Are you an artist and want to sell your art? If so, then I've a good news for you. But first let me ask you a Question?
Did you know that you can sell art online and make money?
Probably you might not be aware of these. am I Right?
Internet has made things easier for people coming from every walk of life.
Whether you are a programmer, an Internet Marketer, a Blogger, a Consultant, a Real Estate Agent or an Artist, you can always find your niche and make a living out of it.
If you have the Skills and want to make quick bucks selling you your art, then you are at right place.
So, as Promised Here's the Good News…
In this article, we will be talking about how you can make money by selling your art work online. We'll be covering the following topics in Detail.
How to sell art?
What to Sell?
Where to Sell?
and Lastly How Much money can you Make By selling art Online.
Digital age has really being a game changer for the ordinary artists like you and me.
Now you can easily sell photos and drawings to companies that need them for marketing and other purposes.
You get paid on time wherever you live in this world.
Types of Art Work You Can Sell Online?
Although there are many kinds of arts out there but only three of them can really sell online and make some money for you.
1. Paintings and Drawings
Majority of the art work that are sold online by artists are Paintings and drawings created using materials like paper, sketchbooks, masonite, canvas, acrylics, oils, pastels, watercolor, inks, pens, brushes, varnishes etc.
2. Photos
Second one is digital like photos, wallpaper, prints etc taken from a good quality camera.
3. Sculptures
Third kind of art work is sculptures which involves carving and casting.
In this article we will talk more about first two categories because reproducing sculptures are quite difficult than creating paintings.
For an artist selling sculptures is not very rewarding because first it takes so much time and money to create one and then returns are also not that great.
How Much Money Can You Make Selling Art Online?
There are artists in this world who are making decent income selling their arts online.
A full time artist can earn between $3000 and $10,000 per month depending upon his/her experience and marketing skills he/she has.
If you take example of an art like drawings & paintings then on an average artist makes between $200 and $250 for each painting they complete.
Most of the paintings that are listed on eBay or Amazon are sold for $150 – $200. Occasionally, they can be sold for $500 – $1000 but that is very rare.
However an artist can make additional money selling the prints of the same painting through YouTube videos and various social media platforms.
So even if an artist ends up getting half the price that he/she would like to sell a painting at an auction they can still make more money by selling reprints.
So in total they can easily earn $250 – $300 for a painting. If they can produce 3 to 4 paintings every week then they can earn up to $4000 per month.
How much an artist can earn will depend upon two factors, what he/she is selling and how is he/she selling?
What art he/she is Selling?
Competition is very tough. There are other thousands of artists who are also selling on websites like eBay, Amazon, Etsy etc.
If you want to beat them then you must know your niche. Every artist got to carve out a niche for himself/herself.
If you are selling Japanese contemporary art then stick to it. You don’t have to be vague here. Be Specific with what you are selling.
How is he/she Selling?
Marketing is very important. There are two ways to sell your art. One is online and the other is offline.
For a newbie it is going to be very difficult to sell offline. The exposure to potential buyers will be very limited if you are selling offline.
If you want targeted buyers who are looking for a particular kind of art then online is the best way to reach them.
If you get these two things right then you can easily earn up to $8000 per month.
Where to Sell Your Art Work?
Off Course! You have to sell online but there can be two possible ways selling your art online.
The first one is selling through your own website and the second is on art selling websites like ebay, Amazon etc.
Online Art Selling Websites
Well as a new artist you should always leverage the power of much established platforms like eBay and Amazon. The exposure that you will get on these sites will be much more than your own site which will be new with limited traffic.
It is not necessary that only novice artists need to use art selling websites to sell their art, even experienced artist depend a lot on top art selling websites because the kind of exposure that they get there.
Here is a list of some top art auctioning websites.
1. eBay
eBay is the most popular website for selling and buying art. It has the biggest network of art buyers in the world. Artists can sell all kinds of arts like Paintings, Drawings, Photographs, and Sculptures on eBay.
2. Etsy & Amazon
Etsy and Amazon are also great platforms for selling your art work. Etsy is really great when it comes to selling photos. You can even sell photos taken your smartphone.
On Amazon you can sell paintings, sculptures and Local/Tribal art.
3. SAATCHI Art
At Saatchi Art you can not only sell art but also get to meet other artists and curators in art fairs organized by them.
4. Society 6
Society 6 is more suitable for selling art work like posters and prints. You just have to upload your work and turn them into products.
5. ArtFinder
ArtFinder regularly features artists from their network giving them extra exposure. This site is really great for experienced artists.
6. ArtQuid
The unique thing about ArtQuid is that it allows artists to create 3d galleries helping their buyers to visualize artwork and increasing your sales.
7. TurningArt
At TurningArt artists can not only sell their art but also rent it if they like to do so.
8. UGallery
UGallery gives you a great exposure because of its established business partners with other companies and art curators.
9. Artsy
Here you can learn and collect art from leading galleries, fairs and museums from all over the world. Artsy has a huge collection of arts that people look for from all over the world.
There are over 40,000 artists on this website and you can also be the one.
10. Art Fire
Art Fire is really great for crafts and other handicraft items. The website is less about paintings and photos. So you can go to the site and look for more information there.
11. Fine Art
Here you can sell all kinds of prints like canvas, framed prints, metal prints, acrylic prints, art prints etc. You can also sell drawings, paintings, posters, digital arts etc.
The site also handles your logistics. However you have to live in US.
12. Artist Rising
Artist Rising is a place where artists from all over the world can sell their products. They offer you both free as well as premium account to sell your arts and related products. There are over 70,000 artists who are currently registered on this website. They offer you over 400,000 art work.
If you want to exploit these art selling websites to your advantage then learn to create great titles for a painting with right keywords and uploading quality images with videos of your art work.
Sell Your Art of Your Website/Blog
But if you are more experienced and want to reach out to your buyers directly then you can create your own blog or website and promote your art work there.
However, your blog/website must receive hundreds of visitors who not just appreciate great art but also willing to buy them. You have to build your own brand name only then you will be able to sell through your own blog.
You can go here and find out more how you can create your own blog easily.
I would say it is not a zero sum game that either you have to depend upon art-selling website or have your own website. You can have both. As a beginner start with leveraging the power of art-selling websites and later on with some experience create your own blog and sell it there.
Sell Your Art on Social Media
Never ignore the power of social media. You just have to use two social media platforms to build a personal network of art admirers.
a) Facebook
On Facebook you can create a small post with few videos describing your art work. You need to keep updating content on a regular basis. You will draw a lot of audience through Facebook alone.
b) Instagram
If you are into selling photos then Instagram is better than any other art-selling website. In fact, you don’t have to spend any money showing casing your art work. Everything is free!
However, your audience must be genuine because just having more followers doesn’t mean they will also become buyers of your art.
You have to build an army of followers and admirers for your art on Facebook and Instagram.
I am going to conclude by saying for selling art as a full time career you have to be very pragmatic. If you really want to survive as an artist then you got to choose right kind of art.
While creating an art keep three things in your mind.
- Art is in great demand and has a lot of buyers.
- Art is very easy to create with less money and time.
- It pays you really well once you sell it.
You can use all the ways mentioned above to sell your art online & make a great living.
Pritam Nagrale, a digital marketer and Generative AI enthusiast, embarked on his journey with affiliate marketing in 2004. With over 14 years of blogging, he has turned his passion into a fortune, profoundly impacting the digital landscape. Through his expertise, Pritam has guided thousands to monetize online and achieve their dreams, establishing himself as a beacon for aspiring digital entrepreneurs.
