Make Money Online: Selling Art

Before the internet and online stores came about, artists used to have to rely on contacts, luck and local shops to get their work to buyers so they could make money. While some people managed to move to New York or Los Angeles and become well known as artists, far more were stuck trying to sell their art to local shops, galleries and at art fairs. Making money off your art was much more difficult before the internet.

With the internet at your disposal, however, you can show your work to the entire world. You no longer have to rely on Polaroid's sent to far away art dealers or the local art festival to show people your work. All you need is a simple website and whatever your art is (crafts, painting, photography, woodworking, sculpture, etc) - you have an entire globe of buyers at literally at your fingertips.

So how do you sell your art to make money online?

The first thing you want to do is to create an online presence in the form of a website. Your website does not have to be complicated. It only needs to be a place where you can display photos of your work and a way for customers to contact you. Thanks to blogs, creating your own art site can be done in a few minutes and you could start making money online quickly!

Once you have a website, you will want to start promoting it. How you promote your website is up to you. If the focus of your website is selling your art, however, you will want to start visiting sites that are geared towards art and artists. Join a few online communities and learn about making money online through marketing art.

Don't be afraid of eBay. eBay is a great way to make money online selling art. While you might not be in love with the idea of eBay, it is one of the best ways to sell your products. Just about everyone has used eBay at one time or another. You can use eBay to auction off a few items or you can set up an entire eBay store devoted to your products. This is an especially good place for people who are still developing as artists.

If you have a fair amount of experience and know how to put your talent to good use, you should look into Etsy.com. Etsy.com is an online shopping portal for handmade goods. It is where people sell any matter of things from hand painted note cards to quilts to handmade clothing and toys. If you have confidence in your work, Etsy is a great way to sell your work and meet other artists!

It might take some time, but eventually you will build up a name for yourself and you will be able to make money online selling your art through your website!