During my school days, I loved to draw and was good at it. I won several inter-school competitions. But I never thought to make money out of it. Like me, if you are adept at drawing but also want to get paid to draw, you are in the right place.
Gone are the days when artists had rare opportunities to make money online. Even if they were lucky, they only earned pennies.
Today, the internet has opened a flood of opportunities for drawing artists.
It doesn’t matter what style you draw. Whether you are into pencil sketches, brush paintings, cartoons, caricatures, comics, anime, card designs, portraits, tattoos, or doodles, the list goes on and on.
If you have a passion for drawing and are equally proficient, there are endless opportunities to pay you significantly for your work.
That’s the reason I am writing this article to explore all the ways to get paid to draw.
Let’s Explore – 15 Ways To Get Paid To Draw
If you love to draw, you can turn your talent into a profitable occupation that brings you fame and money. Here are a few lucrative ways to do that.
1- Build Your Brand On Instagram
Instagram is one of the most favorite social media platforms for drawing artists and art lovers. It’s a great place to showcase your creativity.
You can create an impressive portfolio of your work and interact with your followers and fans to eventually convert them into customers. You can also connect with buyers across the globe willing to pay for your work.
Selling on Instagram directly correlates with the number of engaged followers you build on the platform. The more followers you have, the higher the demand for your art.
Besides Instagram, you can also have a Facebook page and a Pinterest account and use them for the same purpose.
Some popular Instagram accounts to draw inspiration are:
2- Start Selling Your Work On Etsy
Etsy has become one of the most popular marketplaces for artists and art lovers. Besides selling your illustrations, you can also sell handmade crafts and other merchandise showcasing your drawing work.
To sell on Etsy, you must create a storefront and promote yourself. Selling on Etsy can be very competitive to start. But after you gain a decent follower base, things can sail pretty smoothly.
I would recommend checking out the artwork categories to figure out what sells the best on Etsy, and this could give you an idea of where to start.
Some popular Etsy art stores to check out are:
3- Open Your Own Online Art Store
If you decide to sell your art online, there is no better way to do it than having your own online store.
Starting a website to sell your artwork is easy. It won’t take more than a couple of hours to build a great-looking art store, ready to accept payments.
You can either use a platform like Shopify or create a WordPress website and get into the e-commerce business world.
Having your store is especially great as it helps you build a brand identity, which is very important if you want to get paid well for your artwork.
Some excellent website for your inspiration are:
4- Start An Art Blog
Starting a blog doesn’t suit all, but if you are a skilled writer, this option is one of the most lucrative ones to earn money online.
Besides showcasing your artwork visually, you can also describe it in your words to make the blog richer and appealing to your audience.
You can write tutorial content about various drawing or painting techniques you use. The texts will support the visuals and explain the actions portrayed to draw a particular art.
You can also write reviews and recommendations about various art supplies. Sharing new trends in the art industry can be excellent for your art blog.
Interviews with local artists and reports on upcoming or running exhibitions and galleries will all bring excellent traffic to your blog.
After you get some decent traffic, you can start monetizing your blog. There are several ways to do so.
Affiliate marketing, paid ads, commissioned reviews, and promoting your artwork via your blog are the most popular ways to go about it.
Some famous artists who are making big with their art blogs are:
5- Start A YouTube Channel
For all the drawing artists who are not confident with their writing but are comfortable facing the camera, starting a YouTube channel can be an excellent option.
YouTube is the perfect platform for promoting your artistic talent, as it is the second-largest search engine after Google.
People love art tutorials or speed painting videos as they are the source of visual learning. Apart from the tutorials, you can also give reviews about various art supplies.
And the good thing is, it’s easy to start on the YouTube platform. All you need is some decent quality filming equipment and a willingness to put yourself in front of the camera.
Like bloggers, YouTubers earn money via affiliate marketing, paid ads, commissioned reviews, and more.
Some popular YouTubers you must follow as a drawing artist are:
6- Start Teaching Art
If you love teaching, finding students who want to learn art should be easy. You can either go for in-person or online teaching, depending upon which type suits you the best.
You can advertise your teaching classes on social media or through local advertising. Offering classes or one-day workshops to adults, kids, or high-schoolers in your local community is an excellent way to start.
Teaching online can be a better option to reach a wider audience.
You can create the online course material, and it can bring you income for years to come. Selling courses on platforms like Udemy and Skillshare is another option to earn passive income.
If you have your website, you can use it to sell guides and tutorials. Video tutorials, ebooks, step-by-step guides with images can all be part of your study material.
If you have a YouTube channel, you can use the same for giving weekly lessons on different art techniques.
7- Offer Freelance Drawing Services
Freelance projects are one of the most propitious ways to make money online.
Freelancers work in every field, and drawing is no exception. There will be no shortage of freelance work if you want to offer your services this way.
You can promote your services on social media or through your website. Moreover, you can also join sites like PeoplePerHour, UpWork, Freelancer, and Fiverr to search for all the gigs related to your specialization.
The significant thing is, you have total control over the pricing. You can charge anywhere from $5 to $500, depending upon the style of your work.
All you have to do is to register on these sites for free and create a phenomenal portfolio. This way, your work catches the eyes of prospective clients.
8- Sell Your Drawings As Vectors
Vectors are computer graphics commonly used to create logos, illustrations, print layouts, and other designing elements.
Vectors are in great demand as people use them for creating company brochures, catalogs, product portfolios, marketing or advertising materials, websites, and so on.
The process of creating vectors is pretty simple. All you need is to draw designs and then convert them into graphical representations using various online tools.
Though there are several tools available to create vectors, Adobe Illustrator is the most popular choice for artists.
Once your vectors are ready, you can upload them to several websites that specialize in selling vectors.
These websites pay you every time their customers download your vector images. Some of these websites are:
9- Sell Your Designs To POD Companies
If you are a beginner illustrator, the easiest way to get started is to sell your artwork to print-on-demand companies.
These companies get your art printed on tangible products like T-shirts, hoodies, kids’ clothes, phone cases, mugs, diaries, journals, planners, and so on.
When customers purchase your designs, these POD companies will take care of printing, packaging, branding, and shipping your custom products to your customers.
You will earn commissions on every sale you make.
Some websites to visit are:
10- Submit Your Work To Art Websites And Publications
Submitting your designs on websites and publications can be an excellent source of additional income for drawing artists.
Besides earnings, getting your work published here can also make a significant addition to an artist’s CV.
Some companies pay token amounts, while others pay well. None of them require artists to pay a fee to submit their work, and almost all are open for submissions all around the year.
Here are a few publications to check out:
11- Submit Your Artwork To Greeting Card Companies
Very few people would know that they can make money by submitting poems, phrases, photography, and artwork to greeting card companies.
Greeting card companies are always on the lookout for new artists, writers, and photographers, and the pay range can be from $50 to $200 per accepted submission.
Many greeting card companies accept art submission but selecting the right ones per your skills, design, and style is crucial.
A few companies to consider are:
12- Sell Tattoo Designs
When I searched for ways to get paid to draw, I came across this terrific website, Create My Tattoo, which accepts tattoo designs.
The website claims that their customers looking to get a tattoo will create a contest with details of what they want. Based on this information, you can submit your designs, hoping one of them gets selected.
Since it’s a contest, there’s no guarantee they will pick you, but it could be worth your time as the prize money can be quite lucrative.
At the time I searched, some contest prizes were as high as $300. So if you have a knack for tattoo designs, the website is worth giving a shot.
13- Sell At Festivals, Art Fairs, And Conventions
Selling your art on-site is an excellent way to get exposure as a budding drawing artist.
Although shopping has shifted gears towards the online market, passionate art lovers still prefer to buy artwork in person.
No matter where you live, there must be several local art fairs, conventions, or festivals in your area. Taking part in these events is a great way to sell your art as people visiting are highly interactive, engaging, and possess great intent to buy.
Make sure you brand your items before selling them. Not only do you sell art but also other hand-crafted items that are unique in style.
People love to feel and touch them before buying, so selling them in-person is not a bad idea.
14- Win Grants And Contests
Several companies aim to promote culture, traditions, and various socio-economic causes. They do so by offering grants and organizing contests for artists.
You can find these competitions and grants offered by the government, corporates, local communities, and non-profit organizations.
All you have to do is search online with terms like grants for artists or contests for artists, and you may find several in your area. Make sure to check out the eligibility criteria before you apply.
15- Apply For Traditional Drawing Jobs
If you like to go for traditional ways to earn as a drawing artist, getting a full-time or a part-time job would be the best bet for you.
You can get paid to draw by becoming a graphic artist, wall painter, illustrator, and so on. These jobs are available on sites like FlexJobs.
People love FlexJobs simply because the platform separates home-based jobs from those that are office-based. You can apply for the jobs that go with your lifestyle.
Get Paid To Draw – It’s Time To Get Started
So, now you have so many options to get paid to draw. I am sure one or more may work wonders for you.
The significant thing about these opportunities is that most of them are home-based.
All you have to do is invest a lot of your time and little money in equipment, such as a drawing tablet and pen, a computer with art software, a printer, and other drawing essentials.
Though, some options may take a bit longer before you see results. But if you’re passionate and persistent enough, your journey will get surprisingly easy and profitable as you grow as a professional artist.
That’s it from me. Now, it’s your turn to try these ways to get paid to draw and share your feedback comments.
If you have questions, please feel free to reach out. I am glad to answer your queries!
Best of luck!
