#identifyingprofession

        Artists can be obvious to spot, but the obviousness can mean that there can be alot more to gleam. For example, different types of mediums leave different marks in different places, and this can reveal more to a knowing eye.

Amateur or untrained artists will have graphite smudged all the way down the side of their dominant hand, while professional and seasonal straits will only have a graphite smudge on the tip of their pinky finger on their dominant hand. Paint usually smudges onto the middle, ring and pinky finger of the dominant hand, and the thumb and index of the non-dominant. Paint can also smudge on the forearm of the non-dominant had from holding a palette. Paint on the chest indicates sitting down to work, while paint towards the waist means standing up.

As far as identifying a medium on someone, it's simple. Graphite is silvery, charcoal is powdery black and ink can stain a solid dark color. Oil paint is typically harder to get off than tempura or acrylic and is thicker. The difference between acrylic and tempura is that tempura is chalk-based, while acrylic is a plastic paint. 

Musicians harbor certain marks upon their persons, and here are the ones I've noticed:

Calloused fingertips on the left hand indicate a violinist, cellist or an amateur guitarist. The difference is that a violinist will have asymmetrical neck grooves due to the violin's resting place, and amateur guitarists fingertips will be more raw than calloused.

Calloused fingertips on both hands indicate an avid guitar player.

Fingernails cut practically short yet worn a bit smooth indicate a piano player.

Clarinet players have slightly different shaped lips. Two small parallel grooves on the lower lip usually indicate a long-term player.

Young flute player's lower lips will have a line of slight scabs across their lower lip.