Usually, fine artists specialize in one or two art forms, such as painting, sculpting, printmaking, and restoring. Painters work with two-dimensional art forms. These artists use shading, perspective, and color to produce works that depict realistic scenes or abstract expressions to evoke different moods and emotions. Some sculptors combine various materials to create mixed-media works. In recent years, some sculptors have incorporated light, sound, and motion into their works.
Printmakers create printed images from designs cut or etched into wood, stone, or metal.
After cutting the design, the artist inks the surface of the woodblock or stone and rolls or stamps it onto paper to make an impression. Some printmakers make prints by graphically encoding data and processing it, using a computer. The computer-enhanced images are printed using printers with specially loaded software or are transmitted electronically to be viewed on the Internet. Painting restorers preserve and restore damaged and faded paintings. They apply solvents and cleaning agents to clean the surfaces, reconstruct or retouch damaged areas, and apply preservatives to protect the paintings.