Top Ways for Digital Artists to Earn Income
Floppy Disks, Andrew Tricaso, 2021
If you’re an artist, you might have thought: “Is there a way to make income while also pursuing my passion?” Finding ways to make income as an artist can be difficult. Playform Studio accelerates artists defining new ways of making and selling art in the digital age. Read on to learn top ways for digital artists to earn income online.
Sell Art Online
You can sell works through your own website or e-shop, however artists may find more success to start on an established online marketplace like Saatchi or Artsy. These marketplaces foster thousands of clients and have millions of visitors, and the artist’s reach to these connections are easier than ever before. Some of these platforms also offer you the opportunity to have your work featured on their homepage, which is an excellent way to promote your work.
Saatchi Art: With 12M+ monthly page views, 1.1M+ social followers and 60,000 artists, Saatchi Art is one of the most prevalent online galleries. They take care of shipping, are non-exclusive and charge 35% commission.
Artfinder: Another online art market platform is Artfinder. This platform offers 10,000 artists the opportunity to reach 500,000 subscribers. You can sell your original works with a 30% commission.
UGallery: UGallery is a curated online art gallery that connects emerging artists with collectors. They charge a 50% commission for works sold.
2. Sell Products
Many artists are finding success in translating their works onto products like iphone cases, sweatshirts, rugs and more. There are several sites that offer these kinds of services, but these are the ones that have the best track record.
Society6: Transform your work into posters and prints, or phone cases, stickers, clocks, and more. With a global community of 300,000+ artists from 160+ countries, Society6 has been a proven source of new income for emerging artists, and also a great way for customers to support and discover artists.
Redbubble: Redbubble is another art-to-merch online platform with over 700,000 artists worldwide creating products like shirts, pillows, and more.
Etsy: Etsy is a global marketplace for “unique and creative goods,” as it is detailed by the company website. In 2020 the number of active sellers stood at 4.3 million with 81.9 million active buyers. The site follows in the tradition of craft fairs, offering sellers personal storefronts where each listed item has a fee of 20 cents.
3. Sell Prints Direct Through Social Media and Personal Branding
Social media is the perfect tool for promoting your artwork. Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube are the most important social media platforms for doing this.
Post only high-quality images and interesting content
Social media is a way to brand yourself, so it is important that your posts are high quality images with interesting content that demonstrates your artistic practice well. Aim to have a cohesive look.
Post frequently to build a following
Post often to keep up with engagement from your audience. Posting frequently also increases the chance of gaining more of a following, and utilize hashtags that are relevant and popular.
Use paid advertisements
Paid advertisements work for increasing following, traffic to links, and more. You may consider using paid advertisements for your work and brand. If so, think about your audience and ways that you can target your audience best so that your advertisements are directly targeted.
4. Paid Artist Opportunities
There are many unique paid artist opportunities offered online, some of the most prominent are offered on sites like ArtsforLA, NYFA, and more.