Tag: side hustle

Selling Art Online for Beginners

selling art online for beginners
~ Julie ~ 2 Comments
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

Top Tools and Resources for your Print on Demand Business

top tools for print on demand
~ Julie ~ 2 Comments
top tools for print on demand

If you want to start a print on demand business then you’ve come to the right place! I’ve created this list of the top tools for your print on demand business.

I’ve personally been selling my art through print on demand websites for over 8 years and have tried many different tools and approaches. In this post you’ll get all of the top tools and resources I’ve found for getting started with print on demand and scaling your business.

To get started selling your art online you’ll need to create some designs and optimize your artwork for print. Then, you’ll need to decide on a platform and upload your art or list your products there while using targeted key words to help them get found. Finally, you’ll need to market those products to your customers and continue learning to grow your business.

So let’s get into the top tools for your print on demand business!

Table of Contents

design to product

* Please note, some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase using the links below I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support and it helps me create more content for you to enjoy!

Creating your Designs

First, you’ll need to create some designs or digitize your existing artwork so you can upload them to print on demand websites. Keep in mind the type of products you will be selling. A design for a t-shirt will much different than one for fabric for example.

Below are a few different (free and paid) design tools and resources for creating your designs for print on demand.

Websites to Sell Your Art

The next thing you’ll need to do is decide on one or more print on demand websites to sell your designs through. Below is a list of sites I’ve personally used and sold my art through.

  • Redbubble – Good for beginners
  • Zazzle – More advanced with customization options
  • TeePublic – Super simple upload process
  • Society6 – Tedious upload process but worth the effort
  • Amazon Merch on Demand – You must apply and wait to be accepted but worth it
  • Spoonflower – Sample purchase requirement in order to list for sale
  • Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) – No application process
  • Printful – Via your own website or Etsy

Apps to Upload your Designs Faster

If you have a lot of designs ready to upload these are a few apps that you can use to speed up the process.

bulk print on demand flying upload
Preview of Flying Upload software dashboard and connected websites

Keyword and Niche Research

In order for people to find your products you’ll need to make sure you’re including key words that people are searching for! Include them in your title, tags and description. Here are some tools and resources to help you with this.

Marketing your Products

Marketing helps drive sales and raise awareness about your designs and the products you offer. You can do this in a variety of ways including through social media, Pinterest, blogging and more. Below are some excellent tools and resources to help you with your marketing efforts.

design mockups
Mockups like this can help drive sales

Business Tools and Resources

As your business grows you’ll need to implement good business practices like keeping track of finances, doing your taxes, building a website, email list and general organization.

I’ve recently created an all in one Art Business Toolkit to help you get your business started and organized!

Further Education

In order to grow your business you’ll need to continue learning and honing your skills in both design, marketing and overall business skills. There are many excellent resources out there, here are a few of my favourites!

Conclusion

There are so many resources and tools out there to help you grow your print on demand business. What was your favourite resource? Did I leave something out? Feel free to leave links below so we can all benefit.


Cheers,

julie signing off

13 Ways to Make Money from Your Art Online

13 ways to make money online from your art
~ Julie ~ 3 Comments
13 ways how to make money from your art online

Are you an artist who could use some extra income?

There are so many ways you can use your creative skills to build a side hustle to generate extra income. Or even just generate SOME income if you’re currently unemployed.

Over the last few years I’ve made over $40,000 in online income while working a full time job. While it’s not enough to quit my day job just yet, I’ve been able to pay for vacations, unexpected bills, and even part of a mortgage.

Yes, it will take time and you’re not going to be making thousands of dollars right away.

However, if you have the patience and drive to do the work and learn, you can be successful. In a few years time you could be generating a few hundred to thousands of extra dollars per month. And well, who is going to say no to that?

So what are you waiting for?

Below are just a few ideas of ways you can make some cash from your art skills online.

This is not a comprehensive list by any means, but just some ideas I’ve come across and some I’ve tried for myself. You will have to dive deeper into researching each of these ideas for yourself. I have linked to my other blog posts on these topics where possible.

make money from art

13 Ways to Make Money from your Art Online

  1. Sell your original artwork or hand made goods on Etsy.
  2. Create downloadable art prints or worksheets to sell through Etsy or your own website.
  3. Print on demand websites and marketplaces like Redbubble, Society6, Zazzle etc.
  4. Print on demand through your own website (Shopify, Printful, etc.)
  5. Books and book covers through Amazon KDP.
  6. Youtube: Film videos of yourself creating, then once you get enough subscribers and watch hours (1000 subs and 4000 watch hours) you can start generating income from Youtube. You can also make money from affiliate links by linking to Amazon products you use for your art.
  7. Blog with affiliate links: Create articles about the type of art you do, product reviews, tutorials etc. and then you can look for affiliate partnerships like the Amazon affiliate program where you can send people to buy the products you use and recommend.
  8. Teaching: Either through Youtube or a website like Skillshare which charges a subscription fee. If you send people over there to sign up you can get paid.
  9. Patreon: Your fans can subscribe to you by donating a monthly $ pledge, and then you give them exclusive content and interact with them.
  10. Social media: Build up a following on Instagram or TikTok and sell your artwork to your fans straight through the platform.
  11. Create for virtual marketplaces: This one is kind of out there, but if you’ve ever heard of Second Life or IMVU there are many opportunities to create 3D fashion designs or other products to sell within these virtual marketplaces for real cash.
  12. Sell design elements for other creatives or businesses through Creative Market or Etsy.
  13. Offer your design services on Fiverr or through your own website.
person doing online shopping

Bonus Tips:

  • Create things people want to buy (do a bit of research).
  • Use high resolution images as much as possible. (Don’t start with tiny blurry photos or small pixel sizes, it’s a waste of time).
  • Never stop learning and growing your skills.

That should be enough ideas to get those creative juices flowing. As a creative person you will probably come up with even more ideas to make money from your art. And always be keeping an eye out for more opportunities!

Which one of these ideas resonated with you the most? Let me know in the comments below!


Cheers,

julie signing off