I’m not an art major, but a parent of a HS senior who has been considering both paths. In art school, you’ll be taking many more art classes (at least 2/3 of your classes). In a LAC, art majors take about 1/3 of classes in art. It is certainly possible to become an artist by either path. You just have to decide how much you want to specialize in art, and/or how much you want to study other things, which develop other (non-visual) skills (e.g. writing, analytical skills, possibly math or science). My kid is pulled towards both art and other humanities so is focusing more on LACs, but still applying to one art school she likes. Also, there’s a broad range of art schools, and of art in LACs. Depending on your area(s) of interest, that could help narrow your choices.