By Kaleigh Moore Might 23, 2023
Many people love artwork. We love amassing it, viewing it, even shopping for it. Observe the numbers, and also you’ll see that artwork hasn’t gone wherever; it’s only a bit extra digital than it was.
Perhaps “a bit” is an understatement.
Digital artwork gross sales have skyrocketed in recognition since 2020. On-line artwork gross sales have been hovering slightly below $5 billion earlier than the pandemic. Then they skyrocketed to $7.8 billion the following 12 months and over $13 billion final 12 months.
A much bigger digital artwork market means extra alternatives for digital sellers. However that also leaves a problem for aspiring artists.
Now, they’ll must be taught the brand new skillset of digitization. What are the conditions to constructing a following on-line, and which platforms must you use to assist construct your viewers?
Promoting digital artwork on platforms
Platform choice begins with a easy query: what do you need to promote? What’s your chief medium?
Pc graphics? Crypto artwork? Digital work? Bodily artwork you digitize?
In case your medium is digital pictures, your platform will likely be completely different than if you choose combined media. That’s why you shouldn’t decide a platform till what it’s you need to promote.
When you do, you’ll be able to flick through the most well-liked artwork platforms on-line:
- Bēhance is a prime artwork platform for each discovering and sharing inventive paintings. Design, pictures, and videographers all name it dwelling. It’s nice for artists who monetize, because it doubles as a platform for promoting tutorials and customised artwork companies.
- Artwork Station additionally includes a sturdy market of visible paintings, in addition to a store for getting and promoting prints. It tendencies towards popular culture paintings like video games, motion pictures, and different media.
- Dribbble is available in on the skilled aspect of issues. If you happen to fancy your self knowledgeable inventive designer or branding skilled, it may be an incredible place to place your portfolio.
- Deviant Artwork options the most important on-line paintings gallery of all. It doubles as a portfolio and a spot to purchase or promote digital paintings.
In fact, you too can use platforms like Etsy, Design Cuts, and Crimson Bubble to promote your designs in different types, like bodily merchandise.
A very powerful situation right here is discovering the platform that matches your pursuits. That’s the place you’re going to fulfill your viewers.
Wish to benefit from the platform you select? Listed below are some suggestions for getting began:
- Construct up a powerful portfolio. You might even must do work without cost. However many artwork lovers will browse these platforms on the lookout for artists with sturdy portfolios. You might know your potential, however your viewers received’t see it until you’ll be able to exhibit it in a tangible portfolio.
- Purchase your personal area. If you happen to plan on making promoting digital artwork a long-term factor, you’ll want your personal viewers. You may in the end use platforms like DeviantArt to construct consideration—however a site as the house of your private model.
When you’ve explored a bit and constructed up a reputation for your self, you too can contemplate constructing your personal monetized neighborhood.
Platforms like Patreon or Purchase Me A Espresso are helpful for artists who desire a “patron”-like expertise. You may create personalized artwork giveaways and different exclusives to encourage this viewers to give you the regular earnings you want to regularly reinvest in your work.
When you’ve planted your flag, the following step is straightforward.
You want folks to have a look at it.
Easy as it’s, executing this a part of the “promoting digital artwork” blueprint can take some time. As an illustration, you could work in your artwork for years earlier than you discover it gaining any type of traction.
However as you develop as an artist, there are some things you are able to do to advertise your work and earn a dwelling on-line. Let’s take a look at a couple of of them:
- Promote NFTs, or digital artwork as NFTs. Non-fungible tokens have been a significant a part of what skyrocketed digital as much as new heights in 2020 and 2021. Folks like these as a result of NFTs are like shopping for paintings together with its “receipt,” making them unique homeowners. You may promote your paintings by creating NFTs that draw consideration to all the pieces else you’re doing on-line.
- Providing commissions. Lots of the digital platforms above, like Dribbble, are nice for each planting a flag and creating your portfolio. As you supply customized commissions to purchasers, you’ll be able to create paintings that ultimately builds word-of-mouth for what you do. Within the meantime, you’re exhausting at work—however you’re additionally incomes earnings.
- DIY How-To movies. Ever watch a sped-up watercolor portray video on TikTok? Or observe somebody on Instagram since you noticed their behind-the-scenes story as they created a digital artwork piece? Then the facility of “How-to” movies to draw extra eyeballs to your work.
- Social media communities. Some persons are trying for artists such as you; you simply must know the place to seek out them. Establish social media communities (like r/Artwork on Reddit) the place folks need to see what you’ve put collectively. The important thing right here: at all times add worth, fairly than ask for subscribers or followers.
It doesn’t harm to have your personal neighborhood, both.
Take the instance of BOMONSTER. BOMONSTER’S artwork makes use of a scratchboard, the place he takes an Xacto blade to a blackened board to scratch out the white highlights beneath.
It’s an ideal match for his chosen viewers: sizzling rod, truck, and bike followers.
BOMONSTER had digitized his paintings early on, however discovered that his chosen technique (PDF attachments in emails) was solely touchdown him in his prospects’ spam folders.
As an alternative, he used AWeber to create sign-up types and seize his prospects’ electronic mail addresses for his publication.
And he isn’t afraid to “pitch” himself, both. If you happen to’re engaged on your first 100 subscribers, you will have to do the identical. BOMONSTER’s AWeber type highlights the forms of emails he sends, together with a piece on “What makes my artwork completely different.”
There, he gives visible examples so people who find themselves get a preview of the artwork. Whether or not he knew it or not, he was following lots of the steps you simply learn—constructing a portfolio and a following over time.
He’s upfront (sure, he is attempting to promote you artwork), however seamless with regards to making gross sales. He makes use of AWeber’s options that may flip emails into miniature galleries so folks can browse the prints.
Promoting your paintings on-line
If you happen to don’t know the place to begin, decide one of many platforms and begin constructing your presence with the “borrowed” viewers that comes with it.
Over time, as you construct your portfolio, you can begin highlighting your paintings by yourself web site—which ought to embrace a touchdown web page with AWeber that permits you to promote your self, seize viewers consideration, and start constructing a supportive neighborhood.
