How To Make Money With Digital Art | 13 Best Ways In 2023

In times past, artists depended mainly on art exhibitions or people visiting their galleries before they can make sales.

Interestingly, technological advances have provided more ways for digital artists to get their works to potential customers and drive huge sales.

So In this article, as we proceed, I’ll show you the best ways to make lots of money with digital art.

Days are gone when artists did not make money from their arts. This is no longer the case in this digital era as modern technology continues to give artists a platform to promote their works and earn big.

So, if you are into digital art and you have not been making so much profit from your works, this article will list the best ways you can make huge bucks with digital art.

What is Digital Art?

Digital art is art done on online and multimedia platforms.

Some digital artworks include designing character graphics for video games, creating animated videos for company advertising, developing 3-D animation for feature films, and improving pictures for publication using Photoshop or another software.

On the other hand, digital art can mimic traditional art forms, such as using digital software to enhance simple line sketches for a children’s book.

Digital art can also be used to design and produce a sculpture using a 3-D printer.

What does a digital artist do?

A digital artist uses computer software to bring art to life. Most digital artists work in the entertainment industry to bring stories to life using animated motion pictures, video games, and even mobile apps.

Digital artists also help companies to create visual imagery for their websites or create explanation videos to enable their customers to understand how to use their products.

On the other hand, the services of digital artists are employed in traditional print media. Here, digital artists enhance the photographs in fashion magazines, making them look immaculate.

How much do digital artists make?

The average salary of Digital Artists in the United States is $57,183. However, the salary of Digital Artists ranges between $48,567 and $66,450, respectively. The ranges in the salary can vary based on certain factors such as education, certifications, additional skills, and the number of years in the field.

How to Make Money with Digital Art

If you are into digital art and you are looking for ways how to make lots of money in the profession, the ideas listed below will give you the perfect guide towards achieving your aim:

• Use Instagram to sell your art
• Teach art online or face-to-face
• Sell your artwork on e-commerce platforms
• Apply for grants and competitions
• Sell wall art
• Sell other merchandise with your art
• Seek commissions for original work
• Own an art blog and write on it
• Sell art on Etsy
• Sell digital art on Creative Market
• Market canvas paintings on Saatchi Art
• Teach art on YouTube
• Sell at an art exhibition, conventions, or festivals

#1. Use Instagram to sell your art

Several businesses use social media platforms like Instagram to promote their merchandise. This has paved the way for lovers of art and artists worldwide to connect for business.

However, you cannot make enough sales if your Instagram followers are small. That means you will have to build a solid follower base.

If you wish to sell your digital artwork on Instagram, you should start by publishing high-quality images of your works on Instagram. To get high-quality images, choose a clean background and take photographs of your work.

When posting the images, choose a certain hashtag (keywords) that best defines your work. Then, write short but creative content describing your work and publish it. Make sure that you post your artwork regularly.

You can read this: How To Earn Money From Google At Home |10 Best Ways

#2. Organise Art Classes

If you have to teach, you will not encounter any problems getting people who will learn from you. But first, you will have to choose whether to go into online or face-to-face teaching.

Face-to-face teaching: Depending on your niche, you can decide to organize a one-day workshop on painting for children, high school graduates, or adults in your locality. You can also plan an art exhibition and invite other artists to participate. Alternatively, you can organize short, interactive art workshops for corporate events and parties.

Online teaching: Here, you can offer online courses to many people. However, this could be a little difficult. You may also choose to put your online courses in a material form and sell it. This will ease the stress of online teaching and earn you lots of money for a long period.

To sell your course materials online, choose platforms like Udemy and Skillshare. You can also sell your course materials on your website. Another option is to create a YouTube channel where you can offer tutorials to your subscribers.

#3. Sell vector designs on e-commerce platforms

If you are an artist that can do graphic design very well, you can utilize an e-commerce platform like Sellfy to sell vector designs.

Here, you can sell digital artwork, including illustrations, logo designs, icon packs, character designs, etc.

Through these online platforms, you can also sell music, eBooks, knitting patterns, etc., to customers needing them.

#4. Apply for grants and competitions

There are lots of grants and competitions for artists. Most of these grants are offered by non-profit organizations aiming to support young artists and promote culture.

If you are new in the field and need funding, you can research online for grants or competitions for artists. Once you find any, check the eligibility requirements and apply. This could be a big opportunity to showcase your talent and win cash prizes.

You can also learn about grants and competitions for artists by keeping up with artists’ social media handles.

#5. Sell wall art

Professionals in the field of art sell high-quality prints of their work to earn big money. If you are an artist, you can turn your art into high-quality posters by:

• Using professional photography or scanning to digitize your work.
• Creating posters to be printable using Adobe Illustrator or any other graphic design software.

If you are done with your artwork, and you want to sell it, you can start by:

• Selling your artwork on an e-commerce platform like Sellfy and leaving the printing part for the customer.
• Use any print-on-demand websites that can print and ship digital artwork to buyers.
• Giving your artwork to your followers on social media. You may also choose to create an online shop on Facebook.
• Creating a shop on Etsy. This online platform is one of the biggest international platforms for selling artwork.
• Using your website to sell photos.

#6. Sell other merchandise with your art

Another great way to make money with digital art is by selling other merchandise using your artwork. You can do this by using a print-on-demand or drop shipping service. This service will handle the printing, packaging, branding, and shipping of your works to customers.

To achieve this aim, you can use print-on-demand services, including Society6, Zazzle, and Printful. The merchandise that you can sell with your art includes Wedding invitations, party decorations, greeting cards (Christmas, Birthday, Thanksgiving, etc.), Diaries, journals, planners, T-shirts, hoodies, kids’ clothes, Pillowcases, towels, Phone cases, mugs, and other souvenirs or gifts.

#7. Seek commissions for original work

People in business use commissions to get customers and drive sales. Well, this is a perfect strategy that young artists can use.

Once you start giving commissions for your products, customers will even help you to advertise your business to potential customers. You can also create awareness about your commission using platforms including Artfinder, Artists&Clients, ArtCorgi, and Art Please.

If you do not know what commission to put in and how much to charge for your artwork, you can verify from other artists who are on the same level as you.

#8.Own an art blog and write on it

You can create an art blog to post pictures of your work for potential customers to see and buy. By creating a website, you can also use the platform to offer online courses to your site visitors.

Are you wondering how to do this? If yes, create short videos with explanations on how to design artwork.

Ensure that you display your artwork regularly on your blog, talk about yourself, and how customers can place orders for any item they want.

On the other hand, you can make money with digital art on your art blog through affiliate marketing, paid ads, creating commissioned reviews, and promoting your other products.

#9. Sell art on Etsy

Sellfy is not the only platform where artists sell their artworks. An alternative platform is Etsy. This platform will allow artists to display their works to a wider audience, thereby widening the horizon of their business.

Meanwhile, statistics show that Etsy has made it possible for many sellers to make a regular income. Some products you can sell on Etsy include jewelry and accessories, clothing, wall decor, visual arts, and arts & collectibles.

You can also read this: How to Make Money with a Drone | 10 Proven Ways

#10. Sell digital art on Creative Market

Unlike Etsy which lets you sell physical and non-physical items, Creative Market offers a platform for selling digital art only. The platform helps artists target potential customers.

Some items you can sell on Creative Market include WordPress themes, Clip art, Stock photography, Templates, Fonts, Business & premade blog logos, Branding kits, Lightroom presets, and Illustrations.

The problem that Creative Market has is that the platform accepts only U.S dollars, and this may prove problematic for any business that is not registered in the United States. Additionally, the platform charges a 40% commission on each product sale.

#11.Market canvas paintings on Saatchi Art

If you have a knack for making paintings on canvas, you can produce quality artwork and sell it to customers who wish to put painted artwork on their walls.

An online platform where you drive many sales from your canvas paintings is Saatchi Art. You can start by signing up on the platform and following it up by promoting your works on your social media platforms. Once customers purchase an item, you will receive a notification via email confirming the sale.

Upon confirming the sale, package the artwork, print out the documents for shipping and hand it over to the courier to deliver to the buyer. Keep in mind that Saatchi charges a 30% commission on each sale.

#12. Teach art on YouTube

Another great way to make money with digital art is by teaching your followers on YouTube. This social media platform offers one of the best places to sell yourself.

You can make video tutorials with your smartphone or a video camera. Ensure you have enough light and a good background before making your videos.

Afterward, post the video lessons on your YouTube channel for your subscribers to watch and learn from it. While posting, ensure you use relevant keywords that describe the content and match what people search for.

#13. Sell at art exhibitions, conventions, or festivals

You can also sell your artwork face-to-face by meeting the right people. Although many people like buying and selling online, offline means is a great way for you if you are an artist. This is because most people prefer seeing any item they want.

Professionals in art, can sell their artworks face-to-face by searching for any upcoming art exhibition or festival in their area. Such events allow artists to showcase their talent and attract customers.

While going to the art exhibition or festival, make sure you go along with a business card bearing your brand name and logo and pieces of your artwork for potential customers to buy.

Conclusion

If you are an upcoming digital artist or a professional in the field, there are several ways you can use to make lots of money.

Do not depend solely on the traditional means of displaying your artwork for face-to-face buying and selling. Keep in mind that most businesses have gone digital.

This article has listed and explained several ways that can help you promote yourself and, at the same drive huge sales.

References

• How do digital artists make money?
• Ways to Making Money With Digital Art and Digital Products

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