73 Ideas for Artists to Earn Money with their ART!

73 Ideas for Artists to Earn Money with their ART!

This post is derived from the complete guide of 150 Ideas that you can read here - (it will help!)
https://steemit.com/art/@ryanseslow/150-ideas-to-earn-income-as-an-artist-and-graphic-designer

For Artists & Art Teachers –

1. Create a one-day process/techniques workshop for local art teachers to learn a new skill that they may be interested in learning that can be implemented into the classroom. Canvas local public and private schools via e-mail.
2. Create a series of three – five 1-2 minute how to videos on the creation of immediate and simple art projects that can be done anywhere. Offer the video package via your website for $3-5.00.
3. Create a one-day workshop for public school art students to create a public artwork out of natural materials found in the school grounds. Canvas local public and private schools via e-mail.
4. Create a series of syllabus based art projects/lesson plans for high school and foundation level college students in various studio practices. Sell the booklet on your website for $5.00. Market this to art teachers and various art departments via the web, social media and teacher forums.
5. Create a donation based website for art teachers to share and discuss art projects. Profiles can be created and the site would be by donation to join.
6. Offer a series of room separation sculptures. By using old silk- screen frames, mount together a moveable 6-foot hinge based wall. (Create proto-type) Sell on e-bay or Craig’s list.
7. Create a new t-shirt design that reads “Technology #1” sell them on your website for $25.00 as a print per order item. Fill in your own catchy slogan that resonates with your current work.
8. Connect with local business that have a lot of customer traffic, offer to show a series of paintings and prints for 30 days, offer the business 15% of the sales.
9. Offer to curate a show of local artists to a highly trafficked local business (coffee shop, library, restaurant, etc.) offer the business 10% of the sales and take 10% as a curatorial / dealers fee.
10. Offer a small- scale water based silkscreen printmaking making one- day class in your studio. Take 5 students in total. Charge $250.00 per students. Students must bring their own materials. Students pay in advance via your blog / PayPal.
11. Offer a small - scale water based Rubber stamp printmaking making one-day class in your studio. Take 5 students in total. Charge $250.00 per students. Students must bring their own materials. Students pay in advance via your blog / PayPal.
12. Offer a small- scale artist book making one-day class in your studio. Take 5 students in total. Charge $250.00 per students. Students must bring their own materials. Students pay in advance via your blog / PayPal.
13. Via your social media networks and platforms create a simple flyer and offer to paint or draw portraits of your friend’s/networks children. This could be purely done from a photo that gets e-mailed. The piece can be on small or large custom scale, give the parents full interaction in the process. Offer a price based on the scale of the works, or offer a set size and offer a set price.
14. Via your website, create a page promoting custom portraits painted or drawn. Using a similar system as the offer above, run this exclusively during holiday times.
15. Via social media or your blog / site offer a service to paint custom murals for children’s bedrooms or playrooms. This could be of the children’s favorite cartoon characters or storybook narratives.
16. Create a niche-based limited edition of screen prints designed to market to specific business offices, think children's doctors or dentists. Images could be of vintage objects recreated in graphic and modern ways. Sell the prints direct by contacting the offices in your area; also offer the prints via your web site.
17. Offer a limited edition of cement cast molds of old tools and vintage objects. These could be marketed for gardens or simply as indoor sculptures. Sell via social media and your blog.
18. Create a black and white coloring book of characters, cartoons and related drawings. Offer the book in a printable pdf format for a donation via your website.
19. In the public domain find a series of old how-to / technique based books that are out of copyright, date and print e-books, curate and re- organize the content, republish it along with your own original content to create a “creative cook-book of how-to s.” Offer the book via your website.
20. Have a one-day outdoor art sale in your neighborhood on a weekend. Much like a garage sale, offer works of art for both half and full price. This can be done once or twice a year. Promote via your town newsletter.
21. Create and sell an edition of original black and white drawings based on a narrative series that you create. (Leave room for this to be ongoing so that you can make more works over time) Sell the works via your blog / website and social media. Take parts of the series and turn them into smaller parts / compositions and offer them as a free pdf coloring pages to those who will subscribe to your blog.
22. Clean up your studio space and set it up for a small exhibition. Offer a one night or weekend based exhibition to collectors, art dealers or those you know may be interested, send and invite only type of invite. The purpose is to sell older works that have be collecting dust as well as offering fresh new works. Think of displaying 15 -25 pieces’ maximum.
23. Offer a similar type of exhibition as above but curate the show of 5 artists that you know well, those whose work will gel well together. Ask a 25% sales fee for sold works. Promote via e-mail for specific invitations.
24. Have an MFA? Take stock of a local college art departments course catalog (college level) and begin to develop syllabi for specialty niche based courses integrating technology and manual art making. Think of offering the courses on off times in the school year, think summer term and winter term.
25. Via your blog/site and social media, offer an online art auction of both your own work and the curated work of a few other artists. Make this a one-time event (or maybe twice a year.) Think of offering works that are easy to ship and package. This event can take place on your blog, and can also be live streamed using a live stream provider. The event should be promoted for at least 30 days in advance via social media. This can also be used as a fundraiser for your art department or other art related organizations.
26. Purchase a few interesting objects or furniture from a garage sale, thrift shop, or flea market (e-bay or Craig’s lists too.) Restore them and or change their context by custom painting them in your unique style. Offer them for sale as rare “one of a kind pieces” via your blog and social media. Take good high quality photos and share them in your copy / blog post. These pieces can also be shared with local stores that may sell these kinds of items as well.
27. Create a series of limited edition sculpture based molds to cast in both something long lasting like cement as well something ephemeral- think cement and paper pulp. Alter the context of the objects by their casting medium. Old computer parts in cement and a woman’s handbag in cement, or a man’s wallet in paper pulp and a woman’s pair of high heel shoes in cement. Offer the works via your website or sell them at an art fair.
28. Contact a business in your area that has high volumes of traffic, coffee shop, wine / liquor store / Bakery - ask the business if you could do some live drawing or painting site on scene at a certain time of the day /evening when it is full the customers. Offer some smaller works while also offering the works created site on scene.
29. Write a pdf e-book / guide on an “Intro to” art technique book for beginners, it could be sculpture, drawing, digital art, how to sell your art, etc. Offer the book on your blog/site and connect with well- respected bloggers that you may know with an active audience to help promote the sales. You may also contact amazon, iBooks, and e-junkie for help distributing.
30. Use an alternative service online to make a print edition of your work. They take care of the processing and shipping. It can be cross- promoted on your social networks.
31. Create and sell a specified art lesson plan for teacherspayteachers.com. This can be customized for specific age groups k-12 – or college level.
32. Create an e-book in pdf format of “The best of lesson plans for art classes” this could be a compilation for one specific subject or for general multidisciplinary course. Sell on teacherspayteachers.com or your own website.
33. Create a series of one of a kind hand painted t-shirts (think 5 in total) Offer them via your Blog/site/social media for a very high price (think $250) and never offer this same design/graphic again. Perhaps this is a compilation of screen prints, rubber stamps and hand painted items. The idea is to create a rare and unique item to make the owner a collector of a rare piece of your work that is not a common theme in your usual practice. This idea could also be applied to other wearable items like jeans, or sunglasses, or hats, handbags and so forth.
34. Create a thematic series of 3 paintings based on a specific genre or time period (examples- mountain landscapes, beach scenes, historical events, sports, NYC skyline, etc.) create the original works with the intention of also direct marketing prints that can licensed via an online service that produces and ships the prints for you.
35. Offer a custom service to paint children’s book characters and or cartoons on a children’s wooden toy box. Make them one of a kind and do not replicate them exactly. Each piece becomes a collector’s item / functional object.
36. Offer a custom service to paint thematic furniture for children’s bedroom sets. This could easily vary based on the interest of the child or the patron. Reach out by e-mail to those who you know that have small children and use a direct pitch method. Once you complete your first series write a blog post to promote the service online. You can even purchase wooden furniture and make a few examples to showcase on a website and or social media.
37. If you have basic wood working skills, or crafting skills create a series of old fashioned looking wooden toys (they could be based on pre-existing toys from the 1940’s or 1950’s as inspiration) Sell the series on your website or blog.
38. Extending the cast and mold making of objects idea from above, Turn a series of those molds into wax candles. Make an edition of 50-100 as rare collectibles. (Aerosol can wax candles, Wax portraits or busts, etc.)
39. Prepare a 30-minute artist talk or presentation that you could give both in person and online via a video chat or Skype (I have done this myself and with guest artists in my courses) Charge a fee of $250 in person and $100 for an online version. Reach out to college and high school art programs to give the talks and put an emphasis on your personal story and how you have made changes and overcome and obstacles in your path.
40. With an emphasis on your personal story and how you have found opportunities and navigated the career world, turn this presentation into a pdf written essay with images and offer it on your blog/site for a pay what you will donation. This could be shared with art teachers, public libraries and any other place where personal development is welcomed. The goal is to share an inspirational story of authenticity.
41. Reach out and connect with a major Hotel to host a short-term exhibition of your work (paintings, prints, wall reliefs) during a busy time year (Christmas/New Years) and or a specific event (sports/concert) propose to display the works throughout the hotel in various traffic areas (if it allows of course) Research in advance about the space will have to be done, but it is generally free to walk in to a hotel to inquire about the rates and see the space. Sales will have to be split between to the artist and hotel.
42. Create a series of niche based silk-screen prints in a limited edition during a special event time of year. Think of the World Series or the super bowl, there is a large consumer market for specialty items at this time. Based on the teams that are playing, create print of some of the current stars on the team as well as that teams past stars, this will join together the fans of yesterday and today and make your print that much more desirable. Sell the prints via your website or blog / social media for direct sales. Keep the price and the size of the print accessible for all. The goal is to sell out quickly.
43. Purchase 5 clear shower curtains (bed bath and beyond or online) and generate a limited edition of colorful paintings on each one. Make them thematic in an edition or make them all one of a kind and diverse. Offer to do this perhaps once or twice per year. Offer the items on your website or as a blog post, spread on social media as well as asking bloggers that you know in the home and or decorating arena to also share your blog post. Remember, the goal is to offer a rare item that you normally do not make many of so intend to keep your prices on the higher side. Factor in the cost of the materials and the time it takes you to make each piece. (Materials need to be permanent, spray paint or enamel paint works well for this)
44. Most major cities have nightclubs, lounges and bars that display the works of artists both local and non. Research a list via the Internet to visit their personal websites, take a peek at the photos and their interiors. Reach out via e-mail or visit in person during pre-peak hours and propose to them (management) an exhibition of new works or a commission based on the interior of the space. Have a business card handy and a working web link to show strong examples of your work.
45. Blank books are popular items. (Both with lines and without lines) Purchase a few of each and customize the front and back cover with your work. This could be an original painting, series of stencils or rubber stamp prints, paint markers or gluing things to create a surface texture. The Key is to make it a one of a kind item. Offer it on your website, blog and via social media, spread the word to your friends and ask them to re-share your link.
46. Love to paint murals? Get commissioned to paint murals. Take stock of your surrounding neighborhood and make a list of buildings, parks and or public space walls that could use some love. Once you have a list gathered (address’s) take some good photos of the blank walls and create some mock up images using Photoshop to show what the enhancements would look like. This will help the sell when you approach the building owner.
47. Promoting via your website/blog and social media create a limited edition of custom handmade post cards. This could be a series of 50 in total. Do something on the surface of the cards that represents your recognizable style or do something unique and different on each card and offer a series of 5 cards for a bundle.
48. Promoting via your website/blog and social media create a limited edition of custom rubber stamp printed blank labels. These could be used for various things and each user has the potential to decide how. Rubber stamp printmaking is a great skill to make multiples with. Make an addition of 50 on and use various kinds of papers.
49. Promoting via your website/blog and social media create a limited edition of vinyl stickers. Black and white or color, a sticker pack is a great novelty item, and highly collectable. What images are frequently used in your work? Do you work with graphics? Turning 3-5 images into vector images work well for stickers.
50. Create a rare series of baseball style caps. Purchase 3-5 blank caps in a variety of colors and create unique one of a kind variations of the caps. Offer specific commissions via a blog post in case custom orders come in as a result of the promotion. This way sizing can be customized.
51. Create a “pay what you will” all animation based “how to video series.” This could be in a GIF or a .mov based file that is short and sweet. Keep the videos between 10 seconds – 1 minute. “Draw portraits in 30 seconds” or “Clean your oil paint brushes” – Develop a stylized series of a few and sell them in a bundle. These could also be “life-hacks” of your personal tips and tricks. Place this on your blog/website and share via social media and other bloggers who have a similar interest.
52. This seems obvious, but few artists take proper advantage of this. Sell your work online. A self-hosted website can support a shopping cart and things like “buy now” buttons, so take advantage of this. Select 5-10 pieces of your best work, have them photographed well from 2-3 perspectives and post them up on an individual page titled “available works” or “online gallery.” You can even host an online exhibition a few times per year and blog about your process. Cross post this through your social media feeds and reach out to bloggers who write about online exhibitions. Online exhibitions and the potentials are still in their infancy.
53. Create a fresh and new body of work around a specific trending event or genre. You can easily check twitter to see what is trending. Think of a new movie that has been long hyped and has been trending for a few weeks. Create a series of prints, or paintings or drawings around that trending topic’s content and launch an online exhibition of those specific works on your site. Share through a blog post and cross post on your social feeds. Ask you friends and colleagues to share the link as well.
54. Based on the idea above, using the specific genre or trending topic idea, Select and reach out to a series of online and offline publications to offer your work to. Online magazines and blogs are always looking for supporting imagery to complement their written content. Work out a price per image and or usage agreement.
55. Collaborate with another artist on a painting or a series of three paintings. This makes for a nice rare collector’s item/series. Do not duplicate this series. Keeping it exclusive is attractive to collectors. Generate a blog post about the collaboration for your site/blog and sell the works directly via your social media platforms. Keep the works small enough to ship or make it a local pick up only kind of project.
56. Collaborate with another artist on a screen-printed edition. This makes for a nice rare collector’s item/series. Do not duplicate this series. Keeping it exclusive is attractive to collectors. Keep the edition to 50 prints in total. Generate a blog post about the collaboration project for your site/blog and sell the works directly via promotion on your social media platforms. Keep the works small enough to ship easily or make it a local pick up only kind of project.
57. Collaborate on a one of a kind three-dimensional sculpture. Join forces with another artist that you know who makes three- dimensional works. Generate a blog post about the collaboration project for your site/blog and sell the works directly via promotion on your social media platforms. Keep the works small enough to ship easily or make it a local pick up only kind of project.
58. Collaborate with another artist on a screen-printed t-shirt edition. Make the silk screens and offer the shirts by request. Generate a blog post about the collaboration project for your site/blog and sell the works directly via promotion on your social media platforms as well as your blog/site.
59. Build or construct a series (2-3) of rare sculptural chairs. Maybe they are functional, or maybe they are more for show? Offer on your website/blog or Craig’s list.
60. Reach out to some local bands or musicians in your area, or online and offer to create album cover art for their next album, or create art work for their web site and or any other ideas (concert flyers.) This could be an ongoing relationship and word of mouth may spread to other bands.
61. Do you know someone who has an idol or a fetish with a celebrity or athlete? Approach this person(s) directly and offer via a commission to create a painting, drawing or work of custom art. Direct sales simply by ASKING!
62. Create a series of custom painted iPhone or android smart phone covers. Create an addition of 5 rare that will not be duplicated. Promote via social media that lead back to your blog/site. Ask friends to share the links.
63. Reach out in person via a visit to your doctor/physician/dentist and promote your drawing, painting, and printmaking skills. Offices of all kinds usually have very cheap and bad generic art in their waiting rooms, offer via a personal commission to generate a body of work for the office.
64. Visit the public domain online and find a series of interesting vintage images and graphics. Customize them into your style and burn them onto a silk screen(s). Create a limited edition of 5 rare tablecloths. Generate a blog post about the pieces for your site/blog and sell the works directly via promotion on your social media platforms as well as your blog/site.
65. Visit the public domain online and find a series of interesting vintage images and graphics. Customize them into your style and burn them onto a silk screen(s). Create a limited edition of 5 rare placemats for dining. Generate a blog post about the pieces for your site/blog and sell the works directly via promotion on your social media platforms as well as your blog/site.
66. Visit the public domain online and find a series of interesting vintage images and graphics. Customize them into your style and burn them onto a silk screen(s). Create a limited edition of 5 rare mailbags (you can purchase the mailbags from a store of your choice and work on them directly.) Generate a blog post about the pieces for your site/blog and sell the works directly via promotion on your social media platforms as well as your blog/site.
67. Visit the public domain online and find a series of interesting vintage images and graphics. Customize them into your style and burn them onto a silk screen(s). Create a limited edition of 5 rare couch throws or blankets. You can purchase solid color blankets or throws in many colors, shapes or sizes. The idea is to make them rare and stylized. Generate a blog post about the pieces for your site/blog and sell the works directly via promotion on your social media platforms as well as your blog/site.
68. Via your blog and social media platforms offer a series of limited edition greeting cards for an occasion. Maybe you can focus on Christmas this year, as it would give you a good amount of time to work on it in advance. The cards can be bought as blanks but you could also create your own using your favorite paper. The interior of the card could be blank and left for handwriting or you could fill it with your images. Think of rubber stamp, silk-screen or linoleum prints to cover the front of the card. The idea is to keep it unique and to sell the limited edition.
69. Create a custom service to hand paint the back panels of denim jackets. These pieces were extremely popular in the late 1970’s and all through the 1980s. Bring them back into style using YOUR style. Market the idea via a blog post and through social media. Create one of two for yourself or for a friend and document the garment with high res images. The patron will purchase the jacket that they want and their preferred size.
70. Create a black and white drawings or vector art coloring book for adults on old classic cars. Offer it as a PDF and sell it on your website. Promote via classic car blogs and magazines.
71. Create a series of simple drawings or graphics that can be sold to clip art or stock image websites. Think copyright free content.
72. Reach out to local car wash, would they be interested in commissioning a series of vintage car paintings or drawings?
73. Wedding portrait paintings. Offer a service via a blog post on your site to convert wedding pictures of couples into an oil or acrylic painting as a commission. Share on social media and wedding blogs and forums.