How to sell your art – six successful artists share their tips

If you're wondering how to sell you art, you're not alone. The topics of marketing and business don't always feel natural for the creative soul. Nevertheless, learning about them in a serious way can make a huge difference if you’re not making the income you want from your work.

Fortunately, some artists have studied them in depth and devised ways to apply the business principles they’ve picked up to the art world. Here we speak to seven such artists to learn from their experiences selling their art. For more idea, see our guide to the best places to sell design online.

Think positive about selling your art

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One such artist is Kelsey Rodriguez, a painter working in oils who also offers coaching and resources to artists looking to improve their incomes.

“The big mistake I see creatives making all the time is undervaluing the importance of selling, or avoiding it out of feelings of discomfort,” she says. “I’ve worked with artists who have over 100,000 followers but struggle to pay their bills because they’re afraid to promote their work, or tried to sell one time and didn’t get any results and so never tried again.”

As Kelsey sees it, taking a different attitude to selling can change your life. “There’s this really damaging and pervasive belief, especially among professionally trained artists, that somehow selling compromises your creative integrity, or it cheapens your work. The reality is that after a certain threshold, your artistic skill has basically nothing to do with your financial success, but your confidence in selling absolutely does.”

On her YouTube channel, Kelsey shares what she has learned about running an art business through a combination of study, trial and error producing videos that are both motivating and practical. As a starting point, Kelsey explains that thinking carefully about the audience or customer for your art will help you build the foundation of your business.

“You need to have a deep understanding of the kind of person your work is for,” she says. “Not just their demographics, but their values, what motivates them emotionally, how your work can impact them, and how it fits into their lives.

“What problem does your work solve, or what value does it provide? Does it bring beauty into their home, help them express their identity, or connect them to something in a meaningful way?

“When you know the answers to these questions, every single marketing task becomes so much easier, from what content to create and where to share it, to how to talk about your work. Marketing at its core isn’t about manipulating someone, it’s about creating a genuine connection with the people who already value the art that you make.”

Create with purpose

Another good resource is The Honest Designers Show podcast, which discusses the business side of making a living out of creative work. One of the hosts, illustrator Lisa Glanz, echoes Kelsey’s advice about the need to build up a detailed mental image of who is going to pay for your art.

“You need to create work that either solves a need or fulfils a purpose for someone else’s project or product,” she explains. “Being the solution to a client’s pain point is what makes you valuable.”

Lisa recommends concentrating your energies on serving a particular audience. “That doesn’t mean sacrificing your unique style or the kind of work you genuinely enjoy creating; you should still stay true to what excites you.

“But having a clear understanding of your ideal customer will help you decide what to make, from the subject matter to the format or application they’re looking for. As an example, if you want to get hired for editorial work, create and showcase artwork that helps an art director envision your illustrations in their magazine.”

At the beginning of your career, Lisa advises you to choose your niche and stick to it. “Choose a clear path for your art and focus on the type of work you’d love to be paid to do. Put your energy into getting really good at that. Clients and customers are drawn to artists with a strong, recognisable style and a clear area of expertise, so lean into the work that reflects your strengths and passions.”

Love your obsessions

The importance of leaning into your passions is also important for the illustrator known as CoupleOfKooks, whose clients include Wizards of the Coast and Dark Horse Comics. “Get obsessed with it,” Kooks advises.

“Focusing on things I was obsessed with and not on pieces that were ‘good for my portfolio’ was crucial, both in terms of developing my skills and also in expanding reach, back when I was building up a presence on social media.”

Kooks got their first illustration jobs when their fan art and personal artworks were noticed through social media. These initial commissions then led to further work.

“Fan art certainly has a much higher chance of getting noticed, but personal pieces and your own stories do build you an invested audience,” Kooks tells us.

Social media isn’t what it was when Kooks was starting out, so these days it’s more important to have a portfolio on your own website. They add: “Make it simple but elegant, easy to browse, and show only your best work – don’t make it a blog with everything you’ve done. Feature the type of illustrations you’d like to be commissioned for.”

It’s important to keep the faith in the early stages of your career, as often just a single high-profile commission can be the turning point that changes everything.

Illustrator Michelle Jack, also known as WolfSkullJack, whose clients include bands Metallica and Trivium as well as game developer BioWare, found that to be the case. Metallica was her first famous client, and her work for them caught the attention of Wizards of the Coast, which now gives her regular work.

“The hardest part is getting those first big jobs, and once you can be seen to work well for others it starts to attract more of a clientele,” she says.

Once you’re established as an artist, Phillip Boutté Jr., a costume and concept artist in the film industry, explains that you should think about how the skills you’ve honed can be transferred to other areas of work.

“It’s important for artists to fan out and use their skill sets across multiple different areas of entertainment,” he says. “Are you good at storyboarding? Then apply those sequential imagery skills in multiple areas like children’s books, comics, keyframes, editorial, integrated marketing, music videos, story art for animation, video games, and so on. As the market opens and broadens worldwide, ditching the ‘speciality’ moniker keeps artists buoyant and adaptable.”

It’s also good to think about how you might be able to combine your art with other complementary skills. Writing and illustrating her own books proved to be transformational for Jessica Roux’s career.

“Working in the publishing industry really changed things for me,” she reflects. “I was finally doing what I loved, and I could focus on the subject matter that I’m really passionate about. I’ve always had an interest in writing, but realising that I could create projects for myself through that skill has really made all the difference for me.

“I don’t have to wait and rely on clients to come my way; instead, I can pitch ideas to publishers and make the things I want to make. While I’ve always loved illustrating, I feel so much more inspired and happier when I get to follow through with my own ideas and turn them into finished projects.”

Meet and greet

Making connections in the real world is another avenue that shouldn’t be overlooked. “Talking to potential clients face-to-face is always best as people are much more likely to remember you if you had a proper meeting,” says Dominik Mayer, an art director and illustrator in the film and games industries.

To get started, he suggests going to shows and conventions and approaching people at their booths. Dominik also finds it valuable to exhibit your art in galleries and other venues that are suitable for your style.

“I approached a local comic store and asked to exhibit my work there, which was amazing,” he says. “Try to find the right audience and search for places where those people go, then put your art there for them to see.”

As social media platforms become less useful for artists, it’s wise to build up a more direct connection with your customers. For that task, multiple artists told us that email is now a more important tool than ever before.

“Email marketing is one of the most powerful methods that creatives can use to both sell their work and disconnect from social media,” Kelsey explains. “Ultimately, social media platforms are a great tool for getting yourself discovered, but the real key to developing a more sustainable business is moving your followers onto a platform that you control.”

For more ideas of where to find clients and collaborators online, see our feature on the best social media for artists and designers.

This article originally appeared in ImagineFX. Subscribe to ImagineFX to never miss an issue. Print and digital subscriptions available.