The BUSINESS of selling ART

[@ravinduruwanpathirana4900]

Hey Trent, Wow, I love this painting you painted. What is it for? 😃

[@TrentKaniuga]

The upcoming Twilight Monk Game. store.steampowered.com/app/1911940/Twilight_Monk/

[@ravinduruwanpathirana4900]

@@TrentKaniuga Awesome.. Something we all look forward to. I love Ori franchise as it is a metroidvania with beautiful graphics. I see that kind of beauty in twilight monk too. I'm gonna love it. I wish it to be a great success ❤️✌🏼

[@subterranean327]

Truth be told, there are two types of youtube channels. 1. Channels that want LARGE audiences; their goal is to get lots of clicks and views and make money from ads. 2. Channels that want DEDICATED audiences; their goal is to create a closer-knit community and have a large turnover from viewers to paying costumers. I always prefer watching type 2 channels.

[@TrentKaniuga]

Truth. And agreed.

[@BusinessWolf1]

You missed one type. The video artists who make stupidly well produced content and just don't monetize properly. Those people annoy me a lot to be honest. They should be rewarded for their effort, but aren't because of their own stupidity or lack of self awareness or whatever else, like detrimental humbleness.

[@GuestingGameplays]

@@BusinessWolf1yeah and with the doubting the person may think this is self knowledge when it’s not, it truly is important to walk in truth on all things so we don’t miss or lack out on stuff that’s fs.

[@VinciSid]

​@@BusinessWolf1 How can they monetize properly? What are the things they need to do in order to be rewarded then. Any guides? videos or books that they can read or watch? Provide a solution. So when somebody in need reads your comment they'll see one.

[@Handsome-kv9fu]

Really nice video, man. Sometimes I forget what I really want from life and keep wasting time on some things I don't have control on such as caring about every like on my posts. Thank you for being honest, it was helpful.

[@luccadipierro4015]

Dude what you do for other new noob digital artists like me, is amazing, so much experience, thank you so much lol

[@sael5084]

Because you deserve all the tips to improve ❤❤

[@fredambrose]

Your videos are the only thing that has successfully helped me out emotionally. For 29 YEARS i have been told I can't make money working as an artist. You have proved the "nay sayers," wrong and it has inspired me to start up againe next week, I need to keep telling myself Trent, "THERE IS NO SPOONE,".

[@TrentKaniuga]

People told me that there's no money in art when I was starting. Today I know many artists that are multi-millionaires!

[@Zeii_]

You're an actual genius, thank you for sharing your insights and other wisdom you've picked up over the years, it helps jumpstart things for us who are just starting to produce art semi-professionally /dip our toes into the industry, please keep doing what you're doing!! (Also thank you for discussing mental health and taking care of yourself while on the grind, this is something I found out the hard way)

[@CelilasArt]

thank you so much for all the free advice you always give 💕 it's very motivational and helpful!

[@JonathanPriceArt]

I've been at this whole trying to make a business from my art thing for way too long and have not seen anything resembling success. Watching this video has opened my eyes into some reasons why I'm going about it all the wrong way. Thanks for this.

[@TrentKaniuga]

Remember to think of the customers needs first. Best of luck to you! Id like to hear how your new approach works out.

[@mindsetblocks]

Im so grateful for yor youtube channel and the valuable content you put out

[@ManOfSdeel]

Another benefit of having lots of different channels is that you get to tell people about the "channels you manage" in passing and feel like an old broadcast tv exec for a second.

[@vividfox8287]

Thank you for this insight. The last art convention I went to I made it a point to ask the "influencers" how important their social media platform is. The answers were almost all the same. Important for my money, terrible for my art growth. Many of them said that their favorite artists, or the ones they look up to the most, have very little social media presence, and it is because they don't make their money from social media that they are so good at art. They spend ALL of their time doing their art and improving. You don't need validation on social media platforms to have a lucrative career in art.

[@jeanpierrepolnareff9919]

Thats a sick portrait Trent! Nice work!

[@Riste.R]

I can't be more grateful for having you channel to turn to when I have my anxiety attack ❤❤🧡🧡💛💛💚💚💙💙💜💜🤎🤎💖💖💗💗

[@snowfoxxie]

I can’t believe how much you’re achieving. Sweet art- great KZbin vids- incredible tutorials on gum road-making a video game and comic series? I’m sure I’m missing a few more side projects but what a freaking creative power house. Shocking stuff. I’m in absolute awe. I feel stuck in the way I kind of know the different ways I can make money from art but I don’t have enough confidence to power through and I start a lot of things but lose strength to keep watering the seeds I sew. Working on developing my skills never stops but the actual self selling and pushing through your self initiated projects to the end- the road blocks that appear/make things harder than you intended it to be and give you an excuse to give up. That stuff is hard mentally. It’s a constant battle with myself. Where did you learn to overcome it? Telling myself “Don’t give up, you can overcome this challenge!” is lame and doesn’t work haha 😂

[@TrentKaniuga]

Thank you for the kind words. The trick is to "learn to learn". Once you do that, you can keep getting better at multiple things and the results don't matter. Its all about the excitement of making something.

[@gabrielruizaraujo2714]

Talk about a prime quality video, you help me a lot, Trent, may the Lord bless you, bro!

[@demonfox879]

i love the last part of the video of you talking about the internet or just social media being a mistake cause damn it is... But most importantly you reminding people to keep themselves grounded, not to let their social media image control their life nor social media in general. To not burn yourself out with it either. i think when it comes to trying to build an image and presence online in some way, especially artistically. it's always good to remind them to not go to far with it to the point it identified to their whole life.

[@AgentPaperCraft]

Greg Universe teaches art, he's got that cartoon dad voice. Love it!

[@fredambrose]

I can tell Trent is brilliant at using and painting light, shading carictures and using lines wheter light lines or deep and dark lines.

[@bluezald]

I need this dose of Trent's wisdom, the last part about internet was just so comforting. Thanks as always!

[@vic2rvic]

What an epic video man. A beautiful symphony you just orchestrated. You, my brother, are a genius. I'm taking that Hearthstone course! I love the title. In a way, it's also the psychology of selling art, or even the psychology of MAKING it or deciding to posting it in the first place.

[@aeria5442]

Hey Trent, this helped me out quite a bit; I started a youtube channel a few months ago for fun but ended up feeling the way that you mentioned. I felt that the content people wanted from me, wasn't the content that I was happy making, I kept scrapping ideas and ideas because they "wouldn't work" , I felt like a robot churning out the same uninspired stuff and eventually it just didn't feel like I was creating anything of value. I want to try again, and take your experience in content creation to guide me towards making stuff I actually find fun to make. I really appreciate the insight into your work process, thanks a bunch!

[@Mistersandmanify]

I enjoyed your video and, it gave me a lot of focal points to think about. By the end however, you said something that really caught me, because it's like, an opener to another video. I'd like to speak my opinion on that retrospective of the internet being a "bad idea" and say; in it, as in everything, the negatives are more noticible than the positives only because you don't want them. There are not "more" negative people and the hate and critique isn't greater; its really like a pain to deal with. That was good advice you gave, to "get away" from getting negative, but the source of frustration doesn't lie on the technology, but in individual frustrations and trials. Self-work into cooperation counts for a lot. Thanks!

[@asgads]

I scout by artstation and linkedin 95% of the time

[@TrentKaniuga]

I don't consider artstation or linkedin social media channels. They are designed for finding work.

[@asgads]

For my personal work i have my own hp and usually post it the process vid to youtube and tiktok and image then to artstation

[@MALAND300]

What keeps me coming to your channel is your monolog. You are diffidently good at speaking about this industry while making it fun. I think you could voice some animated character.

[@TrentKaniuga]

Thanks! I’ve only voicd 1 character, and it was a lot of fun.

[@ignaciolopez9165]

Amazing video Trent! As always! Thank you!

[@garoozies914]

Always on point with your content Trent. You’re an artist and a psychic. Getting very hyped for Twilight Monk!!

[@vilatile]

i was wondering about many of the things mentioned here, thank you mister trent!! clickbait titles is funny because when i saw the video with the "TURBO MODE" image i forgot the title but loved the turbo mode image lol it was nice to click there :) great content

[@consilo]

i know a lot of people who choose their layer styles by flipping through them until they see the effect they want (with the exception of multiply/divide). similar to your video on color gradients, it would be cool to hear some thoughts on how you choose which layer style - and which colors - to use when applying your finishing touches. also seeing "Layer 113" stresses me out. what's your layer management approach? how do you keep track of these additive lighting layers?

[@popesuavecitoxii2379]

It's good to see you're still making videos. I was saddened to hear that Feng Zhu closed down his school. You guys are the only two with entertainment industry experience who are giving solid and practical advice to beginners, and not only trying to sell a course.

[@TrentKaniuga]

Did FZD shut down?

[@DigitalinDaniel]

Wait seriously? :(

[@popesuavecitoxii2379]

@@TrentKaniuga So I've heard... I checked the website, the school doesn't seem to be taking applications on its page anymore.

[@fuzzydragons]

agree social media is a bad idea, the whole of the net kind of went backwards in the late 90s lol

[@octonolite_0]

Thank you saw much for this video, Trent. I'm always looking for content covering this topic and there's just not much out there that's artist centered. It would be great if you go even more in-depth into the marketing and storefront building side of selling art and merchandise with artwork on it.

[@tr3kz59]

godamn this man makes extremely useful and entertaining content while make a amazing art piece

[@SchmokinJoe]

"Step 1 to getting a job: Apply" Interesting idea, I should give that a shot!

[@BusinessWolf1]

I do not know why, but I feel as though I've watched this exact video before a very long time ago, with this exact piece in it. Deja Vu I suppose. Anyway, I hope your new game is better from a technical standpoint than the old one. You should reaaaaally focus on that part. That being said, congratulations for making and releasing a game. It's a lot more than the overwhelming majority of 'game devs' have or ever will achieve.

[@TrentKaniuga]

Twilight Monk is a 5 man team with a publisher behind it. So its not as big as the AAA games Ive worked on, but its bigger than Ikeda. yes.

[@bretttheillustrator]

I look forward to hearing this, My only way of making money in art is just my small commissions here and there.

[@TrentKaniuga]

Im sure you could branch that out if you wanted to. But if you love doing it, then keep it going! Id be curious how you find clients.

[@bretttheillustrator]

@@TrentKaniuga Mine are from word of mouth / suggesting I can do work on twitter mainly. And its recently been youtubers and real estate agents lol.

[@theheroshack]

Great information! As independent comic book creators we are hoping our channel will help to get our comic books into the hands of readers. We plan to offer quick videos as well as a live stream once a week. I think that keeping the content consistent is key - thanks again!

[@Uta-gz7jm]

Thanks for the video dude, very motivating as always you do. I’m 26 this year, not go to art school and just start build my “industry standard” portfolio, i kinda can copy art style from other or figure it out how they do that stuff but i’m scared that it’s already too late for me to just start build my portfolio when other artist already have tons of it, is it ok to start now?

[@slumber.prince937]

Sorry for my ignorance but in your opinion do you feel like 2d concept artists are needed anymore? I've gone into digital art pretty heavily the last 3 years, And haven't seen any opportunities for junior artists that deal with 2D prop design. My equipment is very limited I have an iPad Air 4 I like to do prop design sword armor weapons etc. I'm learning technical skills as I go, considering twitch to KZbin pipeline. Almost have a thousand followers on Instagram But all of my followers are other artists. Which it's really nice cuz it means I'm moving the right direction but then also I feel like I'm not really being seen by people who buy art. Outside of scammer obviously. I've joined a collective of discord game Dev People all working on projects together to build their portfolio. It feels like a good direction but also doesn't make any money. Would it be better to focus my efforts into saving money for 3D and learn prop design using 3D? I know it's all fairly circumstantial usually, And there are nuances that I couldn't explain about my situation that you could perceive but just Your opinion and vibe of the current job market for 2D concept artists I guess

[@DigitalinDaniel]

Wow your Boxset of Tutorials is super cheap this year, instant buy! But why is it so cheap, do you think you'll be more focused on Twilight Monk than tutorials?

[@hrafnkelloskarsson6303]

"the internet was a mistake" yeah.. i have started to believe that.

[@sael5084]

Internet is a blessing because your presence is known to us now ❤

[@hrafnkelloskarsson6303]

@@sael5084 whish it wan't

[@sael5084]

@@hrafnkelloskarsson6303 your existence is worth everyone's attention :)

[@hrafnkelloskarsson6303]

@@sael5084 im being sorta ironic with this. thx for being nice on the internet man we need more people like you

[@sael5084]

@@hrafnkelloskarsson6303 thanks but what we need is to be like you rather than needing more. You're kind and honest what's their to dislike. You will make it far in life and make everyone around you hopefully joyful 🥰🥰

[@jessicaross2869]

So I got one for ya : I tried finding work in the industry, no one would give me the time of day. I found a niche for myself, teaching in higher ed. Did that for 10 years, tried pursuing a freelance concept artist career or illustration career during that time, got nowhere, tried selling my artwork at comic cons, lost a lot of money, and now I'm 36, left my job in higher ed (extreme harassment and abuse in the workplace) and now I'm like, "K...what now?" Art is something I have to do. Its all I know. I know that I'm good. I don't know where I fit. Any ideas? Also, I love this painting and have always admired you as an artist

[@TrentKaniuga]

It’s hard to say without seeing your work. But 9/10 times, artists are not tuning their portfolio toward the studio they are applying to, or they don’t actually apply, or they don’t display the actual skillset required to do the job. For example, concept art for AAA games looks VERY different than an animation portfolio, . A mobile game artist does a very different job than a AAA concept artist in games, or a film concept art portfolio.

[@crazyimaginations1244]

I just found ur channel through this video and u definitely seen like someone I would love watch and gain information from and most likely accquire art from since I love this piece u did From game dev to just plain old art I'm all for it since I would like to get into those fields myself U just gained a new subscriber ✨ Time to binge watch Keep up the dope work 🤟🏾

[@cooperbility]

brilliant video as always, thanks. Random Question ... with a piece like what you created in this video, how do you know when to stop? Throughout the video, i thought oh he'll stop in a sec, then a little more was added, then more... and more. Its amazing to watch, am guessing sometimes you do go too far, then its a case of wheres that history panel?

[@TrentKaniuga]

When I think that it’s done, I push myself to keep working on a piece for double the time that I’d spent up to that point.

[@cooperbility]

@@TrentKaniuga thanks, thats good to know - i'll give it a go and see what happens with my own work. :-)

[@nikyt36]

I’ve started to see Instagram artists that are getting work recently. They are also attractive cosplaying, travel vlogging, selfie posting life coaches. A new breed I guess…

[@TrentKaniuga]

That’s a job as an “influencer”. Paid sponsorship. And it’s a very different role than production art.

[@Ouchthathurt843]

I think it’s so funny how I used to try to speak with my art professors (who never actually worked in the industry) of what many professionals have said “social media is not going to get you a lot of jobs”. They keep pushing instagram on us students, it was even required to build some type of social media. I hate being a social media artists, I hate being a slave to an algorithm and stuck doing the same pretty girls over and over again. Many professionals I know have very few followers or got their followers because they already work in the industry. I also don’t like being a full-time freelancer, I enjoy working with a team in a studio with other people. I also like having employers health insurance. I like having a full/part-time job to pay bills and take on projects on a whim when I feel like I want some extra cash.

[@vilatile]

oh big mood.. i think teachers pushed socmed because the job market for visual design nowadays keeps getting merged with social media manager, at least where i live... its so tiring... but there are options, art world is bigger than what we see just now, i hope you get to do art the way you want to, good lucksss

[@MrOiram46]

“Jesse! We need to draw!”

[@danieladamczyk4024]

Nice painting, what prompts you used?

[@TrentKaniuga]

No prompts. Just years of practice. I can teach you if you want to learn. www.gumroad.com/trentk

[@Tahasikeri]

Can u make like 2 hours podcast😂, im serious

[@solarflare6036]

Do you think that having a presence in social media can damage the chances of getting hired by a studio later down the line?

[@TrentKaniuga]

it probably doesnt damage your chances. No. But if you're not giving it a LOT of your attention, itll be hard to grow it. And if you grow it, you will only get pulled away from it by a job.

[@Heisenburg17]

I see that AI art is really really good. Saw thousands of high quality AI artworks that most customers does not even know about, that imitates real art. My question is what a mediocre commission artist should do to survive?

[@dawoodilyas1998]

Trent, i have been confused for quite a while about how much algorithms(specifically youtube and instagram) impact success for an artist. Do you have any advice or videos where you talked about how to find success with the algorithm getting in your way?

[@foxmccloud9609]

I do think I am not into the idea of being popular. ''Hey, can I request something?'' Then you get dozen on dozen of people, to where it feels impossible and have back pain, like feeling the weight of requests on your shouders...Also it wasn't on Art, but I feel like it was taking a lot on me. I am thinking of maybe being in your classes? You do sell them, right? I might be a little poor, but I am not sure if I am capable of this. Maybe I can promise on deadlines, but cannot say the art is perfect. And also I am a newbie artist. But at least trying one class would be nice to see if I am into these courses. I have no digital art pad, so I would only use Pencil and Paper. I don't know, you seem like a nice person.

[@DoctorK-im9cd]

Remember kids, if you can't find any normie clients to sell to, there's always _that one fandom_ with plenty of suspiciously wealthy patrons who are always looking for commission artists. Just remember, once you enter that world, there is no coming back. You are trapped there forever!

[@TrentKaniuga]

Well... yeah. Actually. Find customers who need to supply art to their customers and you'll never run out of work, and will make as much money as you want.

[@snowfoxxie]

Oh dear…. Tempting for the money and experience of providing art to an enthused community 😅 I think I could draw that kind of art well-but at the same time I don’t want it to be known for that lol 😂 At least online you can be kind of anonymous right?

[@hamzazad5258]

My problem as a "content creator" is my prenstation...eventhough my artwork is pretty decent but I fail at the prenstation most of the time

[@wafflewafer3109]

Same here my friend....🥲

[@miguerys9503]

Outside of directly sending the portfolio to the company you're interested in, what other places/websites/forums are relevant to send or post your portfolio to?

[@TrentKaniuga]

Artstation is a good place to keep a portfolio. But you should send your artstation link to job listings.

[@aranyak1881]

Hey Trent, any idea on when Twilight Monk is coming out on steam?

[@TrentKaniuga]

The game is coming together quickly! I will have news about the release date very soon.

[@aranyak1881]

@@TrentKaniuga Awesome!

[@bretttheillustrator]

Trent Serious question, Most art youtube channels I see are just tutorial channels. From what I can tell that is all I See artists do in general on youtube. Video wise. Have you seen anything else?

[@CelilasArt]

art vlogs, studio vlogs, channels like trent's or lucidpixul are more like a podcast nowadays 💕

[@TrentKaniuga]

Really? I mostly see ENTERTAINMENT art channels. Guys like Jazza, Rossdraws, Ethan Becker... these are comedy/entertainment channels. They are meant to entertain you more than teach you. In fact, Jazza said that "tutorial art channels die on youtube."

[@bretttheillustrator]

@@TrentKaniuga Hmm, Well I need to take a better look at Ross Draws. I figure he can do that now that he has a major following.

[@bretttheillustrator]

@@gruckusgrackus5815 those all sound bad lol

[@VisuallyMediocre]

Not sure if my comment was posted. Thanks for the advice I will 100% impliment everything you have said I was just wondering if you had any advice for someone who is very much struggling to get a foothold on any platform. I have been posting as consistantly as I can and have had some commisions to work on but things are very much drying up and I am not really getting any engagement =[. I have tried ads on various platforms but nothing has realy translated into work. My name is the same across all platforms. I enjoy working and producing my artwork is a great outlet but I am trying to transition from my day job to this full time.

[@TrentKaniuga]

Have you been applying to companies with a portfolio that shows the kind of work they are hiring for? Engagement and running ads on social media will not get you jobs.

[@VisuallyMediocre]

@@TrentKaniuga to be honest no. I dont really know my niche i just kind of draw.

[@rizwanzaman1793]

@Trent How has A.I. impacted the art industry from your observation thus far?

[@TrentKaniuga]

have you not seen any of my recent videos?

[@rizwanzaman1793]

@@TrentKaniuga I'm sorry, I haven't been active recently, I'm going to watch them right now, thanks!

[@dawoodilyas1998]

One other thing i have been confused is that i wish to make my own weekly comic in a "manga" style. Is it possible to have a healthy work life balance while having to draw 20-22 pages a week considering how the mangw industry is infamous for working the artists to death. Any advice about this and do you have any courses on it?

[@TrentKaniuga]

Watch my video about the manga artist schedule

[@BC-sh7en]

0:55 the bathwater thing, is that just a joke or is that actually a thing now?

[@asyrel6900]

dont people get scouted on artstation? thats kindoff a social media platform for artist?

[@TrentKaniuga]

Artstation is more of a portfolio hosting site. I think artists should be on artstation, as I’ve mentioned many times

[@wgalloPT]

Went to the store to buy the tutorials but I cant afford it. Pity.

[@TrentKaniuga]

You can use this code for %25 off :SPRING23

[@jdmurraydm]

if you want to earn money and dont die of hunger.. you dont really have a choice to try and do a lot of unhealthy work.. this is the world we have...

[@TrentKaniuga]

I don't think that's true. These days there are plenty of jobs for skilled artists that make useful work for games.

[@ladyl4022]

Second one to comment?😅😂

[@oamioxmocliox8082]

;)

[@ratxart]

Can i work for you sir?

[@TrentKaniuga]

Do you have any of the skills that I need to make the Twilight Monk game? Check job listings at www.aquatic-moon.com

[@ratxart]

@@TrentKaniuga I don't have degree in art sir..but i can draw...

[@ravinduruwanpathirana4900]

1st one to comment.?🤔😁😁

[@sael5084]

You're so fast I'm proud of you ❤

[@snowfoxxie]

I’m proud of you too.

[@banjiromasati4907]

Trent why even bother of being an artist if AI is going to take all the Jobs and comisition even in videogames.

[@TrentKaniuga]

U serious? Watch ANY of my recent videos. Skilled Artists are making bank right now.

[@schishne7546]

Its all fun and games until the state tells you that youre doing tax evasion

[@TrentKaniuga]

Ironically employees pay more in taxes than business owners. So start an LLC and get a CPA.

[@schishne7546]

@@TrentKaniuga can you tell me anything else or maybe even link me to something that gives more information about this? im kinda starting to get into this topic but the internet doesnt seem to spit out too much for me, especially when its in corelation with art only thing ive heard so far from someone who's also doing this and also lives in germany like me is that it kinda could make things worse?

[@Ruggierini]

The art of clickbait, I though we were going to see some charts and statistics and suits here, what a disappointment Xd haha

[@Haruyuki_Art]

Awesome thank you

[@OoziHobo]

Instagram does offer a partnership program for Reels that can generate a payout at the end of the month.

[@Sam-su9zv]

Bro, is Ai a threat. Now im reading bunch of art books. I think im getting better. I wanna work in video game industry. Is it too late. Should i take another career . Do artists have any jobs in the future . Pls make a video about this topic. So many people worried about this, including me.

[@TrentKaniuga]

Seriously? Watch ANY of my recent videos. Lol

[@JaKTheatre]

I don't see the point in switching to another career even if AI threatens artists, because it has an increasing presence in literally every other field as well. At least with art, there will always be some people who will pay to have a human do it for them, purely for the sake of a human doing it. Same with things like music. On the other hand, I don't think very many people will care whether an AI does their taxes or drives them from point A to point B, etc. As long as the job gets done right. Keep up the art!

[@garleonart]

Trent, sorry if you don't know much about it but have you worked with LinkedIn before? I had started trying to start myself in LinkedIn, yet my only method to receive payment is paypal so I don't know how much this could limit my possibility to get jobs.

[@onlyagreeingsometimes]

Play speed 1.5x ⏲️ it's not a short attention span, its people are looking for something and hope there are time stamps to find it because people's talk span is long 🙄