PROVEN advice to earn more money for your art!

[@tomimn2233]

"have you not realized how unique and valuable your skills are?" me a beginner hentai artist doing blasphemous art that offends 99.9% of everybody: "idk about that."

[@TheArtMentor]

Do you have clients though?

[@SebastianSeanCrow]

Ngl adult only art is incredibly challenging 😭

[@curtis5799]

Creativity is a skill just as important as any other. "Doctors can keep people alive, artists make life worth living."

[@TheArtMentor]

Great sentiment! It's too easy to forget why we do what we do in the face of economic and societal pressure, isn't it?

[@ali32bit42]

pricing aside, i think something that is kinda ignored is self presentation, and cheap prices really reflect that. when i was younger i used to present myself as "miserable" and including unappealing things like "depressed" in my profile description. and used "quirky" dialogue that made me look like a baffon that is proud of being a baffon . same with talking to clients. now i am not saying act like a sterile corporation , but literally telling people that youre the wrong person for the job is not a great idea. they are your customers not therapists. other things you want to avoid are political flags and statements in bio from both sides lines implying youre evil or incompetent over exaggerated product and company endorsements. any kind of E begging. aggressive lines like DONT STEAL MY ART

[@TheArtMentor]

Yeah I fully agree with this. Have you also seen my videos critiquing people’s posts on DA or Reddit? That’s exactly what I warn against 😅

[@gabrielWachong]

I know this wouldn't isn't exactly the type of videos you post, but I think it would be great to see a tutorial about using the "lasso" tool and making selections for working on a painting. I see your process and other great artists, they all use the lasso a lot! Yet no one ever teaches how to make selections, save selections, how to think about the selections, do you change selections make them on the fly? So many questions and so little info 😅😅

[@TheArtMentor]

That’s a great suggestion! Fortunately for you, I have a video planned on the best art tools you aren’t using, which includes the lasso tool! How does that interest you?

[@gabrielWachong]

@@TheArtMentor that sounds amazing! Im looking forward to it! 💪💪

[@TheArtMentor]

Can do! It’s funny how many people have been commenting about my lasso tool selections in my process lol

[@HaloCatArt]

As a smaller artist who doesn't charge much, while this is inspiring, its kinda hard to justify the price increases you are proposing, I already don't get commissions that often, and the last time I did increase my prices the amount I got dropped dramatically, to the point it was an actual loss- By the logic of supply and demand, that would dictate I should lower the price- right? I don't see how popularity wouldn't play into that fact? Getting paid more sounds appealing, but without a large audience that does legitimately feel unobtainable. You said to look at other videos on your channel for tips around that, and I will be doing that, I just wanted to get that out of my system and somewhat ask about it here. Thank you for the guide videos!

[@TheArtMentor]

Well one major question is why do you think you need an audience to sell your art or have better pricing? Do people buy your art or your popularity? 😅 for example, myself and those I coach have very competitive rates and yet I have at max 500-1000 followers on any platform. See how followings don’t equate to anything special? 🤷‍♂️

[@HaloCatArt]

​@@TheArtMentor just the idea of larger audience, = bigger pool of possible customers , and bigger audience = higher demand, which can facilitate those higher prices we all would rather be charging. that's not to say you're wrong, and I'm glad its working for you, I know there are more factors than just audience that determine if someone will commission you, like skillset, examples, ect. I just find myself repeatedly discouraged from raising prices, from what happens when i have before, so without having some extra reason to do so feels like im egging it on to happen again. Would you have advice for working through that?

[@TheArtMentor]

Sure that logic is totally sound with the attention trap, but do you know who might actually be a potential buyer within that massive audience? Or what percentage is actually genuinely interested in you? That statistics are abysmal and show how worthless it it. Also, can you actually control that growth? When you're honest with the facts on this, you realize it's all out of your control. That's why literally anybody can use the tips I encourage and have gotten way more success than the old "grow your following" advice. Also, how many artists have tried that and given up? It's a sad state of affairs. On why you aren't raising your pricing, why not? What's holding you back?

[@HaloCatArt]

@@TheArtMentor Perhaps I worded that poorly, when I stated I don't raise them, the reasoning is because when I have before I get less of them to the point I almost stopped getting them entirely. That's a significant barrier for me to want to, as I do sometimes have to fall back on commission funds to keep the lights on. I guess what I'm looking for is advice on what can make my work valuable enough to up the price and not lose all of my customer base. Thanks again

[@curtis5799]

You know the "I ❤NY" slogan? The graphic artist was paid $1 million for it and he told the company it will take a year. You should charge hundreds and thousands for your work. Took me 20 years to figure that out.

[@herbertscott9575]

Wow, excellent 1 hour video jam packed with the most relevant, up to date career info. This is the type content we need more of. These are the topics we should be mulling over. These are the topics that should have multiguest panels. These are the things that we should be concerned with...how to raise our value by raising our skillset and skill level...how to be more of a business person...how to serve the clients better. Well done! 💯

[@TheArtMentor]

So glad you agree on that too! There’s really very little art business advice out there other than “grow your following” that is generic, unhelpful, and non-actionable. Isn’t there? That gets to me when I plan my content

[@Wheja_sciart]

I once took a commission for $50. The guy said he thought I was overpriced because I gave him a final product within 36 hours. I'm not gonna lie- I think that's a big reason why I've been finding it so hard to really get back into any kind of art rhythm.

[@billyxxxx1738]

I guess it's best to keep in mind is that the client chose you to make the artwork in the first place. Was it a base price that the person already knew about by any chance?

[@Wheja_sciart]

@billyxxxx1738 they knew about it beforehand. Part of me is glad enough that they paid (or at least knows I should be), but an unconstructive review like that after working closely with them to make sure they got exactly what they wanted left me feeling a bit stranded.

[@billyxxxx1738]

@@Wheja_sciart Then it's best to just hand wave them off. Don't beat yourself too much for it. Again remember, they are the one that seek you out, discussed, and waited for your product. At any point they could've voiced their concerns. And if they can't give any constructive reason as to why then it's best to ignore such comments. It's fair for clients to ask about prices, sure, however the discussion should be professional. Don't feel stranded and keep on doing the thing you enjoy.

[@TheArtMentor]

Sorry to hear, but it also sounds like they were just a jerk 😅 why let that one experience poison all of the potential future experiences you’ll have?

[@TheArtMentor]

@jacobwheeler153 I understand how that hits hard, but also, maybe just consider how they probably just had some financial and time constraints with nothing to do with you. That made them act that way, and meanwhile, you are free and clear of guilt for their behavior. How does that sound?

[@wildwavesairsoft]

I mean, here’s the thing step one should be growing yourself as an artist, and also growing your audiences demand for you. By the time both of these happen is probably the time you should start offering commissions and trying to make money off of your art if you are at this level, which is hard to tell for yourself admittedly. when you get to that point, though you are good enough to wear, you should be charging those higher rates like described in the video. If you don’t have any demand for your artwork and your audience is small and doesn’t really care about it, the market doesn’t care how good you are and you’re not going to have anyone that wants to buy your artwork. Demand is easier to build then you would think though, and should come naturally alongside building your skill set.

[@TheArtMentor]

But why do you think you need an audience for pricing? If that’s a necessary condition, how would you explain how myself and everyone taking my advice with really small audiences are able to get more clients, better pricing, and more opportunities when we have less than 1k followers? Be careful my friend, that popularity trap isn’t helpful for artists or their pricing 😅

[@cameoanderson]

This art is the bomb. I'm pretty good with pricing my art but I happened to notice this came up on my playlist and switched to youtube to change the vid, but didn't want to becuase this character is cool

[@TheArtMentor]

Thanks so much for saying so! Do you have any particular pricing goals to hit for yourself?

[@cameoanderson]

@@TheArtMentor I'm really trying to sort out where I want to focus. I did pet portraits for years (300 for 11x14 or 16x20 for 600) but I kind of want to do prints and sell them. I work very fast as I can paint a husky portrait 11x14 in probably one hour after painting them for probably 15 years. I have a lot of irons in my mental fire and really have to make a decision. Currently my website has realistic breed portraits (but with northern lights added) as well as funny pet meme posters (which are not fancy but funny and simple)

[@SebastianSeanCrow]

2:43 minimum wage is $7.25 federally so some places like Texas still have it at $7.25

[@TheArtMentor]

so you believe your art is worth that much?

[@johnnyy9545]

Art skills, creating images that reach people on a personal level, are worth much more than the minimum.

[@TheArtMentor]

@johnnyy9545 exactly! Glad to hear you have a healthy perspective 😁

[@AstarTiamat]

They didn't say anything about art worth. I believe they were just fact-checking you.

[@NeoMawz]

Im curious on your point about not having a price sheet. Admittedly it seemed kind of foreign to me at first, but it actually makes a lot more sense since yeah, you're making something completely custom for someone so it will be different for each individual art piece. It also gets rid of the need for things like "Complex characters are an additional $10" and add on's like that which could be confusing. However, I wonder if displaying a very base starting price could still be a good idea? I'm thinking of starting up custom character design commissions at some point, and I feel like giving a basic idea of the minimum rate could still be useful. Not sure if you'd run into similar issues as just having one flat rate then though

[@TheArtMentor]

Happy to answer! So honestly, I've done that too, but I find from myself and other artists that you'll run into the same problems as a price sheet. You'll get people turned off bc they get hooked to your pricing, and you deny the opportunity to develop a real bond with a client that convinces them your price is worth it. What do you think about that?

[@NeoMawz]

@@TheArtMentor Yeah after sleeping on it that was essentially what I thought would happen too. Thanks for the insight!

[@TheArtMentor]

@NeoMawz happy to help!

[@Demented_Dreamer]

can you do in depth "how to setup paypal properly for artists" ??

[@TheArtMentor]

Can you tell me a bit about what you’d like to know, specifically?

[@chordsykat]

Recently stumbled upon your vids and they're SO refreshing. I wish art schools taught this kind of thing before graduation. Mine barely scraped the surface on where to even look for gigs before kicking us all out and saying "okay kids, good luck!" Anyway -- you have so many awesome vids about finding success in our industry, I wonder if I could throw you a curveball I recently had to dodge which I would love to see you tackle in a future video: Recently, a friend who went through a personal tragedy asked me to do a whole comic... and although he was a friend and what he went through was a terrible situation I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy... I couldn't commit to the work because what he's looking for wasn't something I could deliver. How would you handle it? (I myself ended up offering to write the script for him, something I definitely COULD do to make him way more appealing to comic book artist like me -- as well as do my best to hook him up with some people who could help). Friends asking for art are always awesome, but unfortunately, a lot of us can't do the work they want us to do -- whether for the price, for the scope, the turnaround time... Would love to hear your take on that :)

[@TheArtMentor]

well thanks so much for your support, and I'm happy it's helping! Regarding your circumstance, I actually think you did the same thing. Sometimes it's best to say no to something you know you either can't deliver on or would underdeliver on because it would reflect bad on you both ways. What would you like to know more about in regards to making art for friends?

[@chordsykat]

@@TheArtMentor That's basically the heart of the issue well-covered, so thanks for dropping me a response, Sean :) Always looking forward to more from you, so if you ever have a "when to do free art versus when not to (and how to say no)" video, feel free to use my example, hehe.

[@TheArtMentor]

thanks! I will haha

[@Zabacraft]

Halfway through just want to say great video! This is the video I needed to see a year and a half ago :) Good stuff!

[@TheArtMentor]

That’s great to hear! What advice in here was most helpful for you or for other artists watching this too?

[@htk.69]

Hello Sean! A new subscriber here, could you make a video talking about how to make and manage a discord for artists? 🙋‍♂

[@TheArtMentor]

Thanks for your support! What would you like to learn about that topic? Obviously I have some experience on that from managing my own, but what information or wisdom would you like to gain from that?

[@htk.69]

@@TheArtMentor Thank you very much for your time and for your response! What happens is that in one of your latest videos you say that email is outdated and it is true. So I recently opened a Discord and logged into a few servers (including yours) and I felt a little overwhelmed! I don't think I need channels, I just need a place where my potential client contacts me and once the sale has been made, through that means I send them wips and the final work, currently I am doing it with emails and with Trello, but I saw that with Discord I can do all that in one place! Sorry for all this text, but I hope I made myself understood! Again, thank you very much for your time, the content of your channel is gold! ❤

[@pepelepirate]

thanks for this vid!

[@TheArtMentor]

You’re welcome! What helped you the most in this video?

[@carlosemiralonso7997]

Im from Argentina. A person on youtube tell me this story which she has commissions for 30usd but a day a person give her 100usd and tell her: your art worth so much more. While she also said: many people tell her that; because she updates the prices to 100usd; they let her go and tell her so much toxic words. So around your 30minutes to 35minutes of video, when you said is not possible on most cases to have someone overpay you, maybe this person is a 1% thats gonna do good on art journey.

[@TheArtMentor]

Good story! Yes, it's definitely what happens from time to time and I've spoken to some artists that have received tips, etc. However, it's also dangerous to assume that will happen frequently, isn't it? That's why if you have solid pricing, you can have sustained respect rather than dejected feelings over not being worthy. See that?

[@TaTa-xd5yt]

I think she should have raised the price gradually over time instead of making one large jump.

[@Nogardtist]

is strategy of starting a bid wars then you are popular artist where people gonna fight each other just to get commission position for your art

[@TheArtMentor]

Could you explain your thoughts a little bit please?

[@Nogardtist]

@@TheArtMentor if your art is very popular people would flood the artist commission page so the artist would have no choice but to either increase the price to absurdly high like miles-DF a furry nsfw artist that has 4 digit price tag and i wish i was making this up or have very limited position and have to pick a random person to read and respond to alternative is start a bid wars for a single position where people increase the price till the end of the timer on the highest bidder

[@TheArtMentor]

Can you tell me what advice in this video your thoughts are in response to? Just asking because this is very counter to what I spoke about, and even spoke against 😅

[@Nogardtist]

@@TheArtMentor well theres a slight problem with that but artist journey is very unpredictable cause not everyone gonna relay on same strategy as other recommend other people would just recommend artist to go to commission sites like fiverr and their competition plus fees the most common is price art based on how long it takes to make and not go under minimal wage and then taxes are a problem and every single year the cost of living increases its just endless arms race unconfident artist will lower their price and on some sites that are competitive space like mentioned with fiverr or deviantart forces artist to lower prices otherwise risk not getting clients at all even some sites userbase can simply decrease like with tumblr where it used to be as big as twitter until its not anymore cause they changed TOS that effected algorithm including reach and even suspending innocent artist that diminish even more traffic

[@adaauthor4778]

I have seen some artists only accept commissions through auction format (highest bidder gets the chance to commission the artist). Other artists do artist's pick, where people submit requests and the characters that are most interesting get chosen. Whenever I see artists doing this kind of stuff, I hit the back button. I'll explain why. 1) I like to know what the price will be. Not have to guess, which an auction forces me to do. 2) Auction format doesn't let me talk to the artist beforehand and find out what it would be like working with them. I've had one artist tell me, "Win the auction, then I will answer any questions you can have." That was totally off putting. 3) I hire for commercial work. I don't have the time or energy to do auctions and neither do art directors. 4) Auctions take into account an artist's personal use price, not commercial use rate. So if I want commercial work, the auction price isn't going to reflect what the artist should be paid. 5) It sucks to win an auction and then afterwards find out the artist isn't interested in my idea. 6) "Artist picks favorite characters" is another turnoff to me. It makes me feel like my character isn't interesting to them if they don't pick me. It is alienating. 7) If an artist would prefer to do certain subject matter and they get a request they are not interested in, they can always decline. "Hey, I can't at the moment." That is much less off putting than "artist picks favorite characters." 8) Art directors and commercial clients are going to find "artist pick" off putting.