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

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

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!!!!

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!!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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 RU-vid 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?

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 RU-vid! 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.

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?

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! 💜💜💜

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! :)

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

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

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.

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!!

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

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!

15:52 Yup! There is so little webcomic tutorial content on RU-vid, 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

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?

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.

BAAAAASEBALL

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

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.

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

loving the videos :D

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

I love ur videos

Quick thing, like your artstyle!

0:58 I saw that raid alert lol

11:25 *throws baseball cutely*

This actually helped thanks

how i make money as an artist: a second job

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!

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

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…

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

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

Very informative thanks

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 :)

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

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 :/

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

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.

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

You hate baseball because it ruined your Comic-Con, I hate baseball because it ruined my relationship with my father! We all hate baseball!

Independent artist unite!!

AAAAHHH ZELDAS LULLABY *cry*

Money 🤑🤑😍

Cool

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

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.

Show us the kitties

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.

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

With AI it's getting muuuuuuch worse

When when was your first ever video get that one when did you start your RU-vid

I do art when I'm bored!?!

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

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

do u add reverb to ur vocals

Begrudgingly using instagram - sounds familiar.

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

Is that an echo or reverb

What is on the art is the art fromYes

sculastic?

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

what the freaky deaky is ponyny

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!

yeah baseball sucks!

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

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