How to write an artist assistant CV (template and example)

By Indeed Editorial Team

Published 30 November 2022

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed's data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

An artist's assistant provides an artist with support in their efforts and can often learn while doing so. This role can be a good choice for those who want to get started with an artistic career and learn from someone who has more experience. If you're interested in becoming an artist's assistant, knowing how to write an effective CV can help you to get started in the industry. In this article, we explain what an artist's assistant is, describe how you can write an artist assistant CV and provide you with an example of one.

What does an artist assistant do?

An artist's assistant is an entry-level professional who provides support and assistance to a working artist. This often means working under an artist's direct instruction, learning from them and helping them prepare their work. The role of artist's assistant can be a great choice for those who want to learn and develop their skills under the supervision of an experienced artist while also earning a salary. Starting your artistic career by assisting another artist can grant you the necessary skills and confidence to subsequently progress and become an independent artist.

How to write an artist assistant CV

If you want to know how to write an artist assistant CV, consider the steps below:

1. Research the artist

Prior to writing your CV, it's essential that you understand the artist you're going to assist. They might be your direct employer or be an artist at an organisation. In the latter case, it's also a good idea to research the organisation itself. There are multiple sources you might consult for this purpose. The first of these is to check the portfolio of the artist in question. Determine what their style is, what techniques they use and any other useful information about them. You can also check their social media and other profiles to get to know them.

If they work at an organisation, researching it can also be very useful. Try to determine what its values and company culture are like, who it has hired before and what its mission is. The job advertisement itself is also useful in this regard, so try to identify any keywords that you see multiple times and take note of particular skills and attributes.

2. Provide your details and portfolio

The first part of your CV contains your basic contact details. This means adding your name, phone number, email address and physical address. For the latter, it's typically unnecessary to give an exact street address, so just give your town or city and county. You can also add a link to your profile on a professional networking site.

Another key inclusion is a link to your online portfolio if you have one. It can even be a good idea to review and update your portfolio to better align with the artist's own work and demonstrate the skills you read in the job advertisement.

3. Write a good professional summary

After you've added your personal and contact details at the top of your CV, you can write a compelling summary. This section is crucial because it's one of the first that the recipient is going to see and may be the basis for whether or not they consider your CV. For entry-level positions like artist's assistant, you may be one candidate amongst many for the job. Competition can be particularly notable if you're applying to assist a well-known artist and a good summary can help you to stand out.

A good approach for writing your summary is to think of it as a written form of an elevator pitch. In a few lines, promote your candidacy by mentioning your most noteworthy skills and accomplishments. If you have any prior experience that would be useful for the role, this is also a good element to include. This is because many candidates might lack experience since this is typically an entry-level position. Use the information from your research to determine what to mention, such as particular skills or attributes that you possess.

4. Provide your education and training

As this is an entry-level position, it's likely that you have little or no work experience at the time of writing your CV. It's therefore a good idea to start with your education and training after your professional summary. Just like other parts of your CV, try to tailor the information you include here to reflect the requirements of the role. For instance, you might provide some additional details that describe projects you completed while studying or training. You can use this as an opportunity to write about how you possess the desired skill set.

List your education and training in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent. You can add bullet points to give more information if necessary, such as if you haven't got an online portfolio to share yet. Provide the name of the qualification, the issuing institution and graduation or completion date for each entry.

5. Describe your work experience

Although this is an entry-level role, it's possible that you've already got some work experience. This could include internships, placements and other such experiences during and between your studies. Although these roles might differ from the job description of an artist's assistant, you can still tailor your description of them to highlight useful transferable skills and competencies. For example, as an artist's assistant, it could be important that you're able to work both independently and under supervision. If you previously worked as an assistant in another capacity, this could demonstrate that you have many of the necessary skills.

For every previous role you've had, provide the title you had, the years or months worked, the name of the hiring organisation and its location. Start with the most recent position and list the remaining entries in reverse-chronological order. For each of these, list a few bullet points beneath the entry to describe your key responsibilities. For your current or most recent role, you can add a little more detail than the others if the work is relevant to your current application.

6. List your skills

Your skills are an important contributor to your candidacy, especially for entry-level roles where you have little or no work experience. This typically means a combination of technical skills relating to artistry and soft skills. The technical skills are usually more likely to differ between roles, depending on the artist you're going to assist. Some may work primarily with traditional tools and mediums whereas others use digital ones. Remember to tailor this section to the vacancy and artist in question, starting by listing skills you possess that you saw in the job description.

Here are some examples of skills that could be useful for an artist's assistant:

attention to detail
verbal communication and active listening
responsiveness and flexibility
ability to follow instructions
ability to work independently and use initiative
competency with various artistic mediums
competency with design, illustration and image editing software
responsiveness to feedback
ability to accept constructive criticism

Artist assistant CV template

Here is a template to guide your CV building:

[First name] [Last name]
[Phone number] | [Email address] | [City]

Professional summary
[Two to three sentences that highlight your years of experience, relevant skills, education or certifications and achievements as an entry-level professional].

Education
[Degree] | [Date of graduation]
[Name of School or University]

Experience
[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City]

(Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results.
[Job duty]
[Job duty]
[Job duty]
[Job duty]

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City]

(Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results.
[Job duty]
[Job duty]

Artist assistant example CV

Here's an example of a CV for an artist's assistant position:

Adrian Mason
01111 222 333 | adrianmason@email.co.uk | Bedford, Bedfordshire

Professional summary
Recent graduate with a willingness to learn and develop my skills. Competent with a range of digital and traditional art forms, including animation and 3D modelling. Looking for a position where I can test my skills and grow as an artist.

Education
Fine Art & Digital Art (2:1) | University of Central England - 2021
A-levels in Art & Design and Digital Media & Design | School of Central England

Experience
Design Assistant Intern | February 2021–July 2022
Morganson Studios | Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

assisted designers with preparing and checking digital work
produced digital designs based on designer instructions
made digital copies of manual artwork
created assets for other projects on an ad-hoc basis
attended meetings with other departments

Junior design placement | April 2020–July 2020
Studio M | Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

created assets as per instructions
contributed design ideas and sketches
performed admin tasks

Skills
Adobe Illustrator | Adobe Photoshop | Responsive to feedback | Able to work independently | Sketching and drawing

Please note that none of the companies, institutions or organisations mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.