How to Sell Art Online: 4 Methods That Actually Work

In our increasingly online era, making a living as a digital artist is no longer far from reach. Digital art has gained traction over the last few years, and that demand is going nowhere but up. Artists can now access global marketplaces and create new opportunities with just a few clicks.

However, increased visibility and accessibility bring the risk of an oversaturated market, often making the process more challenging for hungry digital creatives. Nevertheless, if you’re a digital artist hoping to generate an income selling your creations online, here are four methods that actually teach you how to sell art online:

Print-on-Demand

As one of the most cost-effective and convenient ways of monetizing artwork, services that offer print-on-demand, or PoD, have seen massive success in recent years. Success is all it’s likely to see in the next decade, as the PoD industry is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 26.1% from 2022-2030. PoD services liberate sellers by allowing artists to advertise their creations without thinking about investing in a store, finding manufacturers, or stocking inventory.

Instead, artists simply upload their digital pieces to a PoD platform, which will print, package, and ship the product whenever it sells. Additionally, you don’t have to limit yourself to just prints of your digital artwork; you can offer other products, such as t-shirts and journals, to diversify your collection.

Here are a few pro tips that can help streamline your PoD journey:

Find a niche: Reflect on your finished pieces, determine the best place to showcase them, and identify a target audience.
Focus on quality: Now more than ever, customers expect high-quality products with excellent customer service, so it’s essential to focus on the caliber of your collection instead of its size.
Study your competitors: Look at the reviews and logistics for existing PoD businesses and try to pinpoint recurring weaknesses you can improve on or pitfalls to avoid.

Collaborations

Novice artists pondering how to sell art online may try to go it alone, but this often makes getting commissions more challenging. Whether you’re just beginning to sell your art online or are a few tries in and struggling, collaborating with other artists is an excellent way to get your foot in the digital door. Casting a wider net by targeting two distinct audiences can create new interest pockets and increase customer trust.

Additionally, rarity and novelty draw attention in the digital art world. By offering a collaborative piece, whether through commissioned work or contributions to digital collections, you are presenting the market with the opportunity to witness a unique process and partnership, which can boost desirability and perceived value. By collaborating with other artists, you multiply your talents and techniques while building a solid network that you can lean on amidst the ups and downs.

NFT Marketplaces

Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs, often get a bad rap—but hear us out. While it can depend on the type of blockchain and platform used, NFTs provide digital artists with a significant degree of ownership and choice. Because each NFT represents digital assets as unique tokens for which the artist can define their terms and conditions, common risks such as plagiarism or copyright infringement are much more controlled.

Here are some of the best marketplaces to check out as a digital artist and NFT newbie:

Rarible has one of the most accessible user interfaces that can help newcomers navigate the complex world of NFTs
OpenSea is a platform that caters to more than just artwork but also other digital assets, such as virtual worlds and animations that can appeal to various digital artists.
Axie is ideal for those digital artists who can’t get enough character creation. Within Axie Marketplace, collectible characters used within the NFT-based game Axie Infinity are created and sold.

Given the often volatile nature of many NFT marketplaces, it’s important to remember that every digital artist may not see immediate success. Nevertheless, there is a potential for much higher profit margins, and artists receive royalties every time their NFT sells to a new holder, so don’t be afraid to put your work out there!

Online Marketplaces for Artists

When it comes to selling art directly to customers, some artists might think that local fairs or workshops are the only ways how. To sell art online, you fortunately don’t need to drag prints of your work to a nearby festival.

As one of the most tried and true methods, you shouldn’t forget traditional ecommerce marketplaces. Those designed for digital artists, such as Cubebrush, are excellent platforms with easy-to-navigate interfaces and provide access to curated and eager audiences.

Selling your artwork on Cubebrush couldn’t be easier. Simply ‘Open a Store’ by requesting an invite. Once your example products receive a review, you’ll have access to all the rich benefits of selling with Cubebrush, including: