Also called: Scenic Painter, Charge Artist
Paints the giant backdrops, faux marble, fake brick, and aged wood that make theater, film, and theme-park sets look real.
They might spend a day on a scaffold painting a 40-foot sky drop for a Broadway show, then switch to making a plywood floor look like centuries-old stone. Work often happens in big warehouse paint shops on tight deadlines, using brushes on long bamboo poles. On film sets they age new props so they look used.
Estimate. Union scenic artists in New York and Los Angeles earn $45-$60+ per hour; non-union regional theater work pays much less and is often seasonal.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Often a BFA in scenic design or painting; union membership (United Scenic Artists Local 829) usually requires a portfolio exam.
Ways in: 4-year college, Apprenticeship, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Theatre Design & Technology, Painting, Scenic Design, Fine Arts.
Growing about average. No separate BLS projection; demand tracks film, TV, and live-theater production.
Low risk for 10 years. Large-format printing replaces some flat backdrops, but faux finishes, aging and texturing real sets stay hand work.
Classes: Theater tech crew, Painting elective, Woodshop or construction CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1013.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.