Artist Resume Examples, Template & Writing Guide for 2024

A great artist resume is the key to landing a job. Our resume guide and examples will show you how to highlight your skills and get your dream position.

While the most important work an artist does is the art itself, it’s crucial to know how to showcase that art through an artist resume. Having a resume as an artist gives you a professional document to send to potential employers or clients that highlights your relevant skills and experience.

Keeping an updated resume is the key to working your way up in the artist field. In such a competitive and large industry, standing out is important. Your resume is often the first impression you will make on potential employers, so you want it to make an impact.

This guide was created to give you a step-by-step manual on how to create the perfect artist resume tailored to the job you’re applying for. Whether you’re a graphic artist, painter, sculptor, or anything in between, these instructions are for you.

Artist resume writing guide: Where to start?

Your artist resume is a glimpse into your professional experience as an artist that you send to potential employers or clients. While it may be hard to showcase the details of an artistic project through words on paper, it’s important to try to showcase your skills and experience the best you can.

To build the perfect artist resume, you’ll need to first consider all of the experience you have as an artist. From there, you can determine what information should be included in the resume you send with your job application.

Many applicants believe they can have a single resume that can be sent out each time they apply for a job. However, you’re much more likely to stand out if you send a unique resume tailored to the specific position or project every time you apply somewhere.

Master artist resume

The first step to your perfect artist resume is creating your master artist resume. This is a document created for only you that holds all of your relevant education, skills, and experience in the artist field. You want your master artist resume to be as complete as possible, so it’s important to really dedicate some time to this.

For those artists who have been in the field for a long time, the master resume may be many pages long and have dozens of skills listed. That’s okay. Again, this is a document that is only for you, so it doesn’t have to be in the concise format of a professional resume.

The more experience you gain as an artist, the harder it will be to remember all of the skills, achievements, and experience you have in the field. Taking the time to create your master resume will solve this problem because you’ll just have to open the document to get a refresher. Once the document is completed, you’ll simply need to update it from time to time to ensure it grows with your career.

Once you’ve created your master artist resume, you’re ready to start applying for jobs.

Job-specific artist resume

Every artist job you apply for should get a unique resume that’s been tailored to the expectations of the position - this is called a job-specific resume. This approach will make your resume stand out to potential employers because of how relevant it is to the job you applied for.

To create a truly job-specific resume, take time to read the entire job description and hiring posting. While reading these, look for keywords that indicate the skill set and experience the employer is looking for in this role.

Once you’ve examined the job itself, take the information you found and compare it to your master resume. While you may have a lot of artistry skills, you will want to showcase the ones that are most relevant to the job itself.

Being able to incorporate skills and experience that were specifically mentioned in the posting into your resume is a great way to make an impression on the hiring manager. The more relevant your resume is, the more likely you are to land an interview.

When creating a job-specific artist resume, you will need to make sure it has an organized, professional appearance. Your resume is the first impression you make on your future employer, and you want it to showcase your level of professionalism.

Consider examining artist resume samples, like the one below, to determine what yours should look like.

Artist resume example

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Above is an example of an artist resume. This resume is for a mural artist; notice how it highlights skills and experience specific to this type of work. Your resume should be concise but detailed about your skills in the niche you’re applying for. This will allow you to showcase the most important information necessary to land a job.

How to write a successful resume for an artist? Writing tips and examples

You’ve created your master artist resume and learned why you should create a job-specific resume. You’ve scoured the job description of your dream position to see what skills you have that match, and now all that’s left is showcasing your experience in a resume.

How you present your experience is nearly as important as the experience itself. You want to sell yourself as the perfect candidate for the position in order to grab the attention of the hiring manager. Following the tips below will ensure you achieve just that.

How to write a personal profile on an artist resume?

Your personal profile is a quick summary of your experience and skills that showcases the areas in which you perform the best. Think of your personal profile as an elevator pitch where you’re trying to prove you’re the best candidate in a few sentences.

The personal profile goes at the top of your resume and is likely the first thing a hiring manager will see after your contact information. You want to make sure it’s attention-grabbing and relevant, or it could be the last part of your resume they read.

This isn’t the area for nitty-gritty details, but you do want to showcase your personality and unique experience. If you have data to back your most qualifying experiences, consider including that in this section. However, word your summary in a way that leaves the hiring manager wanting to know more about your skills so they keep reading.

One great tip for crafting the perfect personal profile is to write it last. Put the rest of your resume together and then pick from what’s on the page to showcase in your profile. This will make it easier to ensure your profile matches the experience on the page.

Skills to list on an artist resume

The skills an artist lists on their resume can vary drastically from one artist to another. In such a large field, there are many different niches that artists become involved in. Sculpture artists will likely include different skills than painters, and so on.

Reading the job description for the position before you create your resume will allow you to determine what skills you should showcase. You don’t want to waste space on your resume talking about your skills working with clay if the job is dealing with digital art exclusively. It might be awesome to brag about all of your skills, but it’s unnecessary and can even be a turn-off for employers.

Instead, showcase the skills you have that meet or exceed the job description’s list of skills and duties. Doing this will not only highlight your competency for the job, but it will also show the hiring manager that you took the time to read the full job description.

While the list of artist skills is much too long to include here, consider the following list of skills as a starting point:

• Painting
• Communication skills
• Graphic design
• Collaboration
• Microsoft Office
• Social Media
• Adobe Photoshop
• Painting
• Sketching
• Sculpting

Notice that not all of the skills listed are artist-specific. Remember to include any relevant soft skills like communication and collaboration to show that you’re a great team member on top of being a great artist. Employers will want to know you can promote a positive work environment just as much as they want you to have impressive artistic abilities.

How to write work experience on an artist resume?

The work experience section of your resume is often the most important section. It is typically located below your personal profile and shows employers that you have experience in the field.

Most commonly, your work experience should be listed in reverse chronological order, meaning your most recent job will be listed first. However, artist resumes can be a little different. While some artists hold conventional jobs, not everyone does. Your work history may include jobs and projects together to create a complete timeline.

Each listing on your work experience needs to have the following information:

• The last job title you had at the company
• The name and location of the company or project
• The date(s) of your employment
• A couple of bullet points that explain the relevant skills you used in the role

As we’ve mentioned before, you only want to include your relevant job history in your resume. There isn’t a need for you to mention the cashier job you had in college or other unrelated positions. You want to dedicate as much space as possible in your resume to the artistic skills you’ve earned in professional settings.

How to list education on an artist resume?

After your work experience is completed, you’ll move on to your education section. This is where you’ll detail any degrees or certificates you’ve earned in relation to your journey as an artist.

If you’ve been out of school for a long time and have an extensive skillset as an artist, you’ll want to keep your education history pretty concise. However, if you have little experience in the professional world, it’s a good idea to include any relevant extracurriculars, awards, or coursework you completed while in school.

Regardless of your experience level, your education history should include the following:

• The type of degree you’ve earned
• The name of the school you went to and its location
• The year you graduated (or your expected graduation date)

How to list achievements on an artist resume?

An artist resume is unique from other resumes because you will often want to include relevant achievements, awards, exhibitions, or publications your art has been in. If this is the case for you, you will want to include this information after your work and education experience.

Just like with your work and education experience, you will want to list these achievements in reverse chronological order, with the most recent achievements at the top. Depending on the type of achievement you’re listing, you’ll need to provide the right information.

Consider these tips when listing the different types of artistic achievements:

• Exhibitions: any exhibitions on your resume should include the date, type of exhibition, name of exhibition, and the gallery’s name and location.
• Awards: if you’ve earned relevant awards, include the year you earned the award, the name of the award, the organization that granted you the award, and where the award was given.
• Publications: If your art has been in any relevant publications, include the author’s name, the title of your piece, the title of the publication, the issue it was in, and the date of the publication. For these, follow CMOS formatting but still list publications in reverse chronological order, not alphabetically.

If you’re including more than one type of achievement in your resume, it’s best to keep each type in its own section for ultimate organization.

If you have all of your resume information, but you’re not sure how to format it, utilize our resume building tool. In just minutes, you’ll have a professional artist resume in a downloadable PDF. All you need to do is input your information and choose from one of our many layouts. Our resume builder will then create your resume for you.

Key takeaways on building professional artist resumes

It’s crucial to take time and develop the perfect artist resume before you begin applying for jobs. Having a master resume will allow you to keep track of all of your artistic experience, allowing you to choose the most relevant information for each position you apply for.

To ensure you’re including only relevant experience, read the job description fully to see what skills the employer is looking for. This will make it much easier for you to choose the right skills to showcase.

Remember the following key tips when crafting the information on your resume:

• Create a personal profile that catches the attention of potential employers with your most impressive and relevant artist experiences. The goal of your personal profile is to make the employer want to read the rest of your resume.
• Your work experience should be listed in reverse chronological order and should showcase how you’ve utilized relevant skills in a professional setting.
• Include any relevant education you’ve earned, including both degrees and certifications that will make you stand out among applicants.
• Highlight both technical artist skills and soft skills that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. This will show that you’re an experienced artist as well as a great team member.
• Include a separate section for any artistic achievements you want to highlight, including publications, awards, and exhibitions you’ve participated in.
• Consider using CVMaker’s resume builder to create a professional artist resume without the headache of formatting.

Following these top tips will help you create an attention-grabbing resume that will help you land your dream artist job.

Next Steps?

Are you still overwhelmed with the idea of creating your artist resume? Check out CVMaker’s resume writing service to get a tailor-made resume you can send to employers. Our expert team is ready to develop an optimized resume for you in just four days. No matter your comfort level in resume creation, CVMaker is here to help you have the best artist resume possible.

FAQs

How long should your artist resume be?

The traditional resume should be no more than a page long. However, artist resumes are an exception to the rule. Due to the need to showcase artistic achievements, artist resumes can be anywhere from one to four pages long, depending on experience.

This doesn’t mean your resume has to be more than a page long. Remember, you only want to showcase relevant experience and skills when you send a job-specific resume to an employer. However, if you have a lot of relevant awards, published works, or exhibitions you’ve participated in, you should highlight them.

Your resume may fluctuate in length depending on the position you’re applying for, as well as your growing experience. As long as you don’t exceed four pages and all of your information is relevant to the job listed, you should be just fine.

How do you create an artist resume with little to no experience?

For those who have just graduated college or are just starting out in the artist field, creating a resume can feel extra intimidating. However, you can still create an impressive resume regardless of your experience level.

In your personal profile, you will want to format it to read like a job objective instead of focusing on professional achievements. While you can include any unique education experience you have, highlight what you’re hoping to gain from the position if hired.

Instead of putting your work experience at the top of your resume, put your education experience there. Include information about relevant coursework, awards, or extracurriculars you participated in to showcase the skills you earned while in school.

If you don’t have any professional work experience but you participated in an artist internship, you can replace the work experience section with an internship section. The internship information should be showcased in the same manner as work experience, highlighting the skills you focused on as an intern.

Should you include certain keywords in your artist resume?

Keyword optimization is important in many areas, and your artist resume is no different. You should include relevant keywords in your resume so it stands out to employers. However, the keywords you choose will vary depending on your niche and the position itself.

Once again, this is why reading the job description is important when building your resume. The description will give you an idea of skills the employer is looking for, which can help you determine what keywords to include in your resume.

While every job is different, here are some of the most common keywords seen in artist job descriptions:

• Communication skills
• Painting
• Illustration design
• Collaboration
• Technical
• Adobe Photoshop

Find these words or other key skills in the job description and integrate the ones you possess into your resume to ensure the biggest impact.

Should your artist resume follow a certain format?

Our guide mentioned the sections to include in your resume as well as the recommended length. However, there are more elements that go into formatting than just that. Ensuring your resume follows a professional format will allow employers to have a positive impression when they review it.

When choosing the font for your resume, pick one that’s easy to read and is between sizes 10 and 12. This will allow you to include the most information possible while still being readable. You should also only utilize one or two colors on the page so it’s not too distracting - keep the variety of colors in your art.

Consider using bullet points and lists instead of paragraph form when describing skills and job duties. This makes your resume much easier to scan for relevant information, allowing the employer to spend less time trying to dissect the information on the page or look for the keywords you included.

Formatting can be overwhelming for some, but when you use the CVMaker resume builder tool, it will format your resume for you and give you a PDF to download and send out.