Being an illustrator is amazing. Not only can you bring anyone’s imagination to life, you can also create things that don’t exist in the real world, that defy the laws of physics or just anything that takes your fancy. But illustration, like any other artistic skill, is an undervalued and underpaid profession unless you’re at the top. Creating a reputation takes time and effort, so what can you do till then to sustain yourself?
Creating art for the sake of it is one thing, but when it come to sustenance vs satisfaction, the former always takes priority. So, rather than giving up your art to get a desk job, why not sustain yourself, body and soul, by monetising your talents on a platform like Tartl?
- Offer Prints Of Your Work
You know that your followers are supporting you because they love your artwork. Why not share some of that work with them in the form of prints?
Remember that artwork you have lying around, those personal things you did and are too nervous to show the world? Share that with your followers on Tartl, maybe offer a print to the ones supporting you on a higher tier. We are sure they would love to have your art up on their walls. Don’t stop at that, sell stickers, create a yearly calender, give out Christmas specials, the options are endless. Simply use the art you already have to create multiple rewards for the people supporting you.
- Digital copies of your work
Not everyone has the wall space to put up physical artwork, but what everyone has these days are electronic devices with wallpapers. People are always looking for a nice new wallpaper to go with their icons and themes. You could offer standard PC/Mobile wallpaper size copies to all your subscribers on Tartl. They would definitely love looking at a piece of your artwork each time they opened their laptop or picked up their phone. Wallpapers aren’t the only digital files you can share. You could share your process in a PSD file, maybe share your palettes, brushes, and even lineart sheets that can be used as a colouring book!
- Advice and Guidance
While art school teaches you a lot, some important things that they do not teach you are how to find work, how to deal with clients, how to make a portfolio more attractive etc. These are tips that would mean so much more coming from an indistry proessional! You could also offer critiques and guides for your subscribers to learn a thing or two about art.
- Live Paints / Speedpaints
Teaching painting is one thing. But there is nothing quite like peeking behind the curtain and getting a glimpse of the processes behind a painting. Record a video of your process, digital or traditional, and share it with some of your followers. It is a great incentive to offer.
Not only would you be helping upcoming artists, which we all love to do, you would also satisfy the curiosity that everyone has about time and effort when they see an astounding piece of art.
- Behind the scenes
If you are working on a children’s book, or some other project that you can freely share, giving a glimpse of your work before it’s out on stands or in stores would be quite a treat. Not only would your fans love it, it would also create a buzz for when the final piece comes out.
What other ways can you think of? Tell us in the comments below.
