Top 10 Ways to Make Money as a Watercolor Painter

Top 10 Ways to Make Money as a Watercolor Painter

The Google search results for watercolor painting and technique increased 300% in 2020 as the lockdowns kept more people inside. More people are rethinking their careers, making life changes, and pursuing their true passion. Prior to the pandemic, illustrators like Holly Exley and Frannerd made illustration a popular topic on Youtube. Their videos gained traction as more people saw the starving artist stereotype wasn’t true anymore.

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Illustrators on Youtube have also made the topic of making a living from your art a very popular one. Illustration as a field is a modern invention and Youtube created this opportunity to learn more about illustration as a professional field. More and more people are considering making a living with watercolor painting now. This means more competition in the field, but it also means more opportunity. I’m asked very often what I do professionally and how I make money as an artist. I’m going to list all of the ways you can make money online as a watercolor painter. These may not be the easiest ways, but they are some of the most popular ones today.

Blogging

Blogging about your interests is one of the easiest ways to make money with art. If it’s been a challenge selling your art online, try creating a blog and picking a niche. Bloggers make good money talking about their life passion. It can take a year or two to start generating an income, but it’s definitely possible. For instance, I help beginners with watercolor painting learn the painting process. I specifically help students who might feel intimidated by the drawing process. I provide them with a coloring book as a guide, so they do not get hung up on picking a subject to paint or having to sketch.

Affliliate ads

A lot of bloggers find success with affiliate ads and marketing. Affliliate marketing helps connect your audience with products they want to purchase. If you have a following on Instagram, Facebook, or Gab, then you can share products that relate to your art with your audience. One example of this is TubeBuddy. I personally use TubeBuddy on my Youtube channel in order to help me pick out key terms for Google search and titles that help my audience find my videos. Establishing who your audience is and then what types of products they would enjoy buying can really make you a lot of money. There are many artists who use affiliate ads to support their work.

Opening an Etsy Shop or selling your art as NFTs

The NFT craze hit the market early this year. Artists were becoming famous and making over a million dollars on their art. Not everyone finds success with NFT art sales, but this is definitely a new revenue stream that could be explored. If you do your research and pick art subjects that fall in line with science fiction, punk, or new age art, then you could sell collections of work on Rarible. I explain how easy it is to create NFT art in this article.

Selling Patterns on Spoonflower

Artists sell their work on Spoonflower where it can be printed on fabric. People purchase these fabrics and the artist gets paid a percentage of sales. This is a great supplemental income revenue stream. It can add provide you with passive income from month to month. Although, Spoonflower is meant for pattern designers, any fine art could be repurposed for fabric and pattern design. Bonnie Christine sells a course on how to become a fabric designer called Immersion. She also has a course on Skillshare.

Creating courses on Skillshare

I can attest to Skillshare as a revenue stream. It takes time to create courses for this platform, but it definitely generates money from month to month. If you have a unique style, technique, or a medium that doesn’t have a lot of courses, then this is a great option. Why not teach people how to paint? Learning how to film can be very challenging and creating a course can seem like a large learning curve. However, creating courses can really provide you with more income.

Putting Art on Redbubble & Other Print on Demand Sites

If your artwork would look good on products, you could look into making a Redbubble account. Print on demands sites provide great places to earn more passive income for your art. These POD sites allow people to buy your artwork on physical products. You earn a percentage of sales similar to Spoonflower.

Partnering with a product line

Finding brands you would love to work with and design for can provide you with a place to sell your art. Some artists partner with brands that would love to put their artwork on their products. Companies like Paper Source accept stationary designers work and sell it in their shop. You could partner with a company that sells mugs, stationary, table towels, or other materials. You would license your art with the company and receive a check quarterly for the amount of products that sold.

Magazines & Publications

Illustrators work with magazines and publications to provide them with editorial designs. Recently I was asked to illustrate a story for a climate-related topic on Instagram. You can find different companies that need custom illustrations online. A search on Instagram will also reveal which companies would fit with with your particular style.

Amazon Products & Amazon KDP

Artists sell their own products on Amazon. If you have a unique product that fills a need in the current market, you can find a distributor or manufacturer, order the product, and then sell it on Amazon. Tatiana sells a course on how to get an Amazon business, Amazon FBA started and profitable. Rather than be knocking down the door of different businesses and trying to convince them to view your portfolio, you could sell the products yourself on Amazon.

Likewise Amazon KDP is a space for publishing your own books. Many artists are diving into the children’s book field, because they are seeing how their art can be used for publishing. You no longer have to wait for a publisher to pick up your project and get you into Barnes and Noble, you can publish your own book over night. The waiting process for getting it approved is usually about 3 days. That’s the fastest review time you can find!

Patreon

One of the most popular ways for artists to generate an income has been from using Patreon. For many artists this has been a game changer. Artists who formerly made nothing off their art, began making upwards of $7,000-9,000 a month selling originals, giving tips, creating video content, and entertaining their audiences. The artists I mentioned above, Frannerd and Holly Exley, are just a few of the artists I follow, who have made Patreon a major source of their monthly income. If you can think of a reward for your audience every month, then give Patreon a chance.

Growing an Income Online

The many ways of growing an income online from your art are increasing by the day. People are inventing new ways every year. A great example of this is the NFT art boom. People are even selling courses on how to make money online. Stacy Bloomfield sells a course called Leverage Your Art. You can also find her Free Mini Course HERE.

If you’re looking to refine your skills as an artist, or just get started with watercolors because it’s your passion, I offer a course here. You can also start with all of my free tutorials here. We will dive into all of the basic techniques for watercolor painting, and I also give you free photos so you can practice along with me.

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