5 Different Ways To Earn Money With Your Artwork

Being able to support oneself financially as an artist can be challenging.

You may be familiar with the common belief that barring exceptional circumstances, earning a living from your practice is almost impossible. Even then, the most famous and wealthy artists appear to be the ones who have passed away.

The good news is that you can still generate money as an artist while you're still alive because we're going to walk you through five easy ways to achieve it.

Sell Your Digital Art on MasterBundles

MasterBundles is a marketplace designed specifically for the sale of digital art. Although it reduces the target market, it draws clients who are specifically looking for digital content.  It's a two-way platform that helps artists sell their work and customers find the perfect item.

What kind of digital products you can sell on MasterBundles:

• Illustrations
• Mockups
• Fonts
• PowerPoint/Google/Keynote templates
• Logos
• Lightroom setting, etc.

Advantages:

• Seller's interface is clean and uncomplicated.
• This is a relatively new marketplace with little competition within the platform.
• Reaching your target audience will be simpler given how well-liked digital art is on the site.
• The marketplace welcomes artists and designers of all levels — here you can find the works of professionals and beginners.
• The registration process is simple as a vendor takes just a couple of clicks.
• Uploading your work to the marketplace is straightforward. With the help of the Sell Your Deal form, the process is fast and the risks of not passing moderation are minimized (the vendor sees all the requirements with examples).
• The moderation period is also short. If you have any questions regarding it, you can contact the manager.
• Money management is convenient, and the withdrawal is usually hassle-free.

In addition, the platform helps vendors develop and promote products by constantly publishing useful blog posts.

Disadvantages:

• On each product sale, MasterBundles takes a 50% commission.
• The sole available currency is USD, which may be problematic if your company isn't registered in the USA.

Online or Personal Art Lessons

Finding students shouldn't be a problem if you are an outgoing, proactive artist. However, you must first decide which kind of instruction is best for you.

Teaching in Person

You'll undoubtedly discover that your community offers prospects for making some money with art if you explore more closely. If you specialize in something popular like astrophotography, calligraphy, or street photography, all the better.

Here are some suggestions for improving your neighbourhood's social scene while also learning new skills and making money:

• Offer adult, child, or high school students painting lessons or one-day workshops at your neighbourhood community centre (or whatever your area of expertise is).
• Organize an exhibition by yourself or enlist the help of other artists.
• Offer quick, engaging art classes at gatherings and corporate events.
• Plan outdoor painting workshops.

Online Education

Reaching a larger audience may be possible through teaching online courses. However, tutoring multiple students at once will be considerably more challenging online than in person.

Here are several methods for becoming an online art teacher:

• Sell your courses on different education-related websites.
• If you own a website, you can monetize guides and tutorials (these can take any form from video tutorials, and ebooks to step-by-step guides with images, etc.)
• Create a YouTube channel for your weekly tutorials on various topics. To engage your audience daily, start to make a short video. If you're unfamiliar with YouTube Shorts, then Google it for guidance on creating YouTube shorts.

Advantages:

• It’s a fantastic method to make money doing what you love and already know how to do.
• A fun procedure that will also teach you a lot about yourself.

Disadvantages:

• A straightforward manual won't set you back much money, especially in a market where competition is severe. Make your manual extremely in-depth or specialized to increase its value.
• It might be difficult and time-consuming to create a course, so prepare yourself with patience.

Selling Art on Instagram

The most popular social networking site for creatives and art enthusiasts is Instagram. This is fantastic news for aspiring artists since it eliminates the need to advance socially and wait for well-known critics to make the decisions. Instead, you can get in touch with clients who are eager to pay for your services wherever in the world. But there's a catch.

The demand for your art depends entirely on how many engaged followers you have; the more well-known your Instagram account, the higher the demand. Therefore, start there if you think you could get more fans.

Advantages:

• By selling on Instagram, you’re shooting two birds with one stone—you showcase and promote your work while guiding the buyers into your sales funnel.

Disadvantages:

• You probably won’t receive significant income right away, especially if your follower base is still not large.

Applying for Grants and Competitions

Grants for artists are widely available from non-profit groups, local governments, and international initiatives. These either encourage emerging artists, advance culture or tackle a specific issue.

Other times, local organizations want actual works of art to adorn brand-new structures or provide a lovely touch to an occasion.

Advantages:

• You may be able to invest in new tools, abilities, etc. thanks to some big grants and rewards.
• The participants and winners will be acknowledged in the official publications and media, viewed by exhibition visitors, etc., making it one of the best ways to get exposure and recognition for your work.

Disadvantages:

• Because grants and competitions are irregular (and you won't always win), they are not a consistent and reliable source of income.

Selling Other Merchandise with Your Art

Using a print-on-demand, or drop shipping, service is the simplest way to get your art printed on real things. Printing, packing, branding, and shipping of your customized products to your customers will all be handled by this kind of service.

Print-on-demand companies include Society6, Zazzle, and Printful.

You can sell the following personalised gifts and products that feature your artwork:

• Decorations for parties and weddings, etc.
• Greetings cards (Christmas, Birthday, Thanksgiving, etc.)
• Journals, diaries, and planners.
• Kids' clothing, hoodies, and t-shirts
• Towels, pillowcases, and other home furnishings
• Mugs, phone covers, and more presents or mementoes

Advantages:

• By developing a tangible product, you can make money in a pleasant and hassle-free method.

Disadvantages:

• Your profit will be divided significantly (around 25%) between you and the print-on-demand business.

Your independent artistic career is an adventure and an opportunity to follow your dreams. So, even if the outcomes aren't striking right immediately, exercise patience and avoid undervaluing yourself in the interim.

This is the golden rule:

Always have a few sources of income. You will be able to depend on other revenue streams in case one of the locations has issues or doesn't produce consistent money. Make sure at least one of those is a passive income source, if possible.