How to Earn Money from your Art *

The trope of the poor artist is prevalent in our culture, as we perceive that artists can struggle to earn real money from their creations. If you find yourself to be in this situation, then there are a few things that you can do to make more from your art.

Create Prints

If you don’t want to sell your original artwork just yet, or if you can’t get an attractive offer for it, then you can create a selection of prints instead. Numbering your prints can increase the value, just make sure they’re high quality enough to warrant the price that you ask for. Selling numerous prints can devalue them, so weigh up whether you want to go for quantity or exclusivity. This can give you more money to fund your next art piece, so it can be worth it in the long term.

Work on Commissions

There are plenty of people out there willing to pay for a totally custom art piece. Commissions of pets and children are very popular, just find the right buyer and you can name your price. This doesn’t need to feel like selling out, as you can stay true to your own style for the commission.
Finding the right people to buy your commission can be tricky, but around the holiday’s many people look for these as a gift for loved ones. Get out there and advertise your art if you want to generate interest around what you have to offer.

Create Merchandise

If you have a piece of art that’s generating a lot of attention then you can create merchandise to capitalise on this. T-shirts, mugs and mouse mats are really popular with art lovers and they make fantastic gifts too. Being able to print on demand products can bring you in a lot more money to
fund your art, you could even design your own custom t-shirt and sell them at shows.

Teach Others

If your art is of a great calibre then you can also earn money by teaching your techniques to others. People love to learn about art and the prospect of creating their own, with most being willing to pay to do so. You could do this in person if the art scene where you live is thriving, or online if you don’t get a lot of local interest. Teaching online can also reduce the costs associated, as your learners will get the materials sorted for themselves.

Create a Blog

Making a blog and publicising it can bring you a lot of revenue. You can advertise other artists on it and create a following that is really interested in what you have to say. Then, if you choose to create merchandise or sell one of your paintings you have an interested audience already in place to
purchase.

Overall, there are a lot of ways to create money from your art, not just selling the art itself. You can make a lot from your creativity, if you’re creative with it.