Automotive painting is a medium that has plenty of high earners. Many people have jobs as automotive painters and artists who paint or create artwork related to automotive painting.
At present, the median pay in the industry is between $19 and $24 per hour, depending on what you do. Your job may be more or less artistic than the rest!
The art directors and creatives of the industry work together constantly to make sure there is sufficient demand for their products, which adds to your pay.
Good automotive painters can make $30+ an hour
For those who are able to stand the high volume, automotive painting is a lucrative field. The average length of time that a driver must devote to their art in order to make a income is hard to estimate, but for drivers it can be very lucrative.
Having to be on site constantly in order to reach your deadlines makes it hard on the artist, but they have backup systems such as computers with buffer times and other artists who can go ahead and finish the job sooner.
Being able to work on your own schedule makes a big difference in how much you make, as do quality and quality of the jobs you produce, your availability and volume.
Many hours per week
As mentioned before, automotive painters and artists make their salaries as part of their job. You can either work for free or you can get paid for your services.
Your role is to paint or draw designs and lines for people to copy and pay you for it. It is a fast-paced job that many people get started on immediately.
Because of the high-pressured nature of the artist role, some also can’t seem to find a way to put away their paints and pencils. Even when they are paid, they feel like it is not enough and they need more.
The amount of time needed in this profession is hard to estimate, as each person has different requirements based on who they are and what they love to do. Many enjoy being paid to work but it takes some patience, self-confidence, and overall commitment.
Long term career
The length of a painter’s career is usually measured in years. Many start as apprentice painters at about eighteen years of age, and continue to work as an artist for six or seven years before taking a break.
After taking a break, they start over from scratch aspiring automotive artists. As you can imagine, this takes some time to learn because it is different every time. Some art schools offer this as part of their training, but you have to pay for it.
The pay can be low at first, but overtime it rises due to increased demand for their work. Eventually, you get what you want out of yourself and your skills, so you get higher paid jobs that take what you have away.
The length of time an individual Painter spends on their craft is very important.
Beginners will start out making less until they gain experience
After they gain some experience as a painter, they can make a little over $35,000 per year start out and increase based on their work.
The most common salary of automotive painters is around $30,000 per year. More experienced painters can make closer to $50,000 per year or more!
This is due to the higher cost of entry-level painters. More experienced painters may offer more services and/or charge more because they have been paid enough for it.
Some famous automotive painters include Dan LeBatour of Dan LeBatour Automotive in Irvine, Dan Murphy of Dan Murphy Autos in Phoenix, Robert Rector of Rector & Geraci Carpentry in San Diego, and Martin Madrazo of Martin Madrazo Carpentry in San Jose.
A painter should have some technical knowledge of paints and painting techniques
A painter should have some technical knowledge of paints and painting techniques. These include how to tell good from bad paint, how to use varnishes and sealers, and how to use mixed media such as spray paint to create an effects-oriented painting style.
Some techniques such as value painting require understanding the difference between warm and cool toned objects and paintings. How much variation is needed for a sale or project depends on the client.
Obviously, a very high paying field for painters is one that does not have proper technical knowledge! As with any job, you will get what you don’t want into if you have no skills..
Painters should keep their equipment clean and in good working order
When painting cars or vans, painters need to take care of their brushes, palettes, and tools. These can be hand-me-down or tool-assisted.
Some features of paintings such as highlights, shadows, and textures require certain brush sizes or tools to achieve them. For instance, largerbrushes are used for contours and softer ones for highlights.
Keeping a painter’s paint can fund in keeping the painter’s equipment clean. Especially when painting over old paint or repainting a vehicle, some sanding may be needed and some re-painting may be needed.
When buying new paint or painting re-stocking supplies it is important to know where they are sold and how expensive they are. Take into account that the cost of shipping these supplies out is also costed.
Automotive painters may work for themselves or others
About one in ten painters is a auto paint worker, and about one in fifty works as an automotive painter. As an independent painter, you can make a high-end living selling your services.
The average auto painter makes about $30,000 a year, with higher paydays for those who manage their business and expand their clientele. Managers usually earn more than employees, and those who are manager or higher ups usually make more money.
Paint salespeople can make a lot of money when they know how to sell cars. They can go from someone who wants to buy a car but doesn’t know what type of car they want to someone who buys every day!
How much do auto painters make? The average pay is around $30,000 per year, which is higher than most people’s jobs. However, job security does not always come with salary.
Wages vary based on location
In order to fully understand how much money an automotive painter or car detailer makes, it helps to look at different locations and communities where they work and how they pay them.
Some locations pay their workers more than others. For example, some municipalities paylier more than others. This is because some jobs are highly demanded and required.
As a rule of thumb, Painter/Drywall/Groove workers can make between $25 and $35 an hour, while Carpeting/Wallpaper laying workers can make between $35 and $40 an hour. These figures are only for working people, not companies that hire employees.
