By Kaleigh Moore Might 23, 2023
Many people love artwork. We love gathering 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.
Possibly “a bit” is an understatement.
Digital artwork gross sales have skyrocketed in reputation since 2020. On-line artwork gross sales had 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.
An even bigger digital artwork market means extra alternatives for digital sellers. However that also leaves a problem for aspiring artists.
Now, they’ll must study the brand new skillset of digitization. What are the conditions to constructing a following on-line, and which platforms do you have to 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?
Laptop graphics? Crypto artwork? Digital work? Bodily artwork you digitize?
In case your medium is digital pictures, your platform might be totally different than if you choose blended media. That’s why you shouldn’t decide a platform till you already know what it’s you need to promote.
When you do, you may flick thru the most well-liked artwork platforms on-line:
- Bēhance is a high artwork platform for each discovering and sharing artistic 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 providers.
- Artwork Station additionally encompasses a strong 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 artistic designer or branding professional, it may be an awesome 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.
After all, you can even use platforms like Etsy, Design Cuts, and Purple Bubble to promote your designs in different varieties, like bodily merchandise.
An important difficulty 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 here are some suggestions for getting began:
- Construct up a powerful portfolio. You could even must do work at no cost. However many artwork lovers will browse these platforms in search of artists with sturdy portfolios. You might know your potential, however your viewers received’t see it except you may reveal it in a tangible portfolio.
- Purchase your individual area. If you happen to plan on making promoting digital artwork a long-term factor, you’ll want your individual viewers. You’ll be able to finally use platforms like DeviantArt to construct consideration—however a website as the house of your private model.
When you’ve explored a bit and constructed up a reputation for your self, you can even take into account constructing your individual monetized neighborhood.
Platforms like Patreon or Purchase Me A Espresso are helpful for artists who desire a “patron”-like expertise. You’ll be able to create custom-made artwork giveaways and different exclusives to encourage this viewers to offer you the regular earnings it’s essential frequently reinvest in your work.
When you’ve planted your flag, the following step is easy.
You want individuals to have a look at it.
Easy as it’s, executing this a part of the “promoting digital artwork” blueprint can take some time. For example, it’s possible you’ll 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 just a few of them:
- Promote NFTs, or digital artwork as NFTs. Non-fungible tokens had been a serious a part of what skyrocketed digital as much as new heights in 2020 and 2021. Individuals like these as a result of NFTs are like shopping for paintings together with its “receipt,” making them unique house owners. You’ll be able to promote your paintings by creating NFTs that draw consideration to the whole lot else you’re doing on-line.
- Providing commissions. Lots of the digital platforms above, like Dribbble, are nice for each planting a flag and growing your portfolio. As you supply customized commissions to purchasers, you may create paintings that ultimately builds word-of-mouth for what you do. Within the meantime, you’re arduous 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 you already know the ability of “How-to” movies to draw extra eyeballs to your work.
- Social media communities. Some persons are wanting for artists such as you; you simply must know the place to search out them. Establish social media communities (like r/Artwork on Reddit) the place individuals 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: scorching rod, truck, and motorbike followers.
BOMONSTER had digitized his paintings early on, however discovered that his chosen technique (PDF attachments in emails) was solely touchdown him in his clients’ spam folders.
As a substitute, he used AWeber to create sign-up varieties and seize his clients’ 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’ll have to do the identical. BOMONSTER’s AWeber kind highlights the forms of emails he sends, together with a bit on “What makes my artwork totally 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 in the case of making gross sales. He makes use of AWeber’s options that may flip emails into miniature galleries so individuals 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 embody a touchdown web page with AWeber that allows you to promote your self, seize viewers consideration, and start constructing a supportive neighborhood.
