How To Make Money From Your Art (2024)

Art is a beautiful form of self-expressionthat for many, is a passion that ignites the soul. However,a lot of artists find that turning that passion into asustainable income can be challenging and struggle to find a way to make a livingfrom it.The goal of thispost is to provide youwith practical tipsand inspire you to see your art as a viable source of income, empowering you to pursue your dreams with confidence and enthusiasm.

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How to Make Money and GenerateIncome From Your Art

1. Sell your original artwork: The most obvious way to create income from your art is to sell your artwork. You can sell your original artwork through galleries, online marketplaces, or directly to customers. Remember that you can turn one piece of original art into other avenues of income through limited edition prints, canvas art prints, and even metal prints just to name a few. Look for companies that provide white label, drop shipping services where you can place a customers order and they will ship directly to them like this one here. Pricing your artwork correctly is important to ensure that you're making a profit, while giving the collector the best price possible.
2. Offer commissions:Many artists start out by offering commissions as a way to get their foot in the door andbegin generating income right away. Doing this allows you to create custom pieces for clients based on their specifications for a guaranteed sale. Depending on what kind of art you create here are a few ideas: Pet portraits are popular and always in demand, live wedding paintings are becoming more common, landmark or landscape paintings meaningful to someone.

   Several factors come into play when it comes to pricing thesepieces. Remember that they are one of a kind and you are going out of your way to create a unique piece only special to the collector. Then, based on what you normally charge for artwork you should include a commission fee for your time and materials used in the overall price.

   

3. Sell digital downloads: If you create digital art, you can sell digital downloads of your artwork on your website, through online marketplaces like Etsy, or on digital download platforms like Gumroad. Consider things like downloadable files for coloring pages, art prints, planner pages, product label tags for makers, stickers and more. The possibilities are endless!

   

4. Teach workshops: If you have experience and expertise in a particular style or medium, consider teaching a workshop! This can be a really fun way to get out in your community, meet new people, and get your name out there. Places like art collectives and educational schools for lifelong learners, paint and sips, etc are some examples where you can share your knowledge and passion with others in a workshop style setting. You can teach classes in person or even online and charge a fee for each class and materials.

5. Create merchandise: Creating merchandisethat showcasesyour artwork is another easy way to create income. You can create prints, posters, coasters, beanies, ball caps, phone cases, t-shirts, and so many other items featuring your artwork.If you can swing it, I suggest purchasing samples to make sure the product features your art in the way that you envisioned before putting in a full order. This way saves you money and hasslein the long run.

   Another merchandise option is offering kits like paint by number kits, embroidery kits, punch needle kits, knitting kits, stained glass kits. Having these items are just another offering to add to your online marketplaces and gives potential customers options. Places like Redbubble and Society6 make it easy to sell merchandise featuring your artwork too.

   

7. Participate in art fairs and exhibitions: Participating in art fairs and exhibitions can help you generate income and gain exposure for your artwork.Not only does this give you an opportunity toshow the face behind the art,but it can also give you an opportunity to share your story with potential buyers and leave a lasting impression. While they can be a lot of work to set up, the huge benefit of these is you can sell your artwork and merchandise directly to customers. It can also bring a lot of joy and satisfaction seeing a customers reactionto your work in person. Additionally, these are great places to sell any inventory you have mentioned in #5.

8. Starta subscription platform:Creating a subscription based service on platforms like Patreon is another great way to generate stable, monthly income based around your art. You can offer exclusive artwork, monthly downloads, reference photos, exclusive behind the scenes videos or content, exclusive member chats on Discord, one-on-ones to evaluate subscribers artwork, and so many other rewards in exchange for their support. Building a community of like-minded artists benefits everyone involved and this is a great way to do that and boost your monthly revenue.

Build an online presence

I suggest starting simple and not overwhelming yourself with "proper" social media strategies. A great way to get your feet wet is to think of a way you can share your artwork within a 15-20 second video and share those to all of your social accounts. Reels, tiktoks, and shorts are some of the best ways to get your voice heard. As you post, you'll come up with more ideas as you go and ways you can share.

The key to success

A key component to all of this is having an email list. Remember that you don't own your content on social media platforms and theoretically it could all disappear in the blink of an eye. If that were to happen, how could you continue to reach collectors and potential buyers? By having an email list that you export and save frequently offline.

Growing an income off of your art is something that anyone can do and in this new digital age, it's a lot easier than you might think. You might try using all of thesesuggestions I mentioned above or focusing in on a few of them that you do best, just remember to stay consistentin either case. Now more than everis a perfect time to get started and with patience and perseverance, you cansucceed in turning your art into a career you love.