Wouldn’t it be great to know the best art profit ideas all the pros use to make a living off their art? I remember when I started selling my artwork 20 years ago, I wished I’d had a comprehensive guide to help me navigate the art profit jungle. So to jumpstart your earning power now, I spell out all the best art profit ideas us professionals use!
It’s great that you want to profit from all your hard work! But I know I was daunted by all the selling possibilities available to artists today. What really works, where do you start? This guide gets right to the heart of the best art profit ideas and gives you only the pro art profit ideas that anyone can do.
You are going to learn all about the best art profit ideas, passive income for artists, how to make money as an artist online, how to make money with art skills, how to make money as an artist on instagram, rules for selling artwork, profitable art gallery, profitable art blog, profitable art business, profitable art gallery, profitable art careers, art profit margin and more!
As an artist myself with decades of profiting from my artwork, I can tell you first hand the best art profit ideas that are guaranteed to bring in the money!
This post is all about the very best art profit ideas for any artist.
Art Profit Ideas
1.Art Profit Ideas
Don’t listen to your parents, you CAN make money as an artist!
Your art career is your adventure and a chance to make a living doing something you love. So even if the results aren’t impressive right away, be patient. It takes a little time to make money in any business.
Many artists have several income streams working for them at any given time. That way if one income stream runs dry, there are others to buffer the loss.
There are so many money-making ideas for artists right now that any level artist can do. It would be crazy not to try them!
Here are some great art profit ideas to get you started!
2.Passive Income for Artists
Get started selling digital copies of your work on Etsy by clicking here.
Passive income opportunities have exploded thanks to the internet. Passive income for artists is easier than ever!
1. You can start right now increasing your art profit by selling digital copies of your art:
All you painters, illustrators, designers, graphic artists and even sculptors can earn money turning your work into high-quality posters by:
- Digitize your artwork with the help of professional photography or scanning OR
- Use Adobe Illustrator or another graphic design program to create posters in a printable format
What next?:
- Sell digital copies on a platform like Sellfy where printing is left to the customer or Creative Market where they do it for you
- Use one of many print-on-demand websites that will print and ship the posters for you
- Offer your art to your social media followers
- Set up a shop on Facebook or Etsy, who are the biggest international platforms for selling art and handicrafts
- Sell photos from your website
2. If you are a whiz with videos then earning income from YouTube art tutorials could be just your thing! With over a billion users, YouTube is the perfect platform for promoting your artistic talent.
I know I learned a lot of painting skills in my early years as an artist from YouTube videos. And most people love visual learning, it’s all the rage! All you need is filming equipment (eg, your phone 🙂 ) and a willingness to put yourself out there.
Before diving in, here are a few steps you can take to ensure your success on YouTube:
- Define your niche and target audience
- Research keywords and your competitors
- Upload at least twice a week, if not more
- Make sure there’s lots of light in the room and the sound quality is good.
Apart from art tutorials and speed painting videos, you can also:
- Film art supplies reviews
- Start a video blog (aka: VLOG) of your life as an artist!
Make cha-ching from these by selling longer versions of your most popular free tutorials on your website or via email!
People are fascinated by artists like you! Videos give them a peak into our world. That’s why earning income with YouTube art tutorials is a fabulouso idea!
Having your digital work sell from these platforms while you’re sleeping, travelling or having fun with your friends is the ultimate in passive income for artists and art profit!
3. How to make money as an artist online
Click here to start selling your original artwork on Saatchi Art website!
There are soooo many options for making money as an artist online, and new ones arising all the time. From my experience, here are the best for art profit:
—> Selling canvas paintings on Saatchi Art
Handmade drawings or canvas art or sculptures are truly unique pieces of art, and therefore more valuable than digital art.
Sell your artwork to homeowners, business owners, hotels and to anyone who wants to liven up their environment with a unique and timeless piece.
Saatchi Art is one of the best online platforms that sells your canvas art online for you. It’s as easy as signing up, setting up a free account and waiting! When a customer makes a purchase, you’ll receive an email confirmation and instructions on how and where to ship it.
Art profit doesn’t get any easier than this baby!
—> Etsy (again!) is another great and super popular option for art profit. This online gallery will also showcase your original art to a huge target audience and take your business to the next level! Many, many artists make a steady income by selling on Etsy.
And you can sell almost anything creative and artistic on Etsy like:
- Jewelry and accessories
- Clothing
- Wall decor
- Visual arts
- Art & collectibles
Etsy’s diversity attracts different types of customers to their marketplace, which can really work in your favor.
Keep in mind that like brick and mortar galleries, these online sales platforms take commissions – between 5 and 30%.
But they’re also saving you the cost and headaches of setting up your own website, marketing your work and dealing with staff!
4. How to make money with art skills
Earning money from your passion doesn’t always have to be done online.
Yes, tons of people love online shopping, but some still prefer seeing items in person (me!! :)) ) and artwork is often one of those.
Here are some offline answers to how to make money with art skills.
Check out this article by Artwork Archive for the list of top art fairs around the U.S.
1. Art fairs, conventions, or festivals are the ol’ standby for art profit and are still great options for those of us with some art skills! Garage and yard sales, and open studio sales are other super-fun ways to make an art profit!
The best way to start would be to search for local art fairs or festivals in your area and request a signup form. Or if you decide to sell your work from your home or studio, ask to list this event in your neighborhood newsletter or city paper.
Once you’ve decided, don’t forget to also display:
- Business cards with your brand name or logo and website address
- Items to decorate and personalize your booth
- Ready-to-be-sold artworks that make up a comprehensive and attractive collection.
2. Applying for grants and competitions is another way to make money with art skills offline.
Many international programs, local communities or non-profit organizations offer grants for artists. These are to support young artists, promote culture or address a particular problem. Or sometimes local institutions need actual pieces of art to decorate new buildings or give a nice touch to an event.
How to apply to these programs:
- Do an online search like “grants for artists” or “artist contests”
- Narrow the search down, you can add your specific country, state or city.
- Also, be sure to follow the news on social media and your artistic or professional circles, like the university, artist association or non-government organizations.
It just takes a little research to find at least several contests or programs that you are eligible to enter and win cash and/or the chance to show your work an increase your art profit.
How to make money with art skills offline has other advantages. Selling at fairs or festivals or from your home or studio gives you a chance to showcase your art and meet potential customers face-to-face!
5. How to make money as an artist on instagram
Instagram has become the No. 1 social media platform for artists and art lovers because it connects your art with buyers across the globe willing to pay. Cha-ching!!!
Successful selling on Instagram comes down to how many engaged followers you have—the more you post, the more popular your Instagram account, the higher the demand for your art!
Start selling on Instagram and Facebook now- click here to get started!
Here are super tips to help you make money as an artist on instagram:
- Post high-quality images
- When photographing your artwork, choose a clean background and natural light
- Stick to a unified style or brand—find a certain color scheme, hashtag, language, etc. that represents you and your art
- Write creative captions that tell a story
- Use relevant hashtags (that correspond to keywords representing your art)
- Write an engaging bio (it’s the only place where followers can click on a link)
- Post on a regular basis (at least twice per week)
- Whenever someone sends you a message redirect them to your sales page or website.
When deciding on how to make money as an artist on instagram, patience is key, but the end results are so worth it!
[Related post: The Best Watercolor Painting Ideas – Condensed and Simplified]
6. Rules for selling artwork
Talking about rules for selling artwork isn’t very sexy I know, but they’re a must when trying to increase your art profit!
Most professional artists recommend you start with these two basic rules:
- Get a business license and
- Create a business entity
Many cities require you have a business license if you sell your artwork.
A license can increase your art profit by providing tax advantages, legitimacy for acquiring grants, and visibility. Check out your city our county’s municipal website for information on how to obtain a business license, usually you can do this right online.
Become an official business entity even if your are the only person in it! This can help your bottom line by giving you power and flexibility as your art business grows.
The business entity options are:
- a sole-proprietorship,
- a limited-liability (LLC) partnership or
- a corporation.
Most artists operate as sole-proprietors. A sole-proprietorship means that there is one owner and that the income and expenses you incur will directly affect your personal finances.
There are definitely more exciting ways to make an art profit, but setting yourself up with a license and official business entity can maximize your art profit potential!
7. Profitable art business
What are some other was to create a profitable art business?
—> Commissions are a popular strategy that many beginning artists can use to make money—both online and offline.
The best place to start is by announcing that you accept commission work everywhere, seriously everywhere- on your website, social media, business card and as part of your email signature.
Alternatively, these online platforms unite artists and people who want to commission artwork:
- Artfinder
- Artists&Clients
- ArtCorgi
- Art Please
Not sure how much to charge to make it a profitable art business?
This is the formula I use: take your average hourly rate, multiply it by the approximate number of hours needed to complete the task and add the price of the materials used. And, find other commission artists in your area and get an idea of what they charge.
[Related post: The Best Ideas for Getting Art Commissions]
—> Selling other merchandise with your art
The easiest way to get your art printed on tangible products is using a print-on-demand, or drop shipping service.
This type of service makes it oh-so-easy as they take care of printing, packaging, branding, and shipping of your custom products!
Some well-known print-on-demand services are:
- Society6
- Zazzle
- Printful.
Here’s how to get started with Zazzle. Click here.
Some merchandise you can sell with your art on it:
- Wedding invitations, party decorations, etc.
- Greeting cards (Christmas, Birthday, Thanksgiving, etc.)
- Diaries, journals, planners
- T-shirts, hoodies, kids clothes
- Pillowcases, towels, and other home decors
- Phone cases, mugs, and other souvenirs or gifts
Trust me, these profitable art business ideas are so easy to do, you can do them all and make a very hefty art profit!
8. Profitable Art Gallery
Selling your art through a brick-and-mortar profitable art gallery is still a great way to make an art profit. Some of my best sales and most memorable selling experiences were with galleries!
But this route involves someone else being involved with your work so believe me, you’ll want to understand these crucial points to maximize your art profit.
—> Who sets the prices?
Typically, gallery owners work with artists to reach a retail price. In the end, trust the experienced gallery owner knows what the work is worth on the art market.
—> You chose a gallery, now what?
Once you decide on a gallery, approach them in person about representing your work.(This establishes more rapport than an online approach). Some tips for this:
- Avoid weekends or evenings. Instead, choose a time that is less busy for the business.
- Don’t take original pieces of work, it can be disruptive and looks bad. Instead, bring a printed portfolio or a few copies of your work.
- Appearances make a big difference. Galleries are businesses and want to work with professionals. So if you have an extreme look reach for a compromise. Dress nice but be your wacky artist self at the same time.
- It may be best to call to request an appointment with bigger galleries. The decision maker may not always be around or have time to talk to a prospective artist.
—> What about an agreement? Galleries make agreements with artists to protect both parties and to ensure that everyone knows what’s expected of them. Make sure your questions are addressed and you understand everything in the agreement before signing it.
Here are some of the questions you should have answers to:
- How long is the work expected to be on display?
- Will your art be displayed ‘permanently’ or in a temporary exhibit?
- Who is liable for damages while the artwork is on display?
- What is the gallery’s commission?
- How long will it take for you to get paid after a sale?
- Will the gallery offer sales? If so, do you split the discount?
- While showing at the gallery, can you display work for sale other places or is your contract exclusive?
- How will the gallery market you?
- Get an inventory report of all the pieces you leave with them and ask them to report updates every month.
Working with a profitable art gallery can boost your art profit and your visibility in the art community- a win-win!
9. Profitable Art Careers
One of the best profitable art careers is teaching. And with a little imagination and our wonderful web, the options abound!
Teaching face-to-face
If you’re an extrovert and looking to increase your presence in your community, in-person teaching is a fantastic option.
There are numerous opportunities to teach art and make money in your very own setting:
- Offer painting classes or one-day workshops at your local community center
- Organize an exhibition or workshop alone or with other artists in your studio or someone else’s.
- Offer short, interactive art workshops for corporate events and parties
- Arrange to teach art at a senior center.
- See if a local school or university has an opening for a working artist to teach.
Teaching online
Teaching online courses can be a better option for reaching a wider audience and if you’re more of an introvert.
Some ways how you can become an online art tutor:
- Sell courses on platforms like Udemy and Skillshare
- Sell guides and tutorials on your own website or Sellfy page (these can take any form – video tutorials, ebooks, step-by-step guides with images, etc.)
- Create your own YouTube channel to give weekly lessons on different techniques
Whether your profitable art careers are teaching in person and/or online, you’ll be more successful with your art profit if you have a niche:
- Instead of “How to Draw Animals” consider “How to Draw Realistic Dinosaurs.”
- Instead of “Learn How To Paint Landscapes” try “Learn How to Paint Thunderstorms.”
10. Profitable Art Blog
Consider easy to use and wildly popular Squarespace to start your art blog, click here to start
It’s true that artists are usually more into visuals than words. But, there are thousands of online writing tutorials and your blog can be richer in imagery than words.
Here are some possibilities to get you excited about a profitable art blog:
- Tips or tutorials on how to achieve the best result in your master technique
- Reviews of new art supplies
- Opinion articles about new art trends and movements
- Interviews with local artists
- Reports on new exhibitions and galleries
- Tips about freelancing as an illustrator
- Create videos showing how you paint, and then share written tips about it
Once you get a following there are many ways to earn money from your blog:
- affiliate marketing
- paid ads
- creating commissioned reviews
- promoting your other products via your blog
With consistent blogging (and a hefty dose of patience) you can create a profitable art blog and rack up a tidy art profit!
11. Art Profit Margin
I can’t talk about art profits without talking about the pricing of your work. So many artists I know undermine themselves by not understanding profit margins and markups or underpricing their work.
It doesn’t take a math whiz to realize if you spend more to create your art than you make from your art then you will not make an art profit!
So that you don’t make this common mistake, here’s all you need to know about the art profit margin and markup.
First it’s important to learn how to price your work.
1. Way to Price
Calculate the cost to paint the piece: Multiply the painting’s width by its length to arrive at the total size, in square inches. Multiply that number by a set dollar amount that’s appropriate for your reputation. If you are just starting, use $5 per square inch but be sure to increase this as you start selling more. For example: A 16”-x-20” canvas = 320 square inches x $5 per square inch = $1,600.00.
Then add the cost of the materials you used, the canvas, the paint, the brushes, a studio overhead fee (I calculated this by adding up all my costs to keep my studio running for the month and divided it by 30 and then by 24 to get an hourly studio fee). Let’s say it’s $175.00
2nd Way to Price:
Keep track of the hours you spent painting the piece. Multiply that times your hourly fee which should be at least minimum wage ($15.00)
- The commission price an online or brick-and-mortar gallery is taking
- Shipping costs (you can calculate this on the shipper’s website)
- It’s super important to realize you’re selling within a group of other artists.
- If you just use the formulas above, you will be missing out on art profit OR will be pricing yourself out of the market.
- Do the research for similar work and see what is selling and check the price on those.
- Now, if you are new to selling your art consider pricing BELOW the big players by at least 20% OR to the lowest point you can and still break even. This is a way to get a leg up in this competitive market.
The artist margin is the amount of money in dollars you make off of a sale.
The markup is the percentage that margin is of the base price.
Example: If In this case if your profit was 800 (you made $800 more than it cost you to make the artwork) and the retail price was $1,750, 800 is 45% or 1750 so the markup is 45%.
This post is all about art profit
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