Living out of Art: How to Value Digital Art?
The artworld is online today. Artists have many more opportunities to market their work thanks to web platforms. However, what is the price of an intangible piece of art? How do you value a piece of pixels and downloadable? Well, like all markets, it depends on supply and demand. What is certain is that there are ways of living in digital art.
Can you make money with your digital art?
Today’s artists have far more opportunities than they did just a couple of decades ago. An unprecedented phenomenon has occurred with social networks: the democratization of art. This phenomenon refers to the fact that art is now more accessible to people and is a career that more people can opt for.
Artists from the Middle Ages, from the Renaissance, Baroque and other periods almost to the avant-garde. They had to be favored by the ruling class (aristocrats and bourgeois) in order to devote themselves to art. Much art was also subject to the religious or political order of its time (so that there was so much sacred art or portraits of aristocrats). This was because artistic materials were very expensive because they were difficult to produce. One example is the color blue, which for a long time was precious because of how difficult it was to get.
However, nowadays the costs of art materials are more accessible and there is a range of different qualities of these to meet different markets. But the most important point is that there are more channels to promote art.
While once the monetary resources of the government, state, or wealthy social class were needed, now anyone with social media can promote their work on social media and make a profit from it. Many artists in 2020 came to Tik Tok to promote their work and to date continue to generate sales through the social network.
Of course, the phenomenon arouses other kinds of arguments. For example, how can we ensure that it is the best art that is being promoted and not just the most scandalous? In any case, the truth is that artists now have much more opportunities to find an audience that values their work and is willing to invest in art.
So the answer to can you make money with your digital art? Yes. You can sponsor yourself on social media, so people can order from you, or you can upload digital products that give you passive revenue. Next, we’ll discuss your options.
Where to sell digital art?
There are many ways to sell your digital art. Making yourself known through social media, rather than a platform to sell, is a marketing strategy. That is, no matter which platform you choose to sell your art, you will need social media to publish your work and receive payments.
Before choosing a platform to sell your digital art, you need to make sure it is a secure platform and that the payment method is convenient for you.
Here are some platform options to sell digital art
• Etsy: This site is specially made for artists to market their art. Craftsmen who sell physical objects are usually found, but artistic digital products are also permitted.
• eBay: on eBay you can find everything and digital art is no exception to the rule. As long as I own the rights to the piece of art you’re selling, you can do it.
• Fiverr: if you are going to work for commissions Fiverr is a good option. You can advertise your services as an artist and receive different projects. However, take into account that Fiverr collects a commission from your pay.
• Direct messages or email: this is the same concept as Fiverr but through your social networks. This method turns your social networks into a sales platform. Be sure to register your profile as a business to access the proper features of a business account.
• Your own website with an online store: finally, you can make sales through your website. This can be most cost-effective. You can always resort to template-supported website creation options, although to receive payments you may want to implement something more sophisticated. You can always get help from a web developer.
Best Selling Digital Art
Now, if what you’re looking for is to sell digital art and live on it, it’s important to know what’s in demand right now.
One way to generate passive revenue with your digital art is through digital products. These may be different downloadable digital products, such as e-books or software, but they also encompass pieces of art. The advantage of this type of product is that you generate a single product and can bring you revenue for a long period of time. A highly sought-after digital product today is downloadable art pieces for printing.
On the other hand, many artists work on request. In contrast to selling downloadable digital products, you will have to wait for someone to apply for a job. You should make your artistic style clear (you can show a portfolio) and when the customer will be able to comment. If you are interested in working in this way consider offering portraits, of people or animals, both are in high demand.
How to value your digital art?
Finally, no matter how you decide to make money with your digital art, you need to know how much to charge for each piece.
When it comes to a downloadable digital product as a vector resource, prices are low. No wonder they cost about a dollar or less. It may sound too cheap, but consider that you expect your product to be bought en masse. I mean, if 1,000 people unload it, you’ll have $1,000.
On the other hand, a good formula to get the price of a work of art is the following:
Cost of materials + time = price
Although of course, usually with digital art there is no cost of materials such as canvas and painting. What you can do is take out a percentage of the license cost of the programs you use (especially if you pay monthly for them).
How to know how much to charge for your time? Usually, 7 dollars an hour is charged. It’s important to remember that the art market, like any other, is supply-driven and demand-driven, and if you raise your price too much above the mark-up, you probably won’t get sales. You can start by charging $7 an hour and as you become a bigger customer you can adjust your costs.
If you want to buy current digital market costs you can check this article: How Much To Charge For A Digital Print Of Art?
Conclusions
Today the digital world has opened the doors to the commercialization of art. Today’s artists have more opportunities than ever to live off their art. Platforms like Etsy or Fiverr allow them to get customers, although they can always use their social networks and website to sell. To know how much to charge for a piece of art it is always important to consider the cost of materials and the time spent on the piece.
If you liked this article share it and keep reading:
