How to Make Money as an Artist on Skillshare

Hey there, fellow artists! Have you heard of Skillshare? It’s an online education platform for creative people who love to learn and teach. It’s not only an opportunity to learn and share our skills, but also has the potential to make us some extra money, or even a full-time income! So in this post, I’m going to be sharing with you my experience of how to make money as an artist on Skillshare.

Back in 2021, I took a leap outside my comfort zone and published my first Skillshare class. Now, with five classes under my belt and a growing income stream, I can attest to the great opportunities this platform has to offer.

Although the initial challenges of video creation were intimidating, the rewards have been fulfilling and it has opened new doors for my career as an artist and content creator.

So let’s jump in to this post on how to make money as an artist on Skillshare.

What is Skillshare?

Skillshare is an online learning platform and community with thousands of classes in design, business, and more, taught by professionals in their field.

Members pay a monthly, or annual fee to access all courses on the platform, along with some other perks, such as live classes. They predominantly focus on creative disciplines like painting, illustration, and software tutorials such as Photoshop and Procreate.

As well as being an excellent platform to hone your creative skills, Skillshare offers the opportunity for artists to share and monetize their own expertise.

As a Teacher on Skillshare, you can create and publish your own courses, guiding learners through your unique creative process while earning money doing what you love.

How do you make money as an artist on Skillshare?

The most common way to make money on Skillshare is by becoming a Teacher and uploading your own courses.

When someone watches one of your courses, you earn a share of the revenue, based on how many minutes of your course(s) they watch. If you have a popular course with a lot of students, you could potentially earn a decent amount of money.

Another way to make money on Skillshare is by becoming an Affiliate. Affiliates are people who promote Skillshare courses and earn a commission when someone signs up for a Premium Membership using their affiliate link. You can promote your own and/or other teacher’s classes to earn this type of income.

If you have a blog or social media with a large following, you could make some decent money by promoting Skillshare courses.

How do you get started on Skillshare?

To get started on Skillshare, the first thing you need to do is create a free account and set up your profile. You can do this by going to the Skillshare website and clicking on the “Sign Up” button.

Note: If you’re not interested in becoming a Premium Member, you can still make money from Skillshare as a teacher and affiliate.

How do you make courses for Skillshare?

Now you’re ready to create your first course. This may take a significant amount of time, and there can be be a learning curve if you are not familiar with the hardware and/or software needed to produce videos. It’s okay, you can learn! (If I can do it, so can you).

There are tons of resources out there to help you product your first Skillshare class. Both on Skillshare itself, Youtube, and blog posts on the web.

The main things you will need to produce your videos are:

A phone or a camera to film
A microphone
A computer with video editing software.

It’s possible to create your class without a microphone, but they do tend to perform better if you can speak directly to your students rather than just screen casting or using on screen text.

For editing my videos, I use a free video editing software called DaVinci Resolve. I was completely new to this software so I followed some Skillshare courses and YouTube videos to learn how to use it. You can use any video editing software you have or are familiar with.

Skillshare class structure

Skillshare has a very specific structure for their courses that you’ll need to follow.

They want a stand-alone introduction video which is kind of like a trailer or highlight reel for your class, which anyone can watch it (even non members). This is meant to entice people to sign up to take the rest of your class. Below is an example of a class trailer from one of my classes:

You’ll also need to film individual videos for the Supplies and Class Project, and an Outro or Conclusion video to wrap it all up.

So a typical class outline might look something like this, with each one being a separate video:

Introduction
Supplies and Class Project
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Outro

Skillshare also really encourages you to have some sort of Project at the end of the class that students create and can share with other students on the website and social media.

You’ll also need to come up with a great title, description, and an eye catching thumbnail for your class. This takes time and experience to master. Your first course might not be that great right out of the gate. But just keep working on it and making more more courses, and this will improve over time! The great thing is you can update your older classes with new thumbnails, revised descriptions, and even add or replace whole lesson videos in the future.

The Skillshare website has tons of information and tips about producing your first class. I highly encourage you to go through the articles in their Teacher Handbook before you get started.

Don’t worry too much about getting it just right the first time. After you publish your class, someone at Skillshare will review it within the first 72 hours and let you know if there are any issues with the video quality or content so you can address it and even re-upload if necessary.

How to Promote your Skillshare classes

Once you’ve created your course, you’ll need to promote it. There are several ways to do this, and I’ve listed just a few ideas below:

Share it with your following on social media.
Write one or more blog posts about it.
Post your intro video on YouTube with a link to the class in the description. (You are allowed to post the intro video but not the other lessons on YouTube)
Engage with your existing students and encourage them to leave reviews and share their experience with others, helping build your reputation as an instructor.
Collaborate with other Skillshare teachers and cross-promote each other’s courses to tap into each other’s audience.
Use email marketing: Build an email list and send newsletters to your subscribers, promoting your Skillshare classes and sharing valuable content related to the courses.
Use Pinterest: Create eye-catching graphics and pins that lead to your Skillshare class landing pages to attract organic traffic.
Create shareable content: Develop engaging and shareable content related to your classes, such as infographics, tips, and tutorials, to attract more attention online.

These are just a few ideas of ways you can promote your Skillshare classes to attract more students and make more money.

How much money can you realistically make on Skillshare?

There’s no easy answer when it comes to how much money you can make on Skillshare. Realistically, it depends on a variety of factors such as the quality and popularity of your courses, how often you promote your courses, and how many students enroll in your courses.

That said, some Skillshare teachers have been able to generate significant income from their courses. Some of their Top Teachers have reported earning over $100,000 in a year.

While it’s certainly possible to make good money on Skillshare, it’s important to set realistic expectations. Many Skillshare teachers supplement their income with other activities such as freelance work, consulting, or selling other products. If you’re looking to make a full-time income as an artist online, it’s important to diversify your income sources.

At the end of the day, how much money you can make on Skillshare depends on a variety of factors. If you create high-quality courses and promote them effectively, you can certainly make a good income from Skillshare.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my journey of making money as an artist on Skillshare has been rewarding. From publishing my first class in 2021 to now having five classes and a growing monthly income, I’ve experienced the power of this platform.

So if you’re looking to make some extra money as an artist from teaching online classes, Skillshare is a great platform to consider.

Let me know what you think about making money as an artist on Skillshare in the comments section below! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this potential income stream.

Cheers,

Sell Your Art Online with Zazzle: A Complete Guide to Setting up Your Zazzle Store

~ Julie ~ 2 Comments

Are you a creative person looking for ways to monetize your art, or an entrepreneur interested in building an online print on demand business? I’m excited to share my latest Skillshare class with you: Sell Your Art Online with Zazzle: A Complete Guide to Setting up Your Zazzle Store.

Sell Your Art Online with Zazzle: A Complete Guide to Setting up Your Zazzle Store

But first, what exactly is Zazzle? In short, Zazzle is a print on demand marketplace where you can create designs for real life products, like art prints, t-shirts, mugs, phone cases, and more. Then, those products are printed and shipped to customers after they order them. This eliminates the need for inventory and allows you to focus on creating and marketing your designs!

Zazzle is just one of many print on demand marketplaces that you can use to sell products from your art.

I really like Zazzle because they offer a wide range of products, from apparel to home décor to electronics, so you can create a diverse product line that appeals to your audience.

With thousands of shoppers from around the world browsing the site every day, Zazzle has a huge customer base. And their platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate, so you can focus on designing and marketing your products without getting bogged down by technical details.

gold foil art print collection on Zazzle

In my Skillshare class, Sell Your Art Online with Zazzle, I’ll guide you through the entire process of setting up your own Zazzle store, from designing your products to customizing your storefront and much more.

Before diving in, check out the class trailer below to get an idea of what you’ll learn and see if it’s right for you. And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me or post a comment below. I’m here to support you and help you succeed!

Here’s a peek at what we’ll cover in the class:

Setting up your store
Navigating the Zazzle website
Creating multiple product types from simple to advanced
Raising your ZRank
Organizing your store using Categories and Collections
Tips and tricks to streamline product creation
Creating custom banners and cover images for Collections and Categories
Customizing your store front
Additional pro tips from a Pro Bronze seller with nearly 10 years of experience

You can watch my Skillshare class for free with a one-month trial membership using my link.

This means you’ll have access to not only my class, but also thousands of other classes on Skillshare, including classes on graphic design, branding, and social media marketing.

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced Zazzle seller, there’s something for you in this class. I can’t wait to see what you create!

Cheers,

How to Paint Dreamy Landscapes in Procreate

~ Julie ~ Leave a comment

dreamy landscapes in procreate skillshare class

Do you want to learn how to create dreamy digital landscapes in Procreate, while learning the basics of the app? Then this class is for you!

Join me as I teach you how to paint these 4 different stunning digital landscape paintings in the Procreate app for Apple iPad. This class is great for both beginners and more seasoned Procreate users!

Watch the class introduction below:

In this class, I will guide you through each step of the process of creating these beautiful digital landscape paintings while demonstrating some of the basic tools and functions of the Procreate app.

I’ve also created some custom brushes and a colour palette exclusively for the students of this class!

This class is perfect for beginners, or already established Procreate users who are looking for a fun and beautiful project to share on social media or elsewhere.

If you have your iPad charged up and ready to go, then you’re ready for this class.

So let’s get started!

Click here to watch Dreamy Landscapes in Procreate: Create 4 Stunning Digital Landscape Paintings – and get 1 free month of Skillshare membership!

For the class project, you can share one or more of the digital landscape paintings we created in this class. If you share your project on Instagram, be sure to tag me @julieerindesigns and I will share it to my Instagram stories!

digital landscape paintings in procreate

The supplies you will need for this class are:

an Apple iPad
the Procreate app
an Apple pencil
the brush pack and colour palette provided in the Resources section of the class

How to Make and Sell a Coloring Book from Your Art

how to make and sell coloring books of your art

~ Julie ~ 6 Comments

how to make and sell a coloring book from your art

Have you ever dreamed of creating your own coloring book? It is both fun and satisfying to make and sell a coloring book of your own art!

Last year I self published my own coloring book through Amazon KDP. The book features my own hand drawn mandala art and I absolutely love it!

Today I’m going to explain to you the steps I took to make this book so you too can make a coloring book from your own art!

How to Make and Sell a Coloring Book of Your Own Art

It is actually free (or pretty close it) to create a coloring book from your art using this method!

In order to follow this tutorial, you will need:

An Amazon account (it does not have to be Prime).
An account on Amazon KDP (which you can set up with the same login information as your Amazon account).
Access to image editing software and a scanner to digitize your art.
Software like Powerpoint or Google Sheets to build your coloring book interior.

You could also probably use Canva or another software to design the interior if you prefer, but I’m just showing you how I did it. There are many ways to produce the same result, so don’t feel like you can’t do this if you don’t have the exact software.

Creating the Artwork for the Coloring Book

First, you’ll need to have some artwork that you want to use for this project. I suggest having at least 30 artworks for a coloring book. Of course, you can have more than that if you want!

Here are some things to keep in mind when creating the artwork for your coloring book.

Black and white line-art is best. The amount of detail can range from very simple (aimed toward kids) to extremely complex (for adult coloring enthusiasts).
Try to keep the difficulty consistent between drawings. Alternatively, you could start the book with more simple drawings that progressively get more complex.
Keep in mind that you will need to digitize your art for the coloring book. If you can create your images digitally from the start, that’s great! If not, you can hand draw your artwork in black pen (Sharpies are good).
I suggest scanning your drawings and then cleaning them up on the computer using a design program like Photoshop and/or Illustrator. I have a tutorial on how to do this here: How to Clean up Line art in Photoshop and Illustrator.
Save each of your drawings as separate image files, either .jpg or .png is fine.
Make sure the image size is large enough to fit on an 8.5″ x 11″ page. You can size down but I don’t recommend sizing up otherwise it can look blurry or pixelated.

If you have and Apple iPad, I have a tutorial on how to make coloring pages using the Procreate app.

Designing the Coloring Book Interior

I created my coloring book in Powerpoint but you could use Google Sheets or another software as long as it can produce the same result.

Create a new document and adjust the slide size to match the size of the book you want to make (ex. 8.5″ x 11″). Here is more information on KDP book sizes.

Note the size will be slightly different if you want to have bleed (the image goes all the way to the edges of the page). You can read more about bleed at the link above. For my book I didn’t use bleed, because it doesn’t fill the whole page.

Once your document is set up, duplicate a few blank slides and start designing your book!

To add a professional touch, include some title pages at the beginning your book. Things like a copyright page, introductory pages on how to use the book, etc.
You could also include an author bio with your headshot, or include links to your website and social media handles. It’s your book so you can make it exactly how you want!
Once you’ve gotten those first few pages laid out you can start inserting the image files of your artwork, one per page. Add a blank slide in between each artwork page.
You want to have a blank page on the back because the coloring materials may bleed through the page.
Try to visualize how the book is going to look when it’s physically printed out. Sometimes it can help to actually print it, or use some sheets of paper to mock up a booklet.
Once you have every single page of your book added to the file, including blanks, save it as a PDF.
Take note of the total number of pages in your book because you will need that information for the next step which is creating your book cover.

Designing the Coloring Book Cover

Now for the fun part, designing a beautiful and eye catching cover for your book!

First you’ll need to download the cover template. This is where you’ll select your book’s dimensions and total number of pages and it will give you the correct file size to use for the cover. Link to the KDP cover template generator.
You can just use the dimensions, or you can download a template to make your cover in Photoshop or another image editing program. If you don’t have something like that you can also use Book Bolt, which you can read more about here.
You can put text on the binding, or not. This is completely up to you.
It does need to have a title on the front, not just an image or left blank.
The back of the book will automatically have a ISBN barcode added to the bottom left.
You can also include some author information on the back, like your name and website URL.
Make your cover look nice and appealing, with clear and easily readable text.
It’ll be printed in full color even if your interior is black and white, so you can make it stand out with color!

When you’re finished designing your cover, save it as a pdf. So now you should have 2 PDF’s, one for your book interior and one for your cover.

Now we can move on to the upload process.

mandala coloring book julie erin designs

Uploading the Coloring book to Amazon KDP

Now you’re ready to upload your book to Amazon KDP! When logged in, click on Create > Paperback.

(You can add a hard cover version later but it requires a different cover size).

Go through all 3 of the upload pages carefully and fill out as much as you can. Take your time here. Below are some tips and things to keep in mind while you go through this process:

Title needs to exactly match what is on the cover of your book
The subtitle can be more descriptive.
Author: This can be your name, your brand name, or a pseudonym.
Add keywords that describe your book in the description and keywords section. Think about what people might search for to find your book (theme, etc.).
The previewer will let you know if something is wrong with your file so take note of this. It also takes several minutes to load. But don’t skip this step, it’s always important to proof your file before you hit publish.
Try not to get discouraged if you don’t get everything just right the first time. This is not a super easy thing to do. Mistakes are all part of the learning process.
For pricing, this is totally up to you. But a lot of people sell their books for under $10 so keep that in mind.

Publishing and Printing Your Coloring Book

The final step to make and sell a coloring book of your art is to hit publish!

…..and then wait for it to be approved. This can take a few days or more. So sit back and give yourself a pat on the back for completing this project. It’s no small feat!

It’s possible that your book won’t be approved the first time through, and that’s okay. Someone will let you know exactly what is wrong via email, and then you can simply revise your file and publish again. This is all part of the process.

After your book is published you will have the option to order Author Copies, which are usually around $2 -3. This varies depending on the size of your book. You could consider buying some to sell at an art fair or give away as gifts.

I also kept one of mine for myself, both for fun and promotional purposes!

how to make and sell a coloring book of your own art

I hope you’ve discovered how fun it can be to make and sell a coloring book of your own art!

If you follow this tutorial and wind up publishing your own coloring book, I’d love to see it! Feel free to leave a link below so I can check it out.

You can purchase my Mandala coloring book here

I hope you have a great rest of your day!

Cheers,

How to Digitize your Art for Print on Demand

~ Julie ~ 1 Comment

Do you want to learn how to digitize your art for Print on Demand websites?

You’ve come to the right place, because I’ve been selling my art online for over 7 years. During that time I figured out how to produce the highest quality work for my stores. I have sold thousands of products featuring my artwork through my Print on demand stores, from hand drawn line art to watercolor paintings.

For example: I created a t-shirt from my drawing of a ladybug from the Mandalatober challenge (an art challenge I participated in on Instagram.)

This technique will work on your hand drawn line art, doodles and illustrations, or even paintings, as long as they are small enough to fit in your scanner bed.

In this tutorial I will take you through the following steps:

Scanning your art into Photoshop.
Doing some preliminary clean up of the artwork in Photoshop.
Cleaning up the artwork and smoothing out lines in Illustrator, using the Image Trace tool.
More Photoshop tricks for prepping the artwork to upload to the Print on Demand sites.
Required file types you need for the Print on Demand sites.
Several tips and tricks along the way.

I created this video to take you through the process of digitizing my own hand drawn artwork, using a combination of Photoshop and Illustrator. I figured this would be the easiest way to demonstrate this process, rather than trying to describe it to you.

This tutorial is only a small part of my comprehensive class on how to sell your art online – From Design to Product: Sell Your Art Online with Print on Demand websites.

You can watch the whole class for free when you sign up for a 1 month trial of Skillshare membership!

I hope you’ve found this tutorial useful, and learned how to digitize your art for Print on demand websites properly! If you want to learn more about how to sell your art through Print on Demand websites, check out these posts:

If you’re looking for ways to create purely digital art for use on Print on Demand websites, you may enjoy this class on how to Create Your Own Sublimation Designs.

Cheers,

New Skillshare Class: Modern Mandala Art

~ Julie ~ 2 Comments

Hey guys, I just waned to let you know I’ve published a mandala drawing class on Skillshare! In this class we draw and colour 2 stunning and unique mandalas.

Click here to watch my mandala drawing class – Modern Mandala Art: Draw and Color 2 Stunning and Unique Mandalas

You can watch the intro video below:

Do you want to create some stunning mandala art today? Then join me as I take you step by step through drawing and coloring 2 beautiful and unique mandalas that you can hang on your wall, gift to friends and family or share with your followers online!

This is a traditional art class using paper and pens, but you can also follow along digitally if you prefer.

In this class, I will guide you through the following steps:

Practicing some basic mandala patterns.
Drawing a simple mandala design.
Drawing a more complex and detailed mandala design.
Coloring in the simple mandala in a complimentary color scheme.
Coloring in the complex mandala with a monochromatic color scheme with metallic accents.

This class is perfect for beginner artists, or anyone who loves mandala art and easy therapeutic drawing exercises which produce beautiful results.

I hope to see you there!

Cheers,

From Design to Product: Sell Your Art Online Through Print on Demand – My First Skillshare Class!

~ Julie ~ 1 Comment

From design to product: sell your art online through print on demand websites Skillshare class

I’m so excited to share my first Skillshare class: From Design to Product: Sell Your Art Online Through Print on Demand.

This class has been a labour of love and I couldn’t have done it without the help of Skillshare.

As part of their (free) “Teach Lab” program, they basically guided me through the entire process of creating and filming the class, and even edited it for me!

Check out the intro video below:

The class encompasses all I’ve learned from the past 7 years of selling my art online, and contains much of the information I have shared here on my blog over the years in a nicely condensed video format.

Are you an artist who wants to make money by selling your art on real life products through print on demand websites like Redbubble and Society6? Then this class is for you!

Join me as I teach you how to sell your art online through print on demand (POD) websites!

Whether your designs are digital or traditional, you will learn the basics of making an income from your art using POD websites.

During the class I take you step by step through the process of opening up your first print on demand store so you can start making passive income from your art!

from design to product: sell your art online with print on demand

In this class, I will guide you through the following steps:

Digitizing your artwork
Setting up a print on demand store
Uploading your first design on products
Marketing your products
Business tips
Bonus *PRO* tips from an established print on demand artist!

This class is great for beginners, or already established artists who are looking to earn passive income online.

You can watch my class, From Design to Product: Sell Your Art Online Through Print on Demand FOR FREE with a 1 month trial of Skillshare using my link: https://skl.sh/2Z2AjXM

Then when you’re done, you can watch any of the other classes they have available!

Feel free to leave a review so I can improve my future Skillshare classes. I’m already working on my next one as we speak!

Cheers,

Amazing Skillshare Classes for Artists

~ Julie ~ 2 Comments

Today I’d like to share some amazing Skillshare classes for Artists and creatives.

If you haven’t heard of Skillshare before it’s an education platform with all sorts of courses which are created by individal teachers.

I’ve known about Skillshare for a while now, and have done some of their free courses in the past. I wasn’t sure if the premium membership was worth it. I got a deal for 40% off the yearly subscription and decided to give it a try.

I’m so glad I did! I’ve been plowing through courses and found some really excellent ones. It’s helped me improve my skills and turned out to be a great investment for my personal and professional development.

The courses on Skillshare are particularly good for artists and creative business owners. Not only can you improve your artistic skills with classes taught by professional artists, but you can learn all sorts of business and marketing skills which are important if you want to make a living from your art.

I thought I would share some of my favourite Skillshare courses with you today and if you are interested in trying out their premium membership you can use this link for a 1 month free trial.

Skillshare Classes for Artists

If you are anywhere in the Print on Demand space you have likely heard of Cat Coquilette (aka CatCoq). She is very successful with art licensing, and has some amazing classes on Skillshare! These are a couple of my favourites, but honestly they are all good.

This class guides you through several exercises to help hone in on your person illustration style. Below is a sample of some of the illustrations I created in this class.

Find your Illustration Style in 6 Simple Experiments

dragonfly illustrations mixed media art skillshare classes for artists

Want to learn or improve on your watercolour painting techniques? There are a ton of watercolour courses on Skillshare. Here are a few I’ve done recently:

watercolor christmas gnomes skillshare classes for artists

This course helped me re-brand my entire website and social media profiles. It’s a must follow for creatives who want to level up their businesses and have a more professional-looking and cohesive brand.

DIY Branding for Creatives – Your Brand Style Guide

Delores Naskrent has a lot of interesting classes. Many are in Illustrator and Photoshop so if you want to improve your digitial art skills then her classes are for you.

Luscious Digital Marble and Alcohol Ink Using Photoshop & Easy Foil & Glitter Techniques

If you want to be a successful artist then being on social media is kind of a must. You can even find some artist specific social media courses on Skillshare, like this one:

Social Media Marketing: Top Tips for Growing Your Followers & Going Viral

And finally, you can learn to become a professional artist and illustrator with Ohn Mar Win! This is an extremely insightful class that will give you a realistic perspective on what it takes to become a professional illustrator (without immediately quitting your day job).

Transition Into Illustration: Breaking Into The Industry

I’m actually going to be doing a workshop to learn how to make my own Skillshare class! It seems like a great opportunity for creatives to make money by sharing their knowledge and skills.

If you’re already on Skillshare, let’s connect! Here’s the link to my profile.

Let me know in the comments below if you have a favourite Skillshare class I’ve missed.

Cheers,