The best way to paint paintings for sale. How do artists live?

The Village continues to find out how much representatives of different professions earn and what they spend money on. In the new issue there is an artist. It is believed that usually the income of people earning fine arts, are small. At the same time, with the advent of online platforms and social networks, it has become easier to find customers and sell paintings. We talked to a young artist from St. Petersburg, who sells her works at exhibitions, on the Internet, and also fulfills orders from private clients, and found out how much art brings her.

PROFESSION

Artist

INCOME

on average 40,000 rubles

per month

Basic expenses

2,000 RUBLES

housing and communal services

15,000 RUBLES

food and restaurants

6,000 RUBLES

transport

5,000 RUBLES

registration of works

1,000 RUBLES

internet and telephone

6,000 RUBLES

postponed for repairs

5,000 RUBLES

gift for dad
and to the young man

How to become an artist

The desire to become an artist arose back in preschool age, I've always been attracted creative activities. Seeing this, my parents decided to send me to a special school, the Lyceum named after B.V. Ioganson, formerly Leningrad Secondary art school, where I successfully studied and after graduation I didn’t see myself anywhere except at the Academy of Arts. Entrance tests there last ten days without days off. You need to pass six exams: two in painting, drawing and composition. This is a rather difficult marathon, which in the end only a small part of applicants successfully completes. Some spend five years preparing for admission.

I studied at the I.E. Repin Institute (Academy of Arts) with great pleasure. The first two courses are considered “study”, great attention devoted to the study of anatomy human body. In the future, this makes it possible to freely depict nudity. From the third to sixth years, the emphasis is on technical skill and compositional thinking. During the final year of graduation, the student must paint a large-scale painting. My diploma was dedicated to the circus, it was big job three by seven meters, now it is located in the Circus hotel on Fontanka. I graduated from college not so long ago, so I’m still finding myself in this world. And work is not an end in itself for me now.

Features of work

The six-year training gave me a huge amount of knowledge and skills. In parallel with my studies, I sold some of my educational work- this was my first marketing experience. The work cost a pittance, but at that moment it seemed very cool. The first work sold depicted a girl in folk costume. The buyer was a Chinese student from my own institute, who paid 10 thousand rubles for it. After that I realized that it was mine favorite hobby can bring money.

As a rule, I do not work to order. I paint paintings for exhibitions on some of my favorite themes. Now there is an exhibition in which two of my works are presented. I also exhibit works in a well-known online gallery that deals with sales, advertising, PR and more.

My working day begins like everyone else: a cup of coffee, a couple of thoughts about new works, and I start to paint on canvas - I update the palette and immediately start painting. Then a short break for reflection and lunch, then back to work. By evening I'm usually exhausted, and I also like to work in daylight.

At a time when there are orders, work is in full swing, because everything needs to be completed in a timely manner. at its best and in the shortest possible time: The client does not like to wait for a long time. Work on one canvas can last from one week to three months, if it is a large detailed canvas. Many people believe that the artist practically does not strain, the work comes easily to him. It's a delusion. In fact, this is hard work: we experience strong emotions when we come up with and implement a work. My head is in constant tension, there are a lot of thoughts and ideas that need to be sifted out. Sometimes I don’t sleep at night because of some picture, because my thoughts simply won’t let me fall asleep.

When I don’t work to order, the mode is more relaxed; most often I write, as they say, by inspiration. In art, the expression “appetite comes with eating” is true: the more you work, the more you want more, sometimes you don’t even have time to implement new ideas. The formats are always varied, depending on the object being depicted, but I notice myself gravitating towards formats larger than a meter: it’s easier for me to work. I usually paint in oil on canvas, but I often make sketches using graphic techniques.

Artists without art education there is, and I have nothing against them. If a person does what he loves, why not. Our community is a company of people for whom it does not matter what status a person is, what is more important is who he is, what he does and what his interests are. It’s not difficult to get here, the main thing is to be yourself and not bring finances to the fore. Artists' incomes vary, so we look more at the paintings than at how much the artist received for them.

Salary

My income is quite unstable. It happens that there are so many orders in one month that you don’t even have time to complete them. And at the same time they buy a painting through the gallery. And sometimes there is silence. So the average monthly earnings can be calculated from the annual income. The average monthly income is around 40 thousand rubles. My annual income consists of receipts from three large orders worth 250, 60 and 50 thousand rubles, as well as from the sale of paintings worth 120 thousand.

Due to unstable income, you have to spend money at random. I can quickly spend 200 thousand rubles, and sometimes I stretch 15 thousand over a month. Ideally, I would like to have a stable income.

Prices for paintings vary greatly. It all depends on the work itself, its size, complexity of execution, and time spent on it. It even happens that I really like the work, and I deliberately inflate its cost so that it pleases me longer. One canvas costs from a thousand to 500 thousand rubles.

For custom work, prices are more modest: from 5 to 150 thousand rubles. Really large and complex paintings are ordered very rarely. Market situation artwork is such that people with average incomes prefer printed copies of works famous authors, since their price is ten times lower author's work. People with high incomes often have paintings imposed on them by their designers. But there are also ardent fans of real art who really buy good works, - all hope lies with them.

There are cases of interesting part-time jobs: for example, painting and mosaics. These hack jobs bring good profits, but the work is difficult and dusty, so I do it only in exceptional cases. For such part-time jobs you can get from 20 to 200 thousand rubles.

I recently completed an order for a foreign client. I made free copies - when the work is not done one to one, but in the artist’s style. For two works - a still life and a stylized landscape - I received $3,500. They took two months to complete.

Spending

I don’t consider my lifestyle to be anything unusual. I love watching life, nature, people. I love concerts, theaters, trips to the suburbs of St. Petersburg or trips around the city by bicycle or walking. From 4 to 7 thousand per month are spent on all these entertainments.

I don’t spend much on housing, since I live in a private house outside the city. Transport costs from 4 to 6 thousand per month. Going to cafes and restaurants and simply buying food costs me up to 15 thousand rubles a month.

Now repairs are included in the expense item; it eats up almost all the free money. But I save on renting a workshop, because the area of ​​the house allows me to work here. This way I save from 15 to 150 thousand rubles (depending on the area and location) per month, which I would spend on a workshop.

From time to time I have to arrange works for exhibitions, which costs 2–15 thousand rubles. Participation in exhibitions itself is not always free; it usually costs from one to five thousand rubles. Separate expenses - from 3 to 5 thousand - transportation of work.

I like to spend weekends with my family. It is not necessary to go somewhere, the main thing is that the company is friendly. I don’t plan a vacation - it happens on its own. Sometimes I go to my grandmother in the village, or to my friends in the south. Sometimes it's a short trip to Finland.

My hobby is all kinds of crafts: dolls, toys. I would also like to learn how to knit, and I dream of sewing designer clothes for myself.

ILLUSTRATIONS: Dasha Chertanova

Hello! In this article we will talk about making money for artists.

• How much can you earn: from 10,000 rubles per month for beginners.
• Minimum Requirements: ability to draw, self-discipline, free time.
• Is it worth it?: Yes .

General information about earning money for artists

A good artist should no longer be hungry: on the Internet you can easily find income for those who can draw coolly.

Artists who know how to work with graphic editors are in great demand.

In graphic arts, a portfolio plays a huge role. In programming and other freelance professions, you can test an employee’s skills in literally 20 minutes. This cannot be done in graphics simply because each performer has his own style, vision and execution.

If you want to start making money quickly, make sure you do good portfolio.

Method 1. Images for microstocks

Microstocks are sites where you can sell your illustrations for a fee.

Working with microstocks is convenient because after downloading the image remains in the system, and each time you receive a percentage of its purchase. This is peculiar.

There are also image trends on microstocks. That is why the illustrator will have to find a compromise between “I can draw” and “This is in demand.” On top of that, it is constantly growing, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for beginners to get started. You will have to draw 6 - 8 hours a day to build a good database of images.

In order to work with microstocks, it is best to master Adobe Illustrator.

Method 2. Custom design

- a very in-demand profession. In any field, you need a person who can convey graphically what the client wants.

Specialization works best in design. If you really want to earn a lot, you have to choose certain direction and work only according to it. This could be a design:

• multi-page sites.
• one-page sites.
• PC applications.
• applications for mobile.
• advertising banners.

The workflow for a novice designer is as follows:

choosing a direction -> several invented orders for the portfolio -> searching for clients -> work -> replenishing the portfolio.

The most difficult thing in design is to adapt to the client's requirements. You can see the idea from one angle, the customer from another, and he will be right because it is his project.

Method 3. Paintings to order

This is already full-fledged. I think many of you have come across such communities on social networks “Portraits to order”, “Paintings to order”, etc. This is a great business for artists.

It is best to promote through communities on social networks. You can use VKontakte with store functionality as a platform, and Instagram for publishing your portfolio.

Portraits to order are in great demand. This is an original gift that can please almost any person. It is more difficult to make money from painting, paintings are in less demand, but nevertheless you can find a buyer.

I have a friend whose great-grandfather was a famous artist in our city. And now his grandson makes money by creating replicas of his paintings and selling them at low prices to those who cannot afford the originals. The demand is such that it allows both him and his wife not to work.

It is very difficult to make money from your paintings. Simply because no one knows you as an artist, and your work is of no value to collectors and art connoisseurs.

Method 4. Selling designer postcards

You won’t surprise anyone with ordinary postcards. Lovers original gifts They often order unique cards to show how much they care about the idea.

If you know how to work with a graphics tablet, you can easily collaborate with stores selling unique postcards.

Stores are a great place to start. They provide access to large audience and allow you not to reduce prices to attract customers. There is also the opportunity to run this business yourself. But for this you need to draw an idea, come up with the right words, fulfill your plans.

I have seen more than once how modern poets collaborate with good artists and create atmospheric postcards, and then sell them in their own communities.

Method 5. Drawing comics

Internet comics are many individual images that are connected mainly by the main character, habits and general mood.

There are two options for working with comics: post them in the public domain or publish them in publications. Monetization methods depend on this. If you work with groups on social networks or a personal blog, you can make money from advertising integrations: advertising inserts in social networks, pictures with advertising, etc.

If you work with full-fledged publications, you will need to create a comic book: big story, an illustration of a specific story. In order to earn money in this way, you need to either constantly catch competitions in large print or online publications, or get a job permanent job illustrator.

Method 6. Private lessons

This is a great way for those who can not only draw, but can also teach it. There are more and more self-taught artists. And that means those who want to realize themselves in a certain profession. You can give private lessons via Skype to:

• Those who want to learn how to draw.
• Those who want to master graphics programs.

There's a lot on the net free lessons drawing in free access. But your main advantage is individual work. You will be able to explain, show and tell something to your student much faster.

Method 7. Creating your own information product

The most promising way to make money on the Internet is to create your own information products. You are selling what you have already learned. In the case of artists, this could be:

• Drawing lessons.
• Graphic design lessons.
• Ways to find clients.
• Ways to earn money for designers.

You can come up with many options. It is very important that you yourself understand what you can teach.

How can an artist find clients?

Let's talk about three current ways to find clients. Each of them is worthy of attention and they are still working today.

Microstocks

In order to register on most microstocks, you will have to pass an exam. Let's look at the list of the most profitable microstocks.

Shutterstock— the largest microstock. Accepts photos, illustrations and vector graphics for uploading. There is an exam: it is enough to accept at least one job out of 10 proposed.

For experienced users there is a bonus program: the more works sold, the higher the deductions.

This is a great starting point for beginners. Images are checked very quickly, and the works of beginners are exhibited on an equal basis with professionals. The minimum withdrawal is $35, but not earlier than 3 months after registration.

IStock— one of the oldest microstocks. Accepts photos, illustrations and vectors.

Part of Getty Images, the largest professional photo bank.

A normal starting point for beginners. The main disadvantage: the high withdrawal threshold of $100. The service also does not show sales statistics well: it will be possible to update the data only after a month.

Fotolia is a microstock that integrates with Adobe products in the form of Adobe Stock. There is no exam here.

Built into Adobe products. There are quite a lot of buyers.

The minimum withdrawal threshold is $50. Among the majority of authors, it is one of the five most profitable microstocks.

Freelancing sites

- the most profitable way to earn money for designers and everyone who works with computer graphics. But every year it becomes more and more difficult for newcomers to break through. Almost all projects will require starting investments: from 800 rubles to purchase a premium account. Without it, you can only access basic orders.

List of freelancing sites:

• Freelance.ru.
• Fl.ru.
• Freelansim.
• Work-Zilla.
• Kwork.

You can find orders for both graphic rendering of images and drawings on canvas.

Social media

The option is suitable for running a business and making money on comics. The best social network for this is VKontakte. There is full functionality for attracting clients.

You can use the VKontakte community either as a group in which work will be posted, or as a personal store.

You can use Instagram to create a portfolio. This social network has the best format for working with images. You can post photo reviews from clients or a list of completed work.

How much can an artist earn?

Now let's talk about which direction is most profitable to work in. To do this, let’s look at the income figures, the minimum threshold and the time/money spent on each type of income.

Pictures on microstocks— top users earn from illustrations from $1,000 every month. A beginner can count on an income of 100 - 200 dollars 2 - 3 months after starting work. But at first you will have to work really hard to gain a base regular customers and collect a portfolio.

Custom design — good designer with an average workload (3 - 4 hours a day with 20 working days a month) he can freely earn from 30 to 40 thousand rubles. But this will require a good portfolio. A beginner will have to make several orders for himself, invest in a portfolio and work for some time with orders at low pay.

Paintings to order— It is very difficult to predict income. From what I was told, you can earn up to 50,000 rubles a month by selling replicas. There is no information on copyright works.

Sale of original postcards- a very difficult way to make money. In collaboration with modern poet You can provide yourself with good sales. But the monthly income will still be low - from 10 to 15 thousand rubles.

Making money from comics— there is no information about illustrators who make money from full-fledged drawing of comics. Creative companies often keep this secret. Internet comics are not created to make money. In the Russian segment, this is more a way of creative self-realization and small earnings on advertising.

Private lessons — individual lessons They are quite expensive on the Internet. An hour costs from 500 to 1,000 rubles. But there won’t be a workload of 20-30 hours a week, so you can count on 5-7 thousand rubles a week.

Creation of an information product- income depends on the value of the product. A large initial investment of time and effort is required for training (from a week to a month) and promotion costs - the minimum level is 20,000 rubles.

Conclusion

Internet provides great amount earning opportunities for people with creative professions. It’s enough to take the issue of earning money seriously, start studying and don’t stray from your path.

Modern technologies destroy the stereotype of a constantly hungry and poor artist, whose work is seen only by the walls of his studio. The publishing house Mann, Ivanov and Ferber published the book “Create All Day” by Lisa Congdon, which shares psychological and practical tools for successive steps of work in the field of creative industries: from searching for sales channels to choosing a forwarding company. T&P publishes several chapters along with real stories people refuting the myth that it is impossible to make money as an artist.

Lisa Congdon

artist and illustrator from California. Designs books stationery, fabrics and household utensils. Participates in many exhibitions, speaks at professional conferences, and writes a popular blog about life and work.

Research different sources of income

So, your ship leaves the pier, taking you into the stormy seas of an artistic career. The shape your creative business, must be determined from the very beginning. You have several options, which we will talk about in the pages of this book. For example, you can sell originals of your work or prints, do illustrations and provide usage rights. But where to start? My words may sound like a hackneyed truth, but best advice The message I received when I began my career in art was: “Follow your heart.” There is no one way that will work for everyone; so the decision about what is best for you personally is determined by the unique circumstances of your own life, yours strengths, goals, resources and experience.

Some artists are completely self-sufficient by focusing on the only source income, for example from illustrating or selling works of art. But in general, in our time it is common to have several such sources. Income diversification is a great way to keep your art venture interesting and dynamic, plus you won't be dependent on the only way earn a living. When one of the sources begins to dry up, another will come to the surface. In addition, you can temporarily turn to another type of income if you get tired of a particular way of selling your work. Once the original drawing is sold, the option of receiving passive income, such as granting the right to use, will not require much extra work, while you will be able to receive income from this source for many years and continue to work on new original works.

As you read the next chapters of this book and evaluate your possible sources of income, consider which ones will give you more satisfaction and be a better fit for your job. Don't allow yourself to choose one or another potential option just because you think it looks more profitable. If your source of income doesn't align with your values ​​or makes you unhappy, it will end up demotivating and leaving you feeling unfulfilled.

The smartest approach is to start with something small, especially if you have other work besides art. If you start with too many sources at once, they can overwhelm you. Therefore, it is better to limit yourself to one or two, and having found the main channel and starting to earn money, start thinking about others. You may find that running your online store is too time-consuming and that communicating with customers who buy your illustrations is difficult. creative process. If one of your sources of income does not work for you, do not worry, this is in the order of things. The process of exploring different ways to market your work or make an income from your talents requires repeated attempts and large quantity time, and mistakes are inevitable. But with patience and openness to the world, you will eventually find your personal niche.

Drawing up a marketing plan

I recommend creating a marketing plan for every quarter throughout the year. Depending on the season, your career aspirations and what you're working on this moment work, your marketing plans will look different for each quarter. For example, in the third quarter, when you're busy leading up to the holiday season, you can focus your marketing efforts on getting new orders, and in the fourth quarter, you can focus on increasing in-store sales. If you're starting your career as an illustrator, it's best to start promoting in the first quarter so your cards don't get lost in the holiday rush in the editorial offices. Think strategically, do marketing every day, not just during slow times, and your efforts will pay dividends in the future.

Your marketing plan should take into account all components of an advertising campaign, including press releases, posts on your blog - all the way to a large social media campaign. Make a table for each quarter, planning in it marketing events by week. List all the actions you need to take and the deadlines for completing them. The better you organize your advertising campaign, the more impact you will get from it.

How to find your niche

If you're considering getting into illustration, ask yourself, "Which segment of this market would my work be best suited to?" or “Which field of illustration interests me most?” When I first started, I created a special “inspiration board” for myself, where I noted what kind of work I would like to do and the areas of illustration that corresponded to my passions. Since the main thing in my works is color and cheerful attitude, and not conceptual content, I understood that it was best for me to work on the design stationery and household items. In addition, I was attracted to illustrating books, so I had to work on the plot and thematic component of my portfolio.

Taking the time to explore the potential areas of your talent and where you'd like to focus will help you decide which areas of illustration to target and what changes you'll need to make to your work.

How to make full use of your downtime

The key word that characterizes the career of a free artist is unpredictability. But even when business is slow, there is always an opportunity to get things in order, learn something, and lay the foundation for future growth. During such periods, it is important to regularly certain time at work and develop your art business in the following areas:

Create a portfolio. This is one of the best ways make use of downtime. Start creating new artwork that you can later use on commercial products, such as planner covers or tea towels. In this way, you will enrich your portfolio with samples of work that future clients may decide to use in the manufacture of their products. In addition, you can contact the gallery and agree on organizing a display of your new works.

Volunteer. Chapter 4 talked about the importance of getting involved in your local art community as a means of networking and making contacts that can later have a beneficial effect on your art career. So, the “low season” can be used to work in a non-profit art organization, at an art venue, or as an intern at a gallery. Working in a gallery, you can learn a lot: how works of art are sold to collectors, how exhibitions are organized and held, what the relationship between artists and gallery owners is like. By volunteering for a nonprofit arts organization, you'll learn how to obtain grants, how to get your work included in planned exhibitions, and how to participate in large events such as auctions.

Do marketing. Use your free time to get your name out there. Review your marketing materials: is it time to update your website information? If so, add samples of new work to the site, media reviews, information about awards received, and think about improving the design. How long have you been communicating on social networks? Take time to communicate on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and explore options for expanding your online presence. Haven't you written on your blog for a long time? Then start a new personal project and write about it. When you're in last time sent art postcards to your dream galleries and art directors? Take advantage of this new time to design a card featuring the best of your new work.

Nikki McClure

Artist, master of paper art, Olympia

At the very beginning of Nikki’s career, his “samizdat” annual calendar in his signature black and white brought him fame. fine style paper plastic surgery is the best practical demonstration of her advantages, including patience, the ability to work hard and take care of what is really dear to her. Nikki also produces posters, books, postcards and T-shirts. Nikki McClure is a shining example of how to live out your values ​​to thrive in art and business, and how to share through your writing with the world what you hold dear: the power of love and hope, the beauty of everyday things, caring for environment and about the opportunity to change the world for the better.

Lisa Solomon

Artist working in style mixed media

Lisa holds a B.A. applied arts University of California at Berkeley and M.S. fine arts Mills College. Her work, reflecting an interest in the combination of styles in craft and home furnishings, has been featured in exhibitions around the world, from the San Jose Museum of Art to the Koumi-Machi Kougen Museum in Japan. Lisa's work has been exhibited in various galleries, including the David Weinberg Photography Gallery in Chicago and art Gallery Garson Baker in New York. She currently works with Walter Maciel Gallery in Los Angeles, known in San Francisco as Fouladi Projects. Lisa's works were published as a monograph Hand/Made. In addition, she is the author of a book on the art of embroidery, Knot Thread Stitch. But, despite being actively involved in creativity, Lisa finds time to blog and teach art to students State University San Francisco.

Esther Pearl Watson

Artist, illustrator, Pasadena

“When you are just starting a career as an artist or illustrator, it is worth agreeing to most of the orders that are offered to you - this is how contacts are made and a portfolio is formed. And, besides, this is the only way to understand which activities you like and which ones you don’t. Later, when you understand this, you can choose companies and projects about which you will be confident. We also believe that it is important to get paid well for your work. If a customer says: “You will get great fame, but we can’t pay you,” - for us it’s like a red traffic light! If we are already working on an order, we increase the reward amount. Extra work must be paid!”

Dolan Gaiman

Mixed media artist, Chicago

Dolan Gaiman grew up in the Shenandoah Valley, where he wandered the neighborhood, climbed into abandoned houses and collected various items. His childhood in the countryside left a strong imprint on his paintings and collages, which he creates in a unique pop-folk style. Dolan attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, and after graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, he soon set off for Chicago by car, armed with a stack of paintings, a small supply of provisions and a fishing rod. Here he wanted to declare himself as an artist. Several years later, Dolan would create numerous works and prints. In addition to running an Etsy store and serving as a juror for art fairs, Dolan works with international retailers that sell his original artwork as well as the inexpensive art gifts and decorative items he creates. In addition, he licenses his works to companies such as Anthropologie, Fossil, Pendleton Woolen Mills and Urban Outfitters.

Every person sooner or later thinks about earning extra money. The first thing that comes to mind is to make a business out of your favorite hobby. And this is quite real.

If you are a good drawer and, by the will of fate, you sit at home or want to earn extra income, you may have already wondered how to make money by drawing. Indeed, this hobby can be used not only for moral satisfaction, but also for very real income.

Nowadays, selling your creativity has become much easier than before, and you often don’t even need to leave your home. All that remains is to understand the details, weigh the risks and move from plans to actions, and the magazine Reconomica will be happy to help you with this.

My name is Stepantsova Olga Aleksandrovna, I am 22 years old, I live in the city of Blagoveshchensk.

Many of us loved to be creative as children: some played a musical instrument well, some made crafts, and some liked to draw. Talent exists within every person, and it goes without saying how important it is to discover and realize it.

It is known that drawing has a positive effect on nervous system, which means the whole body will benefit.

By being creative, you can not only have fun, but also make money, while spending a couple of hours a day on it!

First publications

I always loved to draw and did it often. I just sat with a piece of paper and a pencil wherever and whenever I wanted, because I liked it and got better every time.

And for a person engaged in creativity, it is necessary for his work to be seen and appreciated as much as possible. more people, so I decided to publish mine best works in social networks.

Now this is one of the best ways to show what you are capable of, and to look at others and learn new things. By the way, I used A4 paper and simple pencils. The cost of this did not ruin me, especially since the pencils lasted a long time.

My drawing.

Earning money idea

One day I was trying to figure out what to give my friend for her birthday, and an idea popped into my head - why don’t I draw her? A handmade gift from the heart is greatly appreciated.

I put all my skills into my work, received a lot of praise and was inspired. At the same time, this was my advertising, and the idea of ​​​​making such gifts to order was thoroughly ingrained in my head. I had to improve my skills using the Internet (studying facial anatomy, drawing techniques).

After browsing the Internet, I realized that you can and should make money from this, and most importantly, drawing a portrait did not take much time and was a pleasure!

First profit

After the donated drawing, several people appeared who wanted to buy a portrait for money, or even not quite a portrait, but something more unusual. For example, one guy asked me to draw a robot for him.

By the way, drawing a portrait from a photo is very convenient, because the photo is constant, the person does not change pose, as can be the case when drawing from life, in addition, you can work when it is convenient, and focus only on the customer’s deadlines.

Of course, the first orders were among friends, but it gave good experience and small profits. When the first wave of orders passed, I realized that it was necessary to do more advertising and focus on people I didn’t know (after all, I redrawn everyone I knew). To do this, I promised quick completion of the work (all this is on the page social network) and sat down to draw as soon as someone contacted me.

What did this lead me to?

Starting once with simple, unsightly drawings, I came to good skills and a constant income.

Having experience in drawing, you can find many options for different part-time jobs:

• In addition to portraits, there are sketches for tattoos, and people are also interested in them.
• A good imagination will serve as a tool for creating funny cartoons.
• And if you film the process of creating a work, you can make money by watching it on the Internet, because such videos are often popular.

And this is also my drawing.

Many have seen artists painting portraits on the street, and why not? All paths are open!

Let's calculate the income

Based final result, I can say that the main cost is time for training and improvement, and I do not take into account the purchase of paper and pencils, erasers, and sharpeners.

On initial stage the portrait cost 250 rubles (for a beginning artist), after a while the final price was established - 500 rubles.

If we take into account that, on average, by the second month I painted one portrait a day, we get an amount equal to 15,000 rubles (and this is far from the limit), despite the fact that the work was done in my free time and took 2-3 hours a day .

The cost can be increased, but left adequate in relation to your abilities. Sometimes there were two orders a day, and sometimes none.

Not everything is as simple as it seems

When buying a finished product, the client has no idea how much effort was spent on making him find you and want to cooperate with you.

Drawing is not as difficult as it seems, but making your work in demand is a more serious task.

One way or another, you have to communicate with people, and it would be nice to be able to do it correctly (be polite, tactful, win over, create a positive conversation).

If you like to draw and want to try to earn some money, then I want to give some tips and recommendations that helped me:

• One of my favorite expressions, which I often used as a guide: for every artist there is an art connoisseur.

This is true. There will always be a person who will like the character of your work, your drawing style and the author's zest (and everyone has it).

• The customer likes to see all the information at once.

For example, when visiting your page, he should find answers to all the questions he is interested in: price, deadlines, format, drawing technique, examples of your work. This will increase the likelihood that he will want to order from you.

• There is no need to be afraid of anything.

• Creating a portfolio.

You don’t need to write a lot about yourself; your works will say the best about you. Design your drawings beautifully, and people will definitely like them. There is no need to post all the works; choose the brightest, most special and catchy ones in your opinion.

• Pay attention to your competitors.

Draw conclusions for yourself (regarding cost, quality of work).

• Successful people overcome their laziness and fear. Don't be lazy and everything will work out!

If you love to draw and want to make money from your hobby, this article is for you.

To make money with your drawings on the Internet, you don’t have to be professional artist. Expensive graphics tablets neither have special meaning. In most cases, it is sufficient to have great desire, paper and colored pencils.

I will talk about one method of sales, which I have personally tested and proven its worth.

Profitable topics and platform for selling works

It must be said that the main factors determining the financial success of an artist’s illustrations are the themes of the works, as well as the competent choice of the site on which these works will be placed.

It is clear that demand is formed by the public’s interest in a particular event, object, or character. But what is interesting to society? What information has the highest view rates?

That's right, this is news. Eccentric headlines, emotional intensity, forecasts of the likelihood of wars, economic collapse, natural disasters. Scandals, gossip and rumors that have their own heroes.

The heroes of these news will be the main characters in your drawings. These are people famous all over the world: leaders of states, politicians, artists, athletes...

To images similar people there is enormous demand! And this demand increases to incredible proportions when hype rises around them in the media space.

Choosing a platform through which you will sell your work is also extremely important. And the main selection criteria should be the presence of high traffic of potential customers and specialization.

As for traffic, the picture is as follows: in terms of traffic, photo stocks are completely superior to other Internet sites. The leader in popularity, quantity of content and its sales here is the photo bank Shutterstock (Shutterstock.com).

To start making money by selling your work on Shutterstock, you need to register on the website. The site is multilingual, however, there is no Russian language.

During the registration process, you will need to enter your first and last name, as in your international passport or driver’s license, your address, and also upload a scan of your international passport (page with a photo). The service will also ask you to confirm the relevance of your email.

After successfully registering on the site, you must pass an exam to determine the quality of your content. To do this, you will need to upload 10 images and wait until they are verified by the site administration.

Images must be at least 4 megapixels in size. Quality is maximum. If at least one picture is approved by the administration, the exam will be considered passed successfully.

After this, you can safely put the images up for sale.

The idea of ​​earning money. Efficiency confirmed experimentally

To confirm my guesses about the exceptional popularity of the above-mentioned subject of images, I decided to conduct a small experiment: at approximately the same time I posted 4 of my works on various topics on the Shutterstock photo bank:

– scanned illustrations of US President Donald Trump, previously drawn on a sheet of paper with pencils,

– computer drawings of butterflies generated from own photos,

- photos ordinary people from different angles,

– photos of attractions from the cities I visit (statues and monuments),

– photographs of the nature and architecture of Egypt and Thailand, “taken” by me on vacation.

I must say that every hand-drawn illustration you send to a stock photo site needs to be confirmed with a special release.

By doing this you prove that you are the owner of the image you are sending. You can download the release for Shutterstock by clicking the “Model & Property Releases” link at the bottom of the page and then clicking on the “Download” button here:

The experiment lasted approximately three months. His results are as follows (amounts earned were rounded):

Butterfly drawings – 2 downloads, $0.5 earned,

– photos of nature and architecture – 8 downloads, earned 3 dollars,

– images of people – 8 downloads, $4 earned,

– photos of attractions – 9 downloads, earned 7 dollars,

– Donald Trump drawings – 74 downloads, $91 earned.

The result, as they say, is obvious. Moreover, for the first few weeks, only works with Trump were sold; the rest began to interest customers only by the end of the first month of the experiment.

The money was successfully withdrawn in ruble equivalent through the Skrill service on bank card. Shutterstock makes monthly payments automatically.

I can only add that I conducted a similar experiment in several other large photo banks. There, the sales results were orders of magnitude more modest, so I won’t even mention them.