Selling Art Online for Beginners

selling art online for beginners

Are you an artist who wants to start selling your art online? I’ve got you. Just follow the steps below to get started!

Selling Art Online for Beginners

1. Build a portfolio of high quality work

In order to start selling your art online, you should have a decent sized portfolio for potential customers to choose from. Aim for 10-25 artworks or products you want to list for sale.

You can either make a batch of new artwork, or dig up some old pieces that could work digitally or physically to sell and repurpose them.

I also want to emphasize that quality and unique-ness is more important now than ever. There is a ton of competition out there so make sure your designs are good and unique enough that you won’t get lost in a sea of competitors.

Not quite there yet? Keep practicing and honing your craft. No one really is born with some amazing artistic ability, it takes times and practice to develop skills. Over time you will get there and build your portfolio in the process.

types of art you can sell

2: Decide what type of art you want to sell

Next, you’ll have to decide what kind of art you want to sell, which will depend on your medium, style, and goals as an artist.

Identify your audience and how you want to sell your art.

  • Are you going to sell art prints?
  • Are you going to sell physical artwork, such as paintings?
  • Do you create sculptures, jewellery or some other physical product?
  • Are you interested in designing t-shirts and/or home décor products to sell through print on demand?
  • Do you want to sell digital products like cell phone wallpaper or graphic assets for designers?
  • Are you interested in selling NFTs?

All of these are viable ways to make money selling your art online. You can choose just one or a combination of these.

Want even more ideas? Check out my list of 101 Ways for Artists to Make Money!

3. Digitize your artwork

If you don’t already have your art in a digital format, you’ll need to digitize it in some way. Either by scanning or photographing your physical artwork in high quality with good lighting.

  • Scan or photograph your artwork in high resolution.
  • Try to get sharp lines and true colors by using a tripod and good lighting.
  • Post process in a program like Photoshop to fix colors, or clean up scans.

Check out my video tutorial below on how to digitize your artwork using Photoshop and Illustrator.

4. List your artwork for sale on your chosen platform(s)

Upload your designs or create listings on your chosen platform.

If you are going the Print On Demand route,  only add to products that look good and work with the design. You may need to customize the design for different products, like having a version with a transparent background for stickers and t-shirts.

For physical products you can sell on your own website, social media or Etsy. Make sure the photos look good and it’s clear what you are selling. Also make sure it’s simple and easy for a customer to purchase from you.

selling art online betta fish sticker

5: Market your products

Marketing sounds hard but there are actually so many ways to market your artwork online!

You can use social media or a shopping website like Pinterest. There are many ways to market your artwork these are just a few ideas.

  • Share your products and artwork on social media. You can use a mock-up generator like Place It to help show the designs on physical products without having to purchase them yourself.
  • Create an Instagram, Twitter, and/or Facebook page dedicated to your art. (Ideally, choose one you use frequently so it’s not a burden to learn or use daily).
  • You may consider building a website, which can be a hub if you sell on multiple platforms. It could be a blog like this, or just a simple portfolio of your work.
  • To dive deeper into marketing, watch tutorials on YouTube or try Skillshare to hone your business skills or even artistic skills as your business grows.

Consistently create new designs so you can figure out what works and what doesn’t, then make more of what resonates with your audience.

Consistency is key!

I hope you’ve found this guide to selling your art online useful.  Feel free to leave any additional tips or questions for me in the comments below!

If you want to learn even more make sure to check out my Skillshare class! From Design to Product: Sell Your Art Online through Print on Demand.


Cheers,

julie signing off

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