As with any other profession, how much you make as an artist depends on several different factors. Obviously, your artistic skill is a major factor in determining how well you do business.
But beyond that, you must consider what kind of artwork you choose to pursue. If you want to be a portrait painter, for example, you will need to include painting in your repertoire.
You also have to think about where you decide to market yourself and sell your work. Will it be through social media postings? Or perhaps by creating your own websites or blogs?
And lastly, you have to determine how much time you are willing to put into marketing yourself before you get results. It may take months for your art to start receiving consistent traffic and new clients.
Overall, though, I believe digital artists make a very good living due to two things. One is their talent, and the second is how accessible they make their work online.
Most people can produce beautiful works using a computer these days.
Experience needed
Having your own digital illustrator account means having a profile with various applications, media, and formats. This includes creating logos, vector art, illustrations, and graphic design projects.
Running an online business like this requires you to have the right amount of experience at different types of graphics. For example, someone who is in their first year as a professional artist may not be able to handle all of the production work that comes along when offering logo designs or other creative projects.
That’s why it is important to understand the differences between using Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, and other similar software programs for designing. The more tools you are familiar with, the better!
Another integral part of being a successful designer is knowing how to market yourself. You will need to know what social media sites are popular so people can see your work, as well as manage your accounts.
This article will talk about some great ways to make extra money as a digital artist.
Education needed
Having a degree or certification in art is great, but it doesn’t guarantee that you will be able to survive as an artist. Artists are constantly seeking out new ways to market themselves and their work.
This includes finding ways to make money online. Many artists start blogging, creating content on YouTube and Patreon, and developing their artistic skills so they can sell things later.
Many people begin doing crafts after being inspired by looking at examples of crafty designs. Getting into crafting is another way to earn extra income.
There are always new tricks and tools being designed and implemented for artists to use. Some are free while others cost money, but all help us bring in more revenue.
The more creative you get, the more opportunities there are to make money from design. This could be through selling logos, designing business cards, or even making t-shirts!
Feature writers and journalists often need well-designed images and articles to fill up their sites and publications. Professional graphic designers have many resources like this.
Interior and furniture designers also rely heavily on creativity to convey their messages and inspire new ideas.
Know any software
Beyond Photoshop, there are many other digital illustration softwares that you can use to create your own illustrations or improve your craft. Some of the most well-known programs include Adobe’s products such as Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator; CorelDRAW, which is now owned by Canvas Studio; and Sketch, a free app designed to help artists draw quickly.
There are also several free drawing apps available for both iOS and Android devices. These have become very popular due to their ease of use and ability to get creative ideas done fast.
Some examples of these types of apps include Procreate (for the iPad) and Draw(d)Art (for mobile phones or laptops). By practicing with one of these apps, you will find it easy to transition into another paid program like I mentioned before!
General rules: The price of some of these applications may be more than what we discussed above, but they all come with plenty of features that work just as effectively as those that do not. Most people who purchase this type of software eventually upgrade because it is worth the investment.
Know any design
Being an illustrator means being able to create anything you want. You can start by picking an area of the field that you are passionate about and developing your skills in it, then moving onto something new.
Illustrations have always been popular so there’s plenty of material to work with. Plus, these days people seem more willing to pay for illustrations than ever before!
But how much money do digital artists make?
It depends what kind of artist you decide to be. There are two main types of illustration: comic-style cartoons and narrative stories.
Comic style is typically funny or satirical content which often includes gags and slapstick humor. This may include drawing animals doing human things (like eating) or situations (like having a conversation).
Narration stories are like comics except they tell a story rather than just making jokes. These could be short stories or longer novels.
As with comics, narration stories usually involve telling a tale using pictures and/or sound. The difference here is that the picture part doesn’t necessarily relate directly to the action of the story.
Know anatomy
Being able to identify the different parts of an illustration is a very important skill for digital artists to have. There are several ways to learn how to recognize components of artwork. You can take some art classes, watch YouTube videos, read books, or even just by practicing and experimenting with existing illustrations!
Artists will typically use line as a main design element in their work. Creating your own lines is one way to learn how to draw them. By drawing thin, short lines and thick, tall ones you can start creating your own designs.
There are two types of lines that artist use in their designs: solid and dashed. A solid line means it’ll go on a constant length, while a dashed line will get shorter and longer depending on the space it covers. We could say that solid lines are continuous versions of dashes.
The proportions of shapes such as squares, rectangles, and circles play a big part in what style of illustration we see being developed every day.
Have a strong grasp of the fundamentals
While some people make a very good living as digital illustrators, it takes a lot of effort to get there. You will not be able to tell just by looking at someone’s portfolio whether or not they are making a decent income off their designs.
In fact, most people who consider themselves professional digital artists do not make a ton of money due to all the other costs involved in being an artist.
These additional expenses include things like health insurance, rent, and student loans. All of these things can easily add up and prevent you from spending what would otherwise be your hard earned dollars on creative projects.
Fortunately for us, we have some great sources that list how much individuals earn per year in the industry! So, today we will take a look and see what we find.
Know people become a digital artist
Being a professional digital illustrator means that you must be able to draw well. You will need to know how to use software such as Photoshop, Sketch, or other drawing programs to produce your artwork.
Most artists start off learning how to create 2D illustrations or cartoons in graphics software like Adobe Photoshop or GIMP. As you can probably guess, these are not limited to making just pictures!
You could make things like logos, advertisements, or even web designs which do not have to look very clean and polished. Many designers choose more abstract styles because they want their design to show some of its personality rather than looking too corporate.
The next step for most aspiring professionals is to learn how to combine their illustration with 3d modeling/rendering software such as Zbrush, Maya, or others. These applications allow you to sculpt shapes and textures into interactive three-dimensional (3D) objects or environments.
Some artists also include photo editing or manipulation software such as photoshop or lightroom to mix content from photographs into their work.
Find a mentor
As with any career, digital illustration is not easy to get into, nor are there many positions for new artists to apply their skills. This can be tough as most people who begin doing graphic design or illustrations start out in college as students where they are given exposure to such art forms.
Finding someone that does good work is the next best thing! Finding someone close by may even be hard at first, but you should look into local artist groups, social media sites like Instagram and Facebook, and talking about your artistic dreams to friends and family.
By creating a pool of mentors for yourself, it will only help you achieve your goals. People are always willing to lend a hand when you show them quality work and ask for some tips or feedback, so do that!
Mentors are also very helpful in getting through times when employment is scarce. Most universities have student organizations that hold events, make posters, advertise, etc.
