on Concept Art, rather than 2D Game Art. I do in fact:
- Concept Art
- UI art
- Illustrations
- Storyboards
Pretty similar right?
There are many roles in the game industry that tend to overlap more than one specialization.
SPECIALIZED 2D ARTIST
On the other hand, you can find jobs for 2D art requiring an high degree of focus on a particular aspect.
In this case to obtain the role you need to satisfy a series of very specific requirements:
- Being a Concept Artist
- Being experienced in weapon design
- Support with other concept design
So another 2D role, but with a completely different day to day outcome.
To wrap it up, as a 2D artist you may be required to:
- Cover a specific role
- Cover a number of roles
Generalist roles are usually covering a broader spectrum of expertise (junior, mid, seniors, lead).
Specialized roles really depends on the industry, for example:
- Illustration: comes for all the experience levels.
- Animation (visual developers, production artists, background artists, storyboard artists): comes for all the experience levels.
- Videogames:
- Indie and young companies: they tend to look for generalists so if you see a highly specialized request it may be destined for seniors or lead artists.
- AAA companies: they tend to have only specialists on each single aspect. That means the roles are open for all the experience level but you need to really have honed your skills, much more than a what junior graduate usually have done yet. If you want to join a AAA company you may need some more time after leaving school to land a junior role.
I hope this helped navigating the topic a bit more!
Want to start a career as a 2D artist? Check this resources!
Youtube tutorials
- Marco Bucci – One of my favourite online teachers. I think his videos are always fun to watch and explain the topic really well.
- Proko (Stan Prokopenko) – Great collection of resources to learn how to draw
- Marc Brunet – Surely someone to follow if you’re interested in half-stylized character design
- Concept 101
- Valhalla for Artists
- CG Master Academy
- Every Frame A Painting
- mewTripled (Michelle Lam) – Storyboard artist in animation and comic artist, highly recommended channel if you’re passionate about animation.
Online Schools
- IDEA Academy – http://www.idea-academy.eu
- CG MASTER ACADEMY: https://www.cgmasteracademy.com/
- SCHOOLISM: https://schoolism.com/
- 21DRAW
- AARON BLAISE – Creature Art Teacher
Courses
- DOMESTIKA – http://www.domestika.org/en – I particularly recommend this course by Samuel Smith, very well organized and explains. It will give you a solid base to understand colors, lights and shadows
- ARTSTATION LEARNING – https://www.artstation.com/learning
- SKILLSHARE courses for art and illustration
- LINKEDIN LEARNING: https://learning.linkedin.com/content-library
In my list I tend to include only resources I personally used, so this is not a comprehensive list, more of my personal recommendation one!
If you have any questions about 2D roles please leave them in the comment section and I’ll do my best to answer 🙂
Do you have any interesting resource, school or course to recommend? Share it with us!
✏️ Elisa Moriconi – that’s my name! – is a concept artist and illustrator who’s intent is to help artists navigate creative careers. That’s why I created this blog. Learn more at bethatartist.com
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