His early work included the religious paintings that were obligatory for a budding artist.

他的早期作品包括宗教绘画，这对初出茅庐的艺术家来说是必不可少的。

If a child is good at drawing and painting, we can call him a budding artist.

如果一个孩子擅长绘画，我们可以称呼他为一个初露头角的艺术家（a budding artist）。