How I Make Money as an Artist [Art + Storytime]

[@RandomDuck-Productions]

Okay um rewatchung this now- and reliizing the first peice of art star is working on has 2 silhouettes in the circles, the bottom 2, and because this video is older, and star has worked on Castoff for longer, I realized, THE SILLOUETTE ON THE LEFT IS SAGE! So that clearly means, the silhouette on the right, is a new character that we will meet later in the comic!!! IM SO EXITED AGGHHHH!!!!

[@fuzzydragons]

its a lot of work to be a self-employed artist, but its def worth it

[@artbyinky]

We have very similar paths. I graduated from art school around the same time you did, also got a similar degree and didn’t want to do freelance as I never had financial stability in my life. When 2020 rolled around I was so fed up with the 9-5 and how companies treat us. I was laid off for a few months and took a class about digital drawing to improve my skills, I watched tutorials about line art and also looked into the logistics of running a business. In 2021, I started my Etsy shop and have been trying to go forward ever since. I got into my first art show, had some commissions, and just hit my 50th sale on Etsy. I’m quite tired of a company dictating my time and exploiting me for my skills. I still haven’t made it yet, but I’m hoping one day I will. I make and add products when I can and just started KZbin! It’s a hard path, but I think it’s way more rewarding than giving your energy and body away to someone who can just throw you away. The pandemic taught me just how unstable those stable jobs are.

[@pressedv3017]

I wish I had your risk and decision, but it's different for me - I was disillusioned at the tech and trade comments from their respective sides because of 1.) Tech layoffs and they're persistent but I was sort of distraught and wanted to not do it. 2.) Some older dude moan and moan because of their experiences causing me to think long and hard about what I want to be.

[@artbyinky]

@@pressedv3017I think what you did though was make the best decision you could at the time. It’s all you can do! And yeah I have a lot of old friends from college who are laid off that worked in tech and the animation industry… in a way I’m glad that I wasn’t the best that I could have been at that time. I work in a factory (the office side where I am doing design work), and while I don’t care for the environment (it’s loud and dirty), I’m sort of counting my blessings to not be in a studio. It’s so hard to find a job in those fields right now too.

[@mikepolo2887]

For me, having a main, non-art job is not about financial stability, but about inspiration. I would never have access to such models and ideas if I were a full-time artist.

[@Sylv_the_Weirdo]

When I was little, I loved to draw. But, even as a kid, I thought that there was too much competition and that I would never be good enough. But then I got youtube and *eventually* found the storytime animators. I first found timtom and letmeexplainstudios, and eventually so many more! idk where little me thought cartoons came from, but I didn't think it was a bunch of artist drawing a bunch. Then I found out about digital merch, youtube speed paints, and all of the different ways for artist to monetize. Now my dream of being an artist/ animator lives again!

[@goomyloid]

thank you for making this video, its very motivating!! i got to see your artist booth a couple years ago (before covid) and tbh you’ve been a big inspiration for me ever since!! i hope to see you again some time!!

[@bookfangeek]

This video came out at a PERFECT time, thank you so much for making it! I'm looking to break into the online shop and comic convention scene next year and this is exactly the sort of insight I needed to think about!

[@thejollyjawbreaker]

That is AMAZING you were able to do a down payment on your home from your How To Webcomic book! I am one of the backers from that Kickstarter and love going back over and over to review it. Your insight and tips are so helpful! 💜💜💜

[@medli20]

This was super informative-- thanks for uploading! It's cool (and inspiring!) to hear about the kind of journey you took to get to being able to make a living off your artwork. I hope you don't mind asking-- how do you make your stickers, prints, acrylic charms, etc? Do you do it at home or do you use a printing service to help you manufacture your merch?

[@TheStarfishface]

Stickers, prints, and buttons I make at home, charms and pins I outsource!

[@thenebulaxyz8849]

@@TheStarfishface curious, if you do stickers or prints of say copyrighted material such as Pokémon, can you still make and sell those or will you lose money from it?

[@-themightymittens-]

I saw this video before and now I know who all these characters are!

[@fuzziestoffrawgs]

Everything in this video is everything I want to do as my job as an adult but it all sounds so much more complicated and intimidating than I thought, and I already knew that it wasn't gonna be easy 😓 but I'd much rather do a bunch of work to meet my goal of having my own business and my own stores than work for someone else. Working for myself is the best choice for me personally because I'm autistic, and I always see people talking about how much it sucks to work for someone else's business especially as an autistic person so I'm definitely going to work for myself.

[@LimegreenSnowstorm]

How the actual storms do you keep up with that many things at once?? I post a chapter of my webcomic every other week and do a local convention twice a year or so, but beyond that all I have is a Patreon I can barely keep up with. I haven’t posted on Instagram in months, and forget about KZbin and TikTok, I don’t know where I’d find the time for that. My online store has no traffic and I could only keep up with streaming for a few months. Whew… infodump. Long story short, how do you organize your time so you can keep up with it all without burning out? Do you have a video on it already?

[@LukeTheSketcher]

I very much second this question.

[@_BubblGum_]

as someone who uploads twice a week on my youtube channel , i am a fairly small creator with less than 1,000 subs so i cant speak about making money or anything so all i can tell you is that in order to upload consistently , you have to draw even when you dont want to . you have to force yourself , if you wait until you feel motivated , you cant have a consistent upload schedule . unfortunate yet true 😔

[@DeathOfAnExecutionerr]

Definitely have a planned schedule for your time with what exactly you'll do within that time (for example like streaming every other Saturday at 1pm or something) And also to give yourself scheduled days off and if needed give yourself prolonged breaks for mental health! I am not popular or have ever posted anything but those are just some basics I'm pretty sure! just try not to put to much pressure on yourself -- make sure you still have fun and dont subconsciously burn yourself out by putting so much mental pressure on yourself! (To reiterate do take my word with a handful of salt-- I have no experience with streaming or business stuff but I do understand moderating over stuff so yeah - take what you will from what I said xD ) You got this, I believe in you! 👍

[@solhsa]

I'm pretty sure if she didn't have to do all this the comic would progress faster =)

[@galaxyhopper1251]

I’d like a video on this topic. What is your schedule? How do you do you organize your time and keep up with all this?

[@kazakhgirl_in_taipei]

Actually I came across your account for the first time watching your two webinars on how to make a webcomic. I absolutely love them! And rewatch them quite often, because there is lots of great info there! Hope to see more content on Webbtoon topic! You are doing great! :)

[@mmabe4000]

I love the detail and practicality that digital artists like you put into explaining your business strategy, but I have a hard time translating it into my crochet. Thanks for a nice video nonetheless!

[@gaddammitkyle]

15:52 Yup! There is so little webcomic tutorial content on KZbin, that video was the best I've seen uploaded here on the topic, how tos and tutorial vids are the life essence of this place

[@KrisOrcott]

Enjoy your art and comic. Vera! (what can I say he’s my favorite, but all your characters are fun.) I watch both your gaming and art videos on twitch and like them all in the same place. Also you’re the only twitch streamer I watch with any regularity. This video was interesting and informative and a good counter to the starving artist stereotype.

[@luckieangelz]

This video is definitely one of the best videos ive watched on this topic! I struggle to find videos with good tips and advice, but also have some form of listing of pros and cons to the personal experiences...so this is very very helpful for me as someone who hopes to be able to create content to sell and such!!

[@HHHHammer]

I’m 15 I wanna move out when I’m 19 but till then I wanna work on becoming a professional artist best of luck I’m having fun with it so far :)

[@adainisart246]

Love your art, art style, your webcomic, really want your how to webcomic pdf/book

[@analudraws]

I for sure felt the same way coming out of university...thinking I was going to be working a studio job or 9-5 because stability sounded so much better than being a self-sustaining artist. I only now am trying to see if it's viable at least as a side hustle! Thanks for the motivating video!

[@changelingwizardjrayg]

Love to hear your progress with making money as an artist. I'm happy with both art and streaming staying on one channel. Side note, you mentioned you use a social media scheduler, may I ask which one you use?

[@durnanironknuckles1617]

I think embracing the struggle is good. I am working towards launching a comic strip I am developing a few ideas a running 30-day trials on drawing simple one panel strip with text.

[@curiouschicana9098]

I'm fine with you keeping all the content in one channel, but sorted playlists would be nice

[@drawingfandome]

I hate to be a Debby downer but unfortunately I feel 90% of her income platforms require you to already have a large following and fanbase and we are sadly living in an age where growing a fanbase online for your art is impossible bc everyone and their uncle thinks making scribbles and monetizing them will get them success leaving many to scroll past bc there’s too much art content at once so people will pick and choose the best stuff to support, and usually that means whatever is already popular or whatever feeds off popular internet stuff like popular fandoms, styles, or meme like humor, unless the artist is already basically garnered as popular for having come to the platform at a time when growth was easy, people will probably look past your work if you have a small following, and the only way to build a following is to essentially capitalize on whatever is trendy and hope you get lucky otherwise people won’t even notice you, unless maybe you post frequently for YEARS. Tho the con stuff is still viable as an income source bc people can’t really scroll past you irl but for cons, if you don’t sell popular stuff I’ve noticed people will walk past you and just spend their money on whatever feeds their current fandom and aesthetic.

[@Ilikethenumber9]

Quick thing, like your artstyle!

[@PlatinumBro]

loving the videos :D

[@aurorechaton7604]

Out of curiosity, would you be willing to post a video on how you do art streams and advertising? I'm curious how you can come up with enough stuff to do or talk about on stream to justify doing it so often, and I'm curious how you started advertising for a business, and what your first few products were.

[@alaskanspartan89]

0:58 I saw that raid alert lol

[@TheCGEclipse]

This actually helped thanks

[@tobiasmeerdink5023]

how i make money as an artist: a second job

[@onetinyrabbit742]

BAAAAASEBALL

[@TheStarfishface]

HOW DARE YOU SPEAK THE FORBIDDEN WORDS TO ME.... ON MY OWN VIDEO.... shameless

[@Shortasss]

11:20 this reminds me of the little league world series finale parking, it’s very chaotic and only hosted in one city, my home city, and Istg it is difficult to get around but fun to occasionally watch :/

[@kendrickeraart]

Thank you for this video! Doing my best to follow my dreams as well

[@PeriluneStar]

Thank you for this video, I want to be a freelance artist when I'm older and this was really helpful :3

[@decadentgamer3108]

Hey Star, so this video was very informative and also very helpful in giving some tips and insight for artists who want to try doing art full-time and coming up with ways to help supplement some income but I do have a question when it comes to designing merch and it has to do specifically with fanart type merch. We all learn that selling fanart merch can be risky, especially if you're not entirely sure if the creator IP is okay with artists selling fanart of their media I noticed that you have some fanart type merch in your shop from games like Baldur's Gate, The Legend of Zelda, Fire Emblem, and Ace Attorney to name a few and I was just wondering how you go about with fanart merch. Do you look up to see if the companies are okay with this or do you just take the risk by making the product regardless? I apologize but I'm just curious is all because while it is equally as important to have some originals of your own to sell, there's no denying that fanart merch can also bring in some potential clients as well and it would be nice to hear form someone who has had their shop for a good while now. Thanks in advance!

[@prixsama9320]

Very informative thanks

[@Gleamiarts]

This is really helpful! IDo you have any tips on growing your audience on social media?

[@diamondogs126]

This makes me hopeful for my future! but scared for dealing with the taxes

[@casualamber]

I would like to get this tutorial as a fun book (I have ADHD)

[@trust_vex]

11:25 *throws baseball cutely*

[@TerraCorvusEntertainment]

I would say, keep the lets play stuff separated. But it is your channel, so, do how ever you feel.

[@jasperzatch610]

Thanks so much for sharing this. Has youtube continued to increase for you? Great work

[@dvffYT]

As for the question at the end, Im personally here for the videos but i dont mind the gaming archives being uploaded here

[@hirahiro2331]

I think I gave up 😅! Now, I still animate, I still draw and all that, however, I just have $0 to travel. I was invited (by a friend) to go to a convention but because of my social anxiety and lack of supplies (is what I convinced myself), I didn’t go. I didn’t regret it, but it opened my eyes that I should work on my social life. I also like hiding behind a screen because I’m afraid of getting hurt. But I’ll break that fear one day…

[@hirahiro2331]

Gave up on commissions I mean.

[@AdorableFennec]

I love ur videos

[@Auggie_s]

hey I'm a small business and I need some help with booths at conventions, and what I can and cant sell because recently I've been confused because I don't know if I can draw and sell (my own art) of well known characters due to a copyright or something I don't know who to ask and if not how do I sell things that people with know or recognize without being copyrighted, I've seen many people with art booths with like anime characters or Pokémon. please help thank you.

[@PhOtOn_EoN]

Woah! You keep up with so much stuff, and you have such great art! You should make tutorials for art because ik you will probably get a bit more views :)

[@Yuxie_official75464]

How do you set up/post Web comics and digital work?

[@Cart00n013]

"assault that bell" LOL 🤣 EDIT: Have you ever gotten art block, how have you handled it?

[@casualamber]

I take a small break and doodle small simple things

[@stevensanders2692]

Independent artist unite!!

[@alonewithyu]

do u add reverb to ur vocals

[@kananasho]

Is that an echo or reverb

[@SheaHues]

Cool

[@MacronLacrom]

You must be very busy with all those income streams... How do you manage the work load?

[@DrNo64]

Money 🤑🤑😍

[@Beegirl12345]

Show us the kitties

[@brittanyleonard4562]

I wanted to know if you had a big following that helped you start doing conventions and making an online store? I don't have a big following but I want to start selling art and one day do conventions. I would love to have some kind of hope that people would love to see my art too and want to collect it even though currently I don't have a big following.

[@Cg5_Is_Awesome]

So I’m not the only one that heard about Rebecca hmm?

[@stacihance6773]

I do art when I'm bored!?!

[@emooliekerpecky2938]

sculastic?

[@Happy.mp4]

what the freaky deaky is ponyny

[@DJNightshiftMoondai]

With AI it's getting muuuuuuch worse

[@Sparrowlicious-01]

Begrudgingly using instagram - sounds familiar.

[@thegamingillustrator]

for about a year now i just thought i was subbed. turns out, nope! not until now.

[@RosesBubblegumstudio]

I think You should move the let play to a different channel

[@Blue_WolfD]

Hmm.. I'm a full time graphic artist at the moment. But to be self sufficient would be nice.... Hmmmmmm

[@VideoAssaultSaturday]

⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾ 😂😂🤣🤣 I'm just kidding! ❤❤💙💙❤❤💙💙

[@Iudayus]

yeah baseball sucks!

[@alainpierre]

The hilt of the sword is really small. I think it's smaller than the length of the character's hand. As it appears to be a very large sword, a longer handle would be interesting to provide more support in handling. But this is an excellent art!

[@KatsudonArt]

You're lucky if you get 500 likes in a post? i barely even get 1 like lmao

[@histrion2]

Followed you on Twitch and Insta! (Don't care about TikTok 😁)