You’re an artist. It’s all you’ve ever dreamed of being, and it’s how you feel so alive.

Now, you’re looking for ways to make money from making art.

Let me tell you a little secret about being an artist in 2024: you don’t have to be a starving artist.

Stop romanticizing the notion that artists like us need a day job because our creative pursuits won’t pay the bills.

As someone who has been selling my own art as jewelry online since 2006 and coaching others how to do this in 2014, I can attest to this firsthand.

Over the years, I have built four successful creative online businesses that I still run to this day, and they collectively make me over seven figures every single year in sales.

It is definitely possible to make money with your art.

So, how exactly can you turn your creative passion into a means of making a living income for yourself?

In this blog post, I’m going to share with you twenty ways that you can earn money from using your creative skills and talents – ways that I’ve learned how to do myself over the past two decades.

Livestream your creative process

The first and easiest way to make money with your art is by hopping on platforms like Twitch or YouTube where you can simply livestream yourself drawing, painting, or sculpting.

People LOVE watching artists make magic, and there’s always something so compelling about seeing a blank white page turn into a piece of art in real time.

Monetizing your livestreams can take various forms.

One option is by accepting donations or tips from your viewers as a form of their appreciation for your work.

Another is offering premium features such as exclusive tutorials or behind-the-scenes content to subscribers or supporters.

Plus, once you meet certain eligibility requirements on your platform of choice, you can get monetized and earn revenue through ad placements during your streams.

Livestreaming can be a fun and interactive way to connect with people and build a loyal following.

Just keep in mind that building a successful channel takes time, consistency, and a bit of showmanship.

If you’re comfortable being in front of a camera and you enjoy engaging with viewers, this could be a fantastic opportunity to turn your artistic passion into an amazing online community.

Tip: Check out Ed from Art by Swarez on YouTube. He livestreams himself making an original painting every Wednesday. 

Sell art prints online

Next, you could sell prints of your art online.

People are always shopping for art for their homes or office space or as gifts for friends and family.

Now, there are a few ways to tackle this for it to be successful.

You can set up an online shop and treat it like a personal art gallery using shop builders like Shopify.

There are a few things to keep in mind:

First, the quality of the prints is key.

Make sure your original artwork is scanned in at a high-resolution so it translates well as a reproduction.

This guarantees that the prints do justice to the details and quality of your original work.

Also, you’ll see a lot more success if you focus your art into a specific niche.

By focusing on a particular style, theme, or subject matter, you can more effectively target your marketing efforts and attract a dedicated following of enthusiasts within that niche. 

This way, it’ll be much faster for you to gain traction and build up a following of interested buyers if you can do this.

When it comes to printing options, there are two primary routes you can take: self-printing or using a print-on-demand service. 

Yes, you have the option to print your own prints but that does require investing in a high quality printer, paper cutter, as well the materials like ink, paper and shipping supplies.

This can add up in costs quickly and take up a lot of space in your home, however the advantage to doing it yourself is you’ll make more profit and money per order.

Alternatively, you can get your art printed by a print-on-demand company like Printful to ease up on the logistical burden.

You upload your artwork, choose the paper and framing you want it printed on and they handle the printing and shipping directly to your customer.

It’s awesome because it’s so hands off, allowing you to focus on creating and marketing your art, but this convenience comes at a price. It costs more per order for you to do, so you won’t be as profitable. 

It all boils down to your resources, space constraints, and preferences for hands-on involvement versus convenience.

Explore stationery and paper products

Since we’re talking about selling physical products, your style of art may be really good as stationery and paper products like notebooks or cute little stickers.

This works well with the print-on-demand services I mentioned above, or you can explore creating your own online shop.

The downside?

There’s more competition in this area, so make sure your designs stand out again, choosing a specific niche to go into and having a specific and unique art style.

A lot of people buy these kinds of products for personal use or for gifting, and they are typically drawn to the aesthetics of it all.

They tend to buy repeatedly from the artists whose style they identify themselves with.

So focus on carving out a distinct niche and cultivating a cohesive art style that resonates with your target audience.

If you love making adorable doodles or spot illustrations, this could be a great fit!

Check out Marshmallow Studio for the cutest hand drawn art turned into stationery like washi tape, planners, notebooks and stickers. They’re so, so cute! 

Design wearable pieces like t-shirts

So next up, in the same physical products realm as stationery and prints, you can also make money by selling your art on t-shirts!

Just like with prints, you can set up your own shop or use a print-on-demand service like Redbubble, which simplifies the production and distribution process.

Artists like Ilustrata thrive on this platform. Check out their work, they’re a small Brazilian studio and their art is super cool.

T-shirt designs can be simple with quotes on them, but those are easily replicable by copycats, which is a frustration that no artist really likes to deal with.

So if you focus on more elaborate designs using a style distinct to yourself, those are like wearable pieces of art and people are always shopping for them, plus it’s harder for other people to copy you.

There’s a lot of competition out there, so you have to make your designs unique and eye-catching.

So if your artistic style pops and translates well to clothing, this could be a fantastic way to make money with your art. 

License your art for royalties

You can also license your art!

Licensing lets you partner with companies to feature your artwork on their products like kitchenware, greeting cards, and so on.

You can use platforms like Spoonflower or licensing agencies to help connect you with these potential business partners.

The really cool thing about licensing is that it’s passive income!

You create the art once, and companies pay you to use it over and over again, and you get paid royalties AKA a steady stream of income.

However, breaking into the licensing industry can be competitive.

While learning the process of pitching your portfolio to companies is pretty easy to learn and do, it can be nerve wrecking for a lot of people who have the fear of getting rejected.

Also, licensing your art may mean that you won’t have as much control over how your art is used.

But if you have a style that translates well to different products, like surface patterns for example, licensing could be a great way to see your art out in the world in some really big stores like Trader Joe’s or Target.

A fantastic example of this is Jessica Molina, a lettering artist who has licensed her work for everything from homeware to clothing.

Turn your art into digital products

You can also sell your art as digital products.

This is a cool way to offer creative goodies people can use instantly in their own projects.

So these would be things like custom brushes for digital art programs like Procreate, seamless texture packs artists can use in their own work, illustrations, or branding elements that business owners can use.

The appeal of digital products lies in their versatility and accessibility.

Once you create the digital file, customers can purchase it repeatedly, generating a continuous stream of income for you.

The key is to create something that provides genuine value and that is useful for other artists or business owners.

There’s definitely competition in the digital download space, so make sure your offerings are high quality, unique, and solve a specific need within your target market.

For some inspiration for how big this industry of digital downloads alone can get, check out True Grit Texture Supply, they’re a huge company that sells all sorts of cool brushes, tools and effects for a variety of software.  

Sell graphics or illustrations on stock image sites

If you’re a digital artist or you’re comfortable learning how to use digital software for your art, definitely consider selling graphics or illustrations on stock image sites like Shutterstock or Creative Market.

These are giant online libraries for creative assets.

You can upload your illustrations and sell them for commercial use by designers and businesses on things like their ads, websites, or even packaging!

This can provide you with great passive income opportunities, but with anything that is low-barrier and easy for a lot of people to do, there’s going to be a lot of competition.

So standing out can be tough with tons of other illustrators on the platform.

But if you’re good at doing your research to find what people are searching for on these platforms as well as what trends and niches are lucrative today, and if you can get creative with making your illustrations different from what’s already being offered on there, these stock illustration platforms could be a great way to get your work seen and used in all sorts of places.

A great example of this is Jen from J Oliver Designs, who is an illustrator and who has built a successful career selling her art through digital marketplace sites like these.

Create a paid community on Patreon

Next up, you can build a fanbase with Patreon.

Patreon provides a platform where you can offer exclusive content to patrons who pledge financial support for your work.

You can do things like early access to new artwork, behind-the-scenes to work-in-progress, or even personalized rewards like custom sketches or tutorials.

This is great for getting direct support from fans who love your work and it fosters a strong community and gives you a reliable and recurring income stream.

This recurring income stream provides stability and empowers you to focus on creating without the constant pressure of traditional sales cycles.

However, building a loyal following takes time and effort, especially if you’re focused on growing your audience to a certain size where you’re making a considerable income.

But if you’re passionate about connecting with your audience and offering them something special directly, Patreon could be a fantastic way to monetize your following.

A phenomenal example of this is acrylic artist Michelle the Painter.  She started her Patreon account in 2020 and she has over 6,000 patrons paying her between $3 and $12 per month. 

Teach classes online

If you love teaching, you can also teach courses on platforms like Skillshare, Udemy, Coursera… there are so many other sites that allow you to create and sell educational content.

Or you can build and host it on your own platform.

Again, it’s great semi-passive income where you create the course material once and students can keep enrolling over and over again, providing a steady stream of revenue without requiring additional effort beyond the initial course creation.

Just keep in mind that it takes time and effort to develop high-quality courses that people love.

Also I say it’s semi-passive income because it’s not totally hands off.

You’ll want to maintain and update your course content and you’ll need to provide support to your students as well and answer any questions they have.

With your skills and experience, you can create engaging educational experiences that empower students to learn and grow.

But if you’re like me and you really love teaching, this could be a great way to take what you know, your skills and experience and turn that into a sustainable income stream. 

Host live or in-person workshops

Similar to teaching online courses, you could teach live workshops.

This is slightly different to selling courses on learning sites like I mentioned before.

With live workshops, you have the flexibility to conduct sessions online using platforms like Zoom or through livestreaming to a private group of students. 

Or you could teach in a real-life setting, such as hosting workshops at art supplies stores or other venues.

This could be anything from a one-day watercolor workshop to a weekend-long intensive on digital illustration.

You could even sell kits where you provide all the supplies your students need to complete the project for the workshop.

You can potentially charge more money for live instruction and you’d be able to have a more interactive learning experience, which can be fun if you love connecting and interacting with people who appreciate your work.

It obviously requires more upfront work to organize and promote your workshops.

From securing venues to marketing the events, there are tons of logistical considerations to address. 

But the energy from live teaching and the back-and-forth with students can be really rewarding, so this could be a fulfilling and lucrative way to share your knowledge.

Maybe you can even start with doing live workshops first before you digitize your knowledge into a course.

That way you’ll be able to iron out all the kinks for your workshop before you record it all into a course that’s going to be more difficult to change later on. 

This process ensures that your course material is well-developed and effectively delivers value to your audience.

Offer one-on-one coaching sessions

To take your role as an art mentor one step further, you could also offer one-on-one coaching sessions!

You can sell personalized advice, critiques, or guidance to aspiring artists through paid online consultations.

This can be a fantastic way to share your knowledge and help others grow their artistic skills, all while generating you some income.

The key here is to clearly define your areas of expertise and niche down to serve a particular group of artists or students.

By identifying your niche, you can position yourself as a sought-after mentor within that particular segment of the art community.

A great example of this is polymer clay and play-doh artist and educator Rebecca Potts who also founded Teaching Artist Podcast where she mentors other artists on topics like giving feedback on their art or an upcoming show or project, help with pricing, statement and bio editing, help with preparing proposals and so on.    

Freelance as an editorial illustrator

You also could offer your art services and freelance as an editorial illustrator.

In this role, you’ll pitch your art to magazines, websites, or blogs in need of captivating visuals to complement their content. 

Maybe you can illustrate articles about travel, fashion, or even science!

This can be a great way to showcase your work to a wider audience and potentially land recurring work with publications that fit your artistic style, and they’re always looking for artists for their spread.

It can be competitive to land these kinds of freelance gigs, and rates can vary depending on the publication and project scope.

That’s not to say it’s impossible.

Just have a great portfolio, a strong pitch and follow up, and don’t be shy to build relationships with these publications over time for consistent opportunities for collaboration.

Check out Colin McElwaine who’s gotten his art, multiple times, on publications like New York Times Style magazine, Financial Times, Washington Post, The Big Issue and a lot more. 

Start a blog and monetize it

If you love writing, you can share your knowledge and experience with your art with other people through a blog!

For example, you can write about art techniques, review art supplies, or offer tips for aspiring artists.

You can monetize your blog through various avenues such as ad revenue, where you display ads on your blog and earn money through clicks. Another option is securing brand sponsorships, where you collaborate with brands for product reviews. Additionally, affiliate marketing allows you to earn commissions when your audience buys the products you promote.

Collaborating with art supply stores or online art course platforms allows you to earn commissions when your readers make purchases through your affiliate links, creating a mutually beneficial arrangement.

To do this well, you need to create consistent, high-quality content that is so valuable that it’s easy to attract a big readership or following.

Remember, the key is to create content that gets your readers eager to return to your blog for more.

Check out ArtBarBlog.com, a blog that’s focused on art for kids and the family. There’s a ton of content around art projects for the classroom, DIY projects to do at home, sensory play stuff, seasonal art ideas and so much more. 

Sell creative assets

Now, we’ve talked about stock illustration platforms like Shutterstock and Creative Market, but there are also online marketplaces specifically designed for selling 3D models, textures, fonts, and other creative assets.

Platforms like TurboSquid, Cubebrush, 3D Ocean, and CG Trader are some options to look at.

These marketplaces provide a platform for artists and designers to showcase and sell their digital creations to a global audience.

The key here is to create assets that are in demand and solve specific creative needs.

Pay attention to current design trends and focus on creating high-quality models, textures, or fonts that stand out from all the other shops out there.

Whether you’re skilled in 3D modeling, texture design, or font creation, these online marketplaces offer a lucrative opportunity to monetize your creative talents and reach a diverse clientele of designers, developers, and creatives in need of premium digital assets.

Explore grant opportunities and art competitions

Did you know that there are tons of online art competitions and grant opportunities specifically for artists?

These competitions and grants offer a wide range of prizes, from cash awards to gallery representation, all of which can significantly boost your artistic career and potentially pave the way for future income streams.

You definitely want to research competitions and grants that align with your artistic style and career goals.

Pay attention to deadlines, submission requirements, and selection criteria to increase your chances of getting noticed.

A fantastic example is the National Endowment for the Arts, which offers grants to support artists in various disciplines. The Halstead Grant is also a great and highly respected one for jewelry makers. 

Start paid art challenges

If you have a dedicated community, whether you’re already on Patreon or not, another exciting idea is to create art challenges tailored for membership platforms like Patreon.

This is similar to selling online courses and teaching but it’s more engaging, more interactive and a lot more fun for both you and your subscribers.

You can design themed art challenges, offer in-depth tutorials, or even host live critiques to provide ongoing value to your members and keep them actively engaged with your content.

For example, check out Character Design Challenge. It’s community of character artists who have a Patreon account for monthly paid challenges, you get special rewards and a chance to get a spotlight on your work and be promoted to their huge audience online.  

Offer art services to businesses

If you’re really good at working with clients and you’re great at communicating through visuals, then offering your art services to other business owners could be a goldmine for you.

There are a lot of graphic needs in running a business, so here are just a few ideas to get you started on some profitable and in demand niches.

You could do branding work, so that would include visual identity things like logos, packaging, typography, website design and layouts.

Lots of businesses are looking for help in making their brands stand out professionally and creatively.

You could do social media graphics for platforms like Instagram.

Business owners are always needing graphics for social media.

Even though there are plenty of premade templates and easy DIY solutions like Canva, I’ve personally found those to be less effective than getting custom-made graphics that are personalized to your business and brand.

You could also do graphics for paid ads that are specially created to grab attention and get people to click on them.

Ads are great for you as an artist because business owners doing them typically have more money to spend.

You could also do book covers or children’s book illustrations.

Authors and publishers frequently seek artists to visually capture the essence of their work, making this niche ideal for artists who excel in narrative-driven visual storytelling.

Design coloring books

Consider designing coloring books!

Coloring books have always sold well.

These have long been a beloved pastime for both children and adults alike, so you could specialize to making them just for kids, or adults only, or pick an even more specific niche, like fantasy coloring books.

It can include whimsical scenes with hidden objects people can discover as they color in the pages.

You could do mandalas, floral patterns, or even an entire book on just cats.

The huge advantage you get as an artist is that there are a lot of things you can do to make money.

Take the approach of creating something just once and then you get to sell it over and over again without any additional work after.

With relatively low production costs, coloring books offer an accessible entry point for artists looking to monetize their art and generate ongoing revenue streams.

The adult coloring book market, in particular, has witnessed a surge in popularity in recent years, with a large and established audience actively seeking new and interesting coloring experiences.

A fantastic example to give you an idea for the potential of this income stream is Johanna Basford, an artist who saw incredible success with her adult coloring book “The Secret Garden.”  Her illustrations are so intricate and beautiful and so many people have loved her work.

Sell your work in galleries

You can also sell your artwork in galleries.

If that’s something that sounds cool to you, you can get started by researching other artists showcasing similar art at your similar career stage and find out where they sell their artwork.

Prepare a strong portfolio with 10 to 15 of your best pieces and a professional artist statement that succinctly conveys your artistic vision and practice.

Reach out via email to any potential galleries.

But, before you do, first conduct thorough research to identify venues that align with your artistic style, career stage, and goals.

Look for galleries showcasing artwork similar to yours and assess their exhibition history, reputation, and clientele.

You, of course, want to follow any submission guidelines, include a few low-resolution images and a portfolio link.

Be courteous, professional, and persistent with follow-ups, as galleries receive numerous submissions and may take time to respond.

Understand that gallery commission tends to be around 50% of the sale price and while that sounds like a lot, remember that it costs a lot of money to maintain a physical location and you can depend on someone else to sell your work for you.

For many artists, the benefits of gallery representation outweigh the commission fee, as it allows them to focus on their artistic practice while the gallery handles sales and marketing efforts on their behalf.

Accept commissions on social media

Lastly, you can do commissions.

I have seen so many artists who do this well tend to have a very unique and specific style that they don’t stray from.

Because of this, they’ve amassed a really large and/or fanatical community on social media.

This devoted community serves as a valuable resource for these artists, providing a steady stream of commission requests and support for their creative endeavors.

Once artists have built a strong presence and community on social media, they can announce their availability for commissions.

This announcement can be made through posts on social media platforms, website updates, or email newsletters.

Successful artists often have a high demand for commissions, resulting in long waiting lists that keep them busy for months at a time.

One artist that I personally bought from is Helen Violet. She creates beautiful hyper realistic hand sculptures of dogs, and my husband and I got one custom made for our Husky when he passed. And the artist did such a beautiful job from under his paws, under his chin and even in the detailing of his collar was all a perfect match to the photo we gave her.