artscenter

Mar 28, 24

9 Ways How To Make Money off Your Art in 2024

In the digital era, where an increasing number of people spend their time online, it might seem that the demand for traditional art and paintings has diminished. However, this isn't entirely the case.

According to the Hiscox Online Art Trade Report 2023, online art market sales reached approximately $10.8 billion, marking a 6% increase from $10.2 billion in 2021. This indicates a growing appreciation for handcrafted artworks worldwide.

If you're an artist looking to sell your works and make money online, there are several ways for generating additional income. This article explores 9 ways artists can profit online in 2024.

9 Ways How To Make Money off Your Art in 2024

1. Online Galleries: Where to Begin?

There are numerous online platforms that allow artists to sell their works. However, only a handful have proven their worth and established themselves in the online art market. These online galleries offer several advantages, including:

- Access to a large audience of potential buyers.

- Marketing and promotion support for your artworks.

- Pricing and sales guidance.

However, all galleries take a commission on your sales.

Here are a few popular online galleries worth considering:

Saatchi Art is one of the largest and most renowned online galleries globally, showcasing artworks from around the world across various genres and price ranges. They charge a 35% commission.

Artfinder offers a wide selection of affordably priced artworks. The commission is 40% (or 33% with a monthly subscription).

Degree Art specializes in artworks by young artists and provides scholarships and other support programs for emerging talents. The commission is 40% or 50% for offline sales.

To get started with an online gallery, you'll need to create an account and register your works. Once you've registered your pieces, they will be featured on the gallery's website. You can also utilize the gallery's marketing and promotion tools to help find potential buyers.

2. Print on Demand

Print on demand (POD) websites are becoming increasingly popular for selling the works of artists and designers online. You upload a high-quality image of your artwork, and the site takes care of everything else. Your art can be printed on anything from fine art prints to phone cases, t-shirts, and pillows.

However, not every artist may be thrilled about having their works displayed on a phone case or pillow. For simpler works, it's an excellent tool for generating additional income. These sites tend to favor graphic designers and illustrators, but many artists also successfully sell their work this way. For instance, Los Angeles artist Didi Sheriel has successfully sold her paintings on DesignByHumans. She proves that it's possible to gain significant recognition without altering your style or making your art more commercial.

Here's a list of the most popular print-on-demand sites that offer a platform for this kind of service

9. Pixels (formerly known as Fine Art America)

10. TeePublic

This income option is advantageous because it requires no initial investment, nor do you need to worry about printing or shipping. Once you upload your design, these sites handle all the operations. Your main task is to wait for your commission. The drawback is the relatively low profit margin. Nonetheless, it can be an excellent starting point for earning income since these platforms typically already have a large audience of buyers. This setup allows artists to focus on their creative work while leveraging the site's infrastructure to reach a broader market.

3. Online Art Marketplaces

For selling handicrafts, sculptures, woodwork, glass items, and other small original works of art, there are dedicated online platforms such as:

Etsy is mostly known as a marketplace for handmade goods and vintage items, but it's also increasingly being used as a showcase for artists to sell their work. Sellers need to pay a fixed cost for listing an item and a 6.5% commission if the item sells.

Amazon typically not associated with handmade or unique items, has a marketplace for artisanal and handmade goods. Amazon Handmade offers artisans a platform to sell their products on Amazon's vast marketplace.

Ebay, known primarily as an auction site, also has a section for handmade and unique items. Sellers can list their products for sale, setting a price or using the auction format. eBay charges a selling commission, which is usually a percentage of the sale volume, and may also charge a listing fee.

These platforms provide artists with access to a global audience, enabling them to reach customers they might not have been able to connect with otherwise. By utilizing these marketplaces, creators can take advantage of established customer bases and the platforms' marketing and payment processing systems, making it easier to focus on their craft.

4. Social Media

If you aim to sell art online, social media is indispensable. It's a primary tool for building an audience, attracting potential clients, and establishing artist recognition.

Social media can be a sensitive topic among artists. Is it worth the effort to build relationships through social media? Absolutely. Social media helps you interact with people who will buy your work or help sell it. This is your primary audience.

Artist Lorraine Loots started creating a miniature painting every day in 2013 and sold each one (along with thousands of postcard-sized prints). Her "365 Paintings for Ants" project would never have been successful if Lorraine hadn't posted her works and built followers on her Instagram and Facebook accounts.

The key to earning through social media is to build trust and connection with your audience, engage them, and maintain their interest. Only then will sales and revenue follow.

To achieve this, interact with your audience like a real person. If your social media posts portray you as a self-promotional vending machine, most people will ignore you or unfollow. You wouldn't talk to exhibition visitors as a salesperson.

Don't bombard your feeds with repetitive works and their prices. Show people who you are beyond the canvas. Share what interests you, engage with people and organizations that intrigue you, show your studio, your working process, or an interesting article you read. Be authentic.

5. Grants and Call for Artists

Many international programs, local communities, or nonprofit organizations offer grants for artists. These can be funded by governments, private foundations, or cultural institutions. The purpose of such grants is to support emerging artists, promote culture, or address a specific issue. How do you apply for such a program?

Start with a simple internet search, like "grants for artists" or "call for artists." To narrow down your search, you can add a specific country or city. Keep an eye on news in social media and art communities.

Below is a list of online resources where traditional artists can find information about grants, scholarships, and competitions worldwide:

CaFE (Call for Entry) is an online community for artists that gathers information about grants, competitions, and other opportunities for artists.

GrantStation- is an online platform providing access to a database of grants and other funding opportunities for nonprofit organizations and individual artists.

ArtistGrant is a website specializing in providing information about various grants for artists. It is regularly updated with new grant opportunities and competitions.

Other resources include ArtCall, TheArtList, ArtConnect, which also serve as platforms where artists can discover various opportunities to support their work and career.

While not a constant or reliable source of income, applying for grants and participating in competitions is one of the best ways to gain recognition and publicity for your work, earn additional profit, and receive financial support.

Participants and winners will be mentioned in official publications and media, seen by exhibition visitors, which will increase your audience, recognition, and attract potential buyers. This exposure can be invaluable for artists looking to establish or expand their presence in the art world, offering a unique opportunity to showcase their talent on a broader platform and connect with other professionals in the field.

7. Teaching Art Online

You don't need a formal educational degree to teach art and make money by offering lessons online. People turn to those they trust and who inspire them. Before you doubt yourself, believe that you have valuable knowledge and experience that you can share and monetize. There are several ways to earn income as an online instructor:

1. Teach individual lessons online.

2. Create an online course.

3. Sell recorded video materials.

Some of the most popular platforms where you can sell your courses and teach online include:

Udemy - A platform with a wide range of courses on various topics, including art and creativity.

Skillshare - A specialized platform where you can create and sell courses on art, design, photography, and other creative subjects.

Selify -Allows you to sell finished products in any form - video tutorials, ebooks, step-by-step guides with images, etc

Teachable - A platform that allows you to create and sell your own online courses on various topics, including art and creativity.

Coursera - Specializes in higher education but also accepts courses in various art disciplines from instructors worldwide.

Kajabi - A tool for creating and selling online courses, allowing you to host your content and manage payments.

Gumroad - This platform allows you to sell your digital products, such as ebooks, video tutorials, and other materials, and also accept donations from your subscribers.

These platforms offer artists and creative professionals the opportunity to share their skills and knowledge with a global audience, creating an additional revenue stream while also enriching the learning experiences of others.

8. Crowdfunding Websites

Crowdfunding is essentially a way to raise funds for a project by offering rewards to people who financially support what you're doing. You don't need to be a famous artist or part of an art collective to launch a crowdfunding campaign.

A few years ago, Duncan of Jordanstone graduate Ellis O'Connor raised over 50,000 UAH for her "Expedition to the Northern Isles" on Kickstarter just a few weeks after her degree show. Backers received exclusive and original drawings and prints created during her journey, which not only helped fund her project but also introduced Ellis to potential future collectors.

However, Kickstarter operates on an "all or nothing" policy—if you don't reach your funding goal, you receive nothing. The success of such a project also heavily depends on having an already active audience you can bring to the site, for example, from social media or other platforms where you blog, etc.

To get an idea, take a look at current projects in the "Art" category on Kickstarter.

1. Kickstarter

2. IndieGoGo

3. GoFundMe

9. Commission Work. Popular Online Services

Commission work often serves as the primary source of income for artists, but it comes with its challenges, such as finding clients, advertising, and direct communication with clients.

Below is a list of online services that act as intermediaries between artists and clients, simplifying some aspects of commission work:

1. ArtCorgi

2. Artfinder

3. Art Please

4. Artists&Clients

5. Saatchi

6. ArtPal

7. Indie Walls

8. Singulart

With the growth of online art sales, artists have a unique opportunity to reach a global audience. However, success does not come automatically. Achieving significant results requires active work on building your brand, using social media to attract and retain an audience, and continually evolving and adapting to the changing market conditions. Understanding the technical nuances of online sales, including pricing, marketing, blogging, and, of course, quality presentation of your works, is also crucial.

It's important to remember that each chosen path has its specificities and challenges. Whether it's selling through online galleries, creating art teaching courses, or raising funds through crowdfunding, success depends on constant interaction with your audience, creating unique and quality works, and being open to new opportunities.

The key to success lies in the ability to effectively use available tools and resources and being ready for experimentation and learning.

At Arts.center, we continuously update and moderate our articles to ensure the relevance and usefulness of the information for our audience. We value the feedback and wishes of our audience and are always ready to consider your ideas for improvement, to make our resource even more valuable and helpful for artists. We strive to be not only a place for commercial success but also a source of inspiration and support for artists who seek to develop their talent and share their vision with the world.

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