Artisan

Introduction
Artisan is the base crafting profession in  Star Wars  Galaxies. Artisans have the ability to collect resources, create goods from those resources, and sell those goods using in-game vendors. However, the Artisan profession focuses entirely on crafting: Artisans do not have any combat, medical, etc. abilities unless they add another profession.

All Artisans become Artisans by acquiring the skill Novice Artisan. This skill can either be acquired at character creation or afterwards (from an Artisan trainer). The Novice Artisan skill provides the ability to craft basic weapons, clothing, foodstuffs, and even trinkets and toys, as well as the ability to to survey for and collect various types of resources.

Related Professions
Elite Professions:  Architect, Armorsmith, Chef, Droid Engineer, Merchant, Tailor, Weaponsmith

Getting Started
  Surveying:  Artisans can survey for valuable resources by using any surveying device. To begin the surveying process, select "Survey" from a surveying device' s radial menu. You can also create a shortcut that begins surveying with a particular device by dragging that device on to an open toolbar space. Once the device is open the Artisan must select which resource they wish to survey for, and then click the "Survey" button to being searching. This action will take a moment, and will use up some of the Artisan's Mind attribute, but once completed the surveying device will show the concentration of the desired resource (expressed as a percentage) in area surrounding the surveyor. If a concentration of the desired resource is found, a waypoint will be created wherever the highest concentration is found. Unlike crafting, surveying can be done while mounted on a vehicle.   Sampling:  Once an Artisan has surveyed and found a concentration of a given resource, they can then begin sampling (collecting) that resource. To do so the Artisan simply simply clicks "Get Sample", and then they will continue sampling for that resource, without the need for further player action, until interrupted (eg. by running out of Action or by finding an especially high concentration of a resource). The greater the concentration of the resource in the area, the more of that resource will be gained by sampling.  Crafting:  Beginning Artisans start with the ability to make a handful of items, including clothing, basic (CDEF) weapons, and food. An Artisan's "recipe list" can be viewed by opening the appropriate crafting tool (for instance the Generic Crafting Tool for beginning Artisans), or through the Datapad. If a recipe is opened in a crafting tool the Artisan will then be prompted to provide the appropriate resources to create that recipe, and if they do so they will be able to use that recipe to create one of its items. 

Experience
Artisans earn two types of experience: General Crafting and Surveying.
 * General Crafting:  Artisans earn experience whenever they craft new items. The more resources the item requires, the more experience the Artisan will gain.
 * Surveying:  Artisans earn experience when you successfully extract a resource (via the "Get Sample" button).

Credits
Artisan's have four main sources of earning credits. Two come from the use of Artisan Mission Terminals, while the remaining two come from collecting resources and crafting items.
 * Surveying Missions: These missions are given out at Artisan Mission Terminals, and require the Artisan to find a certain concentration of a particular class of resource. For instance, a mission might require an Artisan to find a 75% or greater concentration of Ferrous Metal in order to be completed. As the Artisan increases their Surveying skill, more lucrative missions (which require higher concentrations of resources) become available.
 * Crafting Missions: Also given out from Artisan Mission Terminals, these missions require an Artisan to A) find a particular NPC and acquire components from them, B) use those components to craft an item, and C) then bring that item to another NPC. Since these missions require no resources to complete, and since crafting the item for them does generate crafting experience, they can be an excellent source of both credits and experience for beginning Artisans.
 * Selling Resources: This approach is simple: the Artisan simply collects a significant amount of a particular resource (via sampling), and then sells that resource using a Bazaar terminal.
 * Selling Crafted Goods: This approach is the same as the last one, except instead of selling the resources themselves the Artisan instead uses those resources to craft one or more items, and then sells those items using a Bazaar terminal.