Lol I got an advertisement a quarter of the way in to ur video after u started talking about Etsy & the advertisement was to NOT open an easy 😂 just thought it was funny
I really appreciate these videos, they're very accessible and easy to digest. My friends tell me to sell my work, but when I sit down figure it out, my brain breaks.
14:24 Dustin, much respect for helping artists succeed in life. As an artist, let me state the obvious: art creation is fundamental - of course! Equally basic, though perhaps less obvious, is the fact art generation is a business. Making dollars takes skill and knowledge. Thanks for helping us get there.
I really love the fact that you don’t gatekeeper your finances. It really helps me as an aspiring artist see the reality of expenses and sales potential.
In all seriousness you have answered some questions that were delaying my progress forward. Now I feel that I can overcome some more roadblocks to move things towards fruition, thanks to the knowledge you shared. Thanks for taking the time to create this video, and for answering community questions. It is refreshing that you are providing such honest insight! You showcased some awesome product photography as well- very inspiring! Excellent video bookended with an adorable cat 😺A++ in my book.
Do you have any recommendations regarding best methods or techniques for drawing proportions better? Do you use any methods like the Loomis method or asaro planes for drawing heads and faces for example?
Been following your work for years and I still can't believe I'm actually seeing you on youtube now. BIG BIG thanks! The info you put out is always helpful!
Super informative video as usual! Been wanting to start my own online store, but it's such a daunting process especially for a newbie like myself. Excited to get the ball rolling!!
22:41 oh on packing- any time you get a box or bubble mailer in the mail SAVE IT!!! You can reuse it after taking off your personal info. It saves you money and it gives it more use before the end of its life.
This was wonderful and extremely helpful. You answered everything I KNEW I needed to figure out and a few things I hadn't thought of. Much appreciated!!! :)
This is the most detailed, in depth, behind the scenes video I've seen No dreams, no bullshit, just straight facts, I love it, this is what I need Not "make $10,000 in 3 weeks with this amazing platform" I'm tired of the lies ALL HAIL TRUTH
I've just found your channel! Thank you for bringing your experiences to other artists and art lovers! You don't hide the hard work involved and it is inspiring.
The self roasting!! What camera? XD Also, who is that gorgeous orange baby?? What a cutie! Thanks for doing this video and going into so much detail about stuff, not legal advice. I appreciate the honesty about selling online.
I only really recently discovered your content and OMG I love it so much~ You have no idea how much you've helped with sharing everything so raw. I really appreciate the data and your considerations on mindset. You dig really deep into your thought processes and I really appreciate that - hope we can con together sooon
Your videos have the curious quality of being really motivational to me. It's wonderful. Thanks for that 👌 I also recommend them to others regularly, your basic info is well laid out but you also have nice discussions for more experienced artists (like the social media vid). Props, man, please keep making these!
Bro , your videos are the best . You are like the artist dad I never had who is teaching me and giving me tools to earn a living with my craft ❤ thanks 😊
Thank you for these videos. Starting is daunting but to create a community for the business end of art is making it less so. Also, yes I was thinking about you slowly swiveling away from the camera near the end lol
Thank you I needed this, very informative and comforting to go over logistics! I’m going to try my best this summer to make art and hopefully start a shop! 😊 I’ll do my best, I hope everyone else also gets the courage to start as well.
Ai art is a killer for sure! But think about the consumers that are left after the "cheapo's" switched to Ai? The premium consumers are who is left! Think about buying value brand jelly vs farm-to-table jelly? All online artists will need to retarget their audience/fans as the more premium consumers of art who remain. Raise the bar for print quality, in-person events, art placement, and similar thought processes for your ideal consumer. It sounds odd if you're still on your art journey, but Ai is actually paving the way for a premium art market where humans will pay a PREMIUM to have art made by a human. Just like your $60 hand-poured candles.
This is actually the most reasonable/realistic take on the whole 'AI IS KILLING ART' debacle-- mostly because art was already being hugely devalued by mass production in the first place. Not sure why small time artists think AI would be the nail in the coffin given the consumer most likely to buy good art already can see that AI art kind of sucks-- they'd rather have something thoughtfully illustrated or created. AI is mostly a problem in the AAA space, not indie publishing/merchandise. Just ends up feeling like fearmongering after a while; so I think you're on point here haha
Thanks for the great information. You made me laugh with your head not facing the camera, at first I just thought you preferred the left side of your face. LOL. Anyway, appreciate you making these videos
i heard from someone else's video that when you "open your store" for the first time, that this shouldn't be the first time people hear about it. i'd like to hear your thoughts on how / where to market yourself for this purpose and any other ideas. perhaps what you did or what you would do. I didn't know etsy has a monthly fee for just having a listing up, and my income budget is small at the moment, so I want to earn more than what i would pay etsy monthly. advice?
This was super useful and actually understandable (a lot of vids I've watched about this stuff are 🤯). I really need to just bite the bullet and get my (cool) shit out there 😁
It's so refreshing hearing Etsy advice from an actual artist. I want to make tshirts and the VAAAAAST majority of the how-to Etsy or print on demand videos on TH-cam are cynical how-to-game-the-system guides aimed at people making low effort Canva/AI graphics to make a quick buck. I respect that business sense is important even for artists, but holy heck did it get depressing when so much of it was aimed at low effort crap and encouraging more of that stuff to flood to market. I think it also makes the shopping experience worse for the customer, just pages and pages of people using the same Canva graphics with the same popular slogans and AI sludge. I don't know if there's any hope to not be drowned out by AI art shirts because it doesn't matter to most customers, but I guess time will tell.
Fanart is definitely hard...when I had my shop my Ghibli things were always fine but Mojang and Bandai Namco both came after me *immediately*. I had common block textures as buttons for Minecraft (I hand-painted them in Photoshop, I didn't just rip the texture, but it still looked very similar so, fair) and then I had a button that had 3 stylized skulls with heart eyes that said "I think you're pretty Nito" as Nito from Dark Souls and Bandai Namco was NOT having it lol.
Thank you for this video! I’m hoping to open up a shop in 2024 so I have some decisions to make. I opened up my commissions on Black Friday and got five sales as well! But it would be nice to sell the work I’ve already done.
Perfect timing, I'm working on online shop on my website right now! You've convinced me to add etsy to the mix 💕 Do you think it'd be okay to have slightly higher prices on etsy to compensate for the fees there?
Hi! How did you first get into the convention scene, given the (already high and) rising costs of vendor spaces, and what are your methods for keeping track of dates for shows? We're an artist duo that has been looking to get into the art convention scene, and we've been doing our best to scope out as many shows as we can, recording dates and looking at costs. While we agree it takes big money to make big money, we're not certain as how we can feasibly afford the costs for all of these shows given they all want their money by months in advance.
So I started with one/ two cons a year while maintaining a day job, I peeped for my first con almost a year in advance, there are also definitely cheaper shows out there, I would say start as local as you can!
@@Inkwell That's realistic. I appreciate your quick and honest response! Do you have any personal recommendations for entry-level art shows out there that may be more affordable to break into? We're out of Upstate New York, and there aren't that many shows out here, though we're willing to travel.
@@rootbearfloat2757 that where I use to be located, upstate NY is hard and the city I would stay away from. My first show ever was conneticon, which has gone down hill in recent years but is still really easy to get into, but maybe look at animeboston if you can get in, its cheep and an amazing show, also maybe look in the DC area there are a bunch of decent shows out there, anime next, otakon, magfest, I’m sure there are more smaller ones but my info on that would be very dated at this point
Oh boy I'm still in the process of making my own shop but I've been sort of procrastinating it because I'd rather put work into my next print which I know will sell at the next con where as I'm pretty sure I will make less than 10 sales online. I already bought packaging materials, read up on shipping info etc but I haven't put it all together yet and I also don't know how I'm going to start promoting it.
Very curious to know where you get your printed shipping boxes like your studio ghibli box set? Cost benefit to having something printed and looking good versus the boxes that you have locked in the description.
Great video! I'm confused about one thing. You said early on in the vid, that you have one product that you have an outside printer and shpper do. And that you handle all of the shipping on all of your other products... How does that work exactly? If you are collecting shipping costs through etsy and then mailing the products off yourself? how do you keep track of all that and do you have a shipping label printer or something? I hope this question makes sense. lol! Thanks again
It's news to me that USPS gives free printing labels. Can you please give me more info? blank, self stick labels for thermal printers? went to the website, saw nothing like that being offered.
mmmm etsy gives discouted shipping rates? i'm not based in usa, and not in anglophone country either. all i remember that a few years ago etsy started charging fees on shipping costs as well (which is absolutely absurd as i don't "pocket" that money, it all goes to shipping company, so extra fees are bringing me loss or a price increase for customers) so i stopped using etsy for good. as a customer i also don't want to use it, knowing that i probably have to pay that extra fee which was probably included in seller's price (who wants to work at a loss?)
its not the eastern companies that you have to worry about - its the western licensers of these franchises from eastern companies you have to worry about. viz, funimation, etc. they will come after you and have your items taken down. you can still risk it by using slightly dodgy titles and keywords, but its always a chance you take when selling fanart.
Great video dude, im thinking about opening a print shop. I was confused on one part though...esty converts the painting into a print and ships it for you? Or do you have to print and ship it yourself? I saw you rolling up prints and putting them into a box along with other items but idk if that was for a bundle deal or something.
@@Inkwell thanks for the reply I did a quick search and saw the printful integration, but also saw reddit threads complaining about it and I now understand why you do it yourself lol
Hello Inkwell, Nice video and great tips! Myself I use Red Bubble I set the % to what I like. My friends use ESTY. May I make a suggestion? You are looking off camera most of the video, dont look right watching the video. Thanks got the tips!
I was wondering, where do you get your custom boxes? I tried to get some on Alibaba but I had to order like 5000 boxes to bring the price of each box to a $1 and the shipping is insane! I would love to have some branded boxes but I can't afford 5000 boxes and also don't have the space ;_;
I do use Alibaba for some custom boxes but yes I normally order a lot, I'm not sure how big the boxes you need made are but I def think you can get way under 1$ per box on Alibaba just check with some other vendors, other then that I use Packlane,
A bit late but what if you're selling digital products instead of hard copies? Cause I would like to start making and sell products but I can't afford to actually make them (mostly because of money and space). I know Etsy does have the option of selling digital products (in which case you gotta pay to download) but nobody ever really talks about it. 🤔
Honestly I’ve never done digital products so I’m not sure, I can’t imagine the marketing strategies would be all that different tho, as a consumer they were not something I was ever interested in so it never felt right for me to make them now as a creator, but definitely would be a cost saver.
Sorry if you covered it and I missed it, but would you suggest just doing sole proprietor or making an LLC for selling art? Ive been buying some equipment and afraid I may miss out on some tax deductions.
You can write off any equipment either way, the main difference between the two is liabilities. unless you're doing something super risky I wouldn't worry about getting an LLC right away or at all. Also, I'm not a tax expert so idk
I'm new to this channel and they're so jarring and unnecessary. He's giving SUCH smart, useful advice and then these irrelevant clips forced in just... It's like a great Ted Talk and someone in the front row is scrolling TikTok.
As usual, thank you for being super transparent and honest. A lot of people are very unwilling to talk about money, especially artists, like it’s shameful to want to live off of your art or something as you’re lucky enough to do a “passion job” I’m a tattoo artist and also sell some of my art, and I found all your advice really useful :) (on a side note, I love your waistcoat and I need it in my life 🤣)
ps: regarding fan art, I must say when I was selling resin bookmarks decorated with characters from various franchises that I had drawn in a chibi style, the only ones who came after me were Terry Pratchett’s lawyers, as my bookmarks all featured ONE sentence from said character … and apparently I was not allowed to ^^’
2. Make Cool Shit. SO TRUE. I just had an epiphany some year or so ago...and now I'm on track with things that I would not have been creating if I didn't have this hit me like a ton of bricks at 2am. And some of it seems so simple...like greeting cards...and bookmarks! Not everyone wants just a pretty print.
I've been selling my art online for a couple of years now but I never feel like I have the system DOWN, it still feels overwhelming after so much time haha. I appreciate your videos SO much; hearing another artist break down their experiences and what's worked vs not worked has made me feel a lot less intimidated. you've really inspired me and I'm looking forward to tackling 2024 with a fresh perspective! (also I found you through your TH-cam videos but you've made me double a fan-I ADORE your art!!!)
Actual step 1: Be popular The major social media algorithms are completely screwed in 2023 and I doubt things will improve next year. It's all in favor of corporate advertising now. How can you even build a customer base if nobody can see your work? The info you've shared is only relevant to people who have a decent following of fans who are willing to spend money. Honestly, that's the easy part. The hard part is getting noticed to begin with. If already established artists are complaining about a huge drop in social media engagement, what hope do beginning artists even have? This isn't 2010 where you all you had to do is "post good work and leave nice comments" to gain followers.
Your right about it not being 2010 however in regards to everything else I respectfully disagree, these types of platforms benefit from you selling more, it’s not like a traditional social media. The more you sell the more these companies make the majority of there profits don’t come from ads, there is no incentive to gamify it to the same level as like instagram or other social medias. The majority of this video is about how to get seen in the current environment, so I suspect you didn’t watch much of my video. I know quite a few people who are pulling much larger numbers than me on their stores with little to no popularity other places. Either way best of luck to you.
Sir, this video is like the ultimate Christmas present. I'm planning to open an Etsy store next year after wrapping up a big project and this gives me a lot of good ideas to think about and optimize until then. Much appreciated, keep shining on and making the world more wonderful.
Bro thank you for being so transparent/truthful with all your info i truly appreciate it, you are the reason im gonna start trying to sell my art more seriously and go to conventions to sell🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿❤️
Absoloutely amazing video Dustin! I've consumed a lot of vidoes about making money and a lot of them are either completely generalised and lack transparency or are normally aiming to artists who are not within my area of expertise. It is incredibly refreshing to see a artist not only break down all of the complete transparencies of their income but also a artist who doesn't make 'cute' or 'contempory'. It's shocking how difficult it is to find videos like this done by fantasy artists. I was beginning to wonder if the only way to make money as a artist online is either making cute stuff or make videos as some sort of 'art guru'. Thank you so much for making this video its honestly been incredibly helpful, this year has been incredibly tough for artist with all that AI drama flinging around and just sucking up artist's inspiration and motivation but seeing another artist out there suceeding despite this. Is incredibly motivational! Thank you.
I appreciate what you said about Etsy I always second guess myself when I hear about someone quitting it and think I made a bad decision, but I’m still quite small and sales are minimal so I’m not ready to jump ship yet. Even when I do, I’d still want to keep it open. And you’re so right too about people feeling uncomfortable about putting their information into a random website where a lot of people already have an Etsy account. Also right about the photos too, I really need to get around to updating my older listings and their pictures!! 🤦🏻♀️
Thank you for making these videos! I've been stuck trying to decide what I want to do with my art for the past few years, and these have made feel much more confident in trying to put my work out there!
I love what your doing man thanks for sharing all this information. Your artwork is incredible as well. Your an inspiration to us all, keep up the good work 🙏🏼
Thanks Dustin, love your sense of humour and transparency! Looking forward to the next episode, if I would suggest a theme it would be sizes of prints and if they are numbered in batches with a authenticity paper or whatever! And framing or frames and how they decide the size of your prints.
Thank you for creating this video! I am an artist who has only been selling my original art locally for a couple years now but now I am ready to take my art business seriously and expand it, I can’t thank you enough for all this advice and honesty about entrepreneurship and art in 2023/2024!
Thank-you for your videos. I am starting my business to sell my sacred geometry, on paper with inks and pencils. I want to sell as prints too. Have a nice time.
Will I ever open up my own online store? No. Did I watch this entire video like I will? Yes.
Truly the best marketing tactic is to show off your cat
A real cheat code!
i see an inkwell vid and instantly click .As as a person selling prints and toys the knowledge you are dropping is a1
Ahhh thanks so much, hope it helps
so true
Lol I got an advertisement a quarter of the way in to ur video after u started talking about Etsy & the advertisement was to NOT open an easy 😂 just thought it was funny
I really appreciate these videos, they're very accessible and easy to digest. My friends tell me to sell my work, but when I sit down figure it out, my brain breaks.
Hope it helps, best of luck!
14:24 Dustin, much respect for helping artists succeed in life. As an artist, let me state the obvious: art creation is fundamental - of course! Equally basic, though perhaps less obvious, is the fact art generation is a business. Making dollars takes skill and knowledge. Thanks for helping us get there.
I really love the fact that you don’t gatekeeper your finances. It really helps me as an aspiring artist see the reality of expenses and sales potential.
In all seriousness you have answered some questions that were delaying my progress forward. Now I feel that I can overcome some more roadblocks to move things towards fruition, thanks to the knowledge you shared.
Thanks for taking the time to create this video, and for answering community questions. It is refreshing that you are providing such honest insight! You showcased some awesome product photography as well- very inspiring! Excellent video bookended with an adorable cat 😺A++ in my book.
Do you have any recommendations regarding best methods or techniques for drawing proportions better? Do you use any methods like the Loomis method or asaro planes for drawing heads and faces for example?
Been following your work for years and I still can't believe I'm actually seeing you on youtube now. BIG BIG thanks! The info you put out is always helpful!
Thanks for sticking around! 🤣
I just started using Etsy. This is very helpful. Thank you for sharing!
Super informative video as usual! Been wanting to start my own online store, but it's such a daunting process especially for a newbie like myself. Excited to get the ball rolling!!
Best of luck with your store!
22:41 oh on packing- any time you get a box or bubble mailer in the mail SAVE IT!!! You can reuse it after taking off your personal info. It saves you money and it gives it more use before the end of its life.
Professor Inkwell on art business 😮
When I tell you that I learned a TON from this video.... I am understating it..... holy crap.
That’s great to hear, hope it helps
Love how clear you are with everything. Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
This was wonderful and extremely helpful. You answered everything I KNEW I needed to figure out and a few things I hadn't thought of. Much appreciated!!! :)
This is the most detailed, in depth, behind the scenes video I've seen
No dreams, no bullshit, just straight facts, I love it, this is what I need
Not "make $10,000 in 3 weeks with this amazing platform" I'm tired of the lies
ALL HAIL TRUTH
Your channel is so fantastically informative 🥳
Dude. You're awesome! Most useful art video channel I've seen.
10/10 as expected. Keep em rolling Dustin 💛
Thanks BB 💙💙💙
I've just found your channel! Thank you for bringing your experiences to other artists and art lovers! You don't hide the hard work involved and it is inspiring.
The self roasting!! What camera? XD Also, who is that gorgeous orange baby?? What a cutie! Thanks for doing this video and going into so much detail about stuff, not legal advice. I appreciate the honesty about selling online.
Lifestyle photos of my art definitely helped
I only really recently discovered your content and OMG I love it so much~ You have no idea how much you've helped with sharing everything so raw. I really appreciate the data and your considerations on mindset. You dig really deep into your thought processes and I really appreciate that - hope we can con together sooon
😊✨
Your videos have the curious quality of being really motivational to me. It's wonderful. Thanks for that 👌
I also recommend them to others regularly, your basic info is well laid out but you also have nice discussions for more experienced artists (like the social media vid). Props, man, please keep making these!
That’s really great to hear, thanks for watching!
Your advice is on point for me. Thx for sharing your successful experience
Thumbs up’d for the great tips, but sub’d for the chonky marmalade demon cat 🥰
Bro , your videos are the best . You are like the artist dad I never had who is teaching me and giving me tools to earn a living with my craft ❤ thanks 😊
I’m just here for the cats 😌
Classic 🐈🐈⬛
Thank you for this video! This was very informative! As a marketing person, who is also an artist, this has become my favourite channel :)
Happy to hear! Thank you for watching!
Thank you for these videos. Starting is daunting but to create a community for the business end of art is making it less so. Also, yes I was thinking about you slowly swiveling away from the camera near the end lol
Thanks for watching! And best of luck
Thank you I needed this, very informative and comforting to go over logistics! I’m going to try my best this summer to make art and hopefully start a shop! 😊 I’ll do my best, I hope everyone else also gets the courage to start as well.
Best of luck! You got this!
Love your videos! they are informative and so well edited. Thank you for doing them, they are fun to watch too :D!
Ai art is a killer for sure! But think about the consumers that are left after the "cheapo's" switched to Ai? The premium consumers are who is left!
Think about buying value brand jelly vs farm-to-table jelly? All online artists will need to retarget their audience/fans as the more premium consumers of art who remain. Raise the bar for print quality, in-person events, art placement, and similar thought processes for your ideal consumer.
It sounds odd if you're still on your art journey, but Ai is actually paving the way for a premium art market where humans will pay a PREMIUM to have art made by a human. Just like your $60 hand-poured candles.
This is actually the most reasonable/realistic take on the whole 'AI IS KILLING ART' debacle-- mostly because art was already being hugely devalued by mass production in the first place. Not sure why small time artists think AI would be the nail in the coffin given the consumer most likely to buy good art already can see that AI art kind of sucks-- they'd rather have something thoughtfully illustrated or created.
AI is mostly a problem in the AAA space, not indie publishing/merchandise. Just ends up feeling like fearmongering after a while; so I think you're on point here haha
wow this was amazingly helpful. never thought of using the websites to gain revenue. you are a god send
Tfw you've had an etsy for like a decade and never thought to put the search terms in the title like 'cute gothic' or whatever 🤡
Now that's a hot tip!
Thanks for the great information. You made me laugh with your head not facing the camera, at first I just thought you preferred the left side of your face. LOL. Anyway, appreciate you making these videos
🤣🤣🤣🙏
I do the same with closing my shop November 😂 I don't like dealing with angry ppl, when they didn't shop early 😅
Thank you for answering my question! ☺️
Great information! Thank you!
Awesome video! thank you for the advice and all the information
Happy to help and best of luck!
Thank you! Awesome video. Very helpful. Lmboo at you saying, "Hey buy my sh%t"
this is a fantastic video, so much amazing information ❤❤
😊✨
This was very helpful, thankyou :)
Thanks for watching!
i heard from someone else's video that when you "open your store" for the first time, that this shouldn't be the first time people hear about it. i'd like to hear your thoughts on how / where to market yourself for this purpose and any other ideas. perhaps what you did or what you would do. I didn't know etsy has a monthly fee for just having a listing up, and my income budget is small at the moment, so I want to earn more than what i would pay etsy monthly. advice?
This was super comprehensive. Thank you!
This is so informative! Instant subscribe
I loved this video super informative and the q and a part was great thanks so much!
This was super useful and actually understandable (a lot of vids I've watched about this stuff are 🤯). I really need to just bite the bullet and get my (cool) shit out there 😁
You got this!
Your channel has so much value! At this point are you making more money from TH-cam than artwork? If you don’t mind answering
It's so refreshing hearing Etsy advice from an actual artist. I want to make tshirts and the VAAAAAST majority of the how-to Etsy or print on demand videos on TH-cam are cynical how-to-game-the-system guides aimed at people making low effort Canva/AI graphics to make a quick buck. I respect that business sense is important even for artists, but holy heck did it get depressing when so much of it was aimed at low effort crap and encouraging more of that stuff to flood to market. I think it also makes the shopping experience worse for the customer, just pages and pages of people using the same Canva graphics with the same popular slogans and AI sludge.
I don't know if there's any hope to not be drowned out by AI art shirts because it doesn't matter to most customers, but I guess time will tell.
I hope to learn more on marketing and seo
That was super helpful. I don't know if it's me, you give harry potter vibes 😂 Anyway enjoyed the video. Loved it!
Fanart is definitely hard...when I had my shop my Ghibli things were always fine but Mojang and Bandai Namco both came after me *immediately*. I had common block textures as buttons for Minecraft (I hand-painted them in Photoshop, I didn't just rip the texture, but it still looked very similar so, fair) and then I had a button that had 3 stylized skulls with heart eyes that said "I think you're pretty Nito" as Nito from Dark Souls and Bandai Namco was NOT having it lol.
Oh no, I have some Elden Ring/Dark Souls stuff :/ Did you put it up on etsy with the actual character name?
@@felixoesinghausoh yeah they hate anything fall art related... I had pot boi emotes and didn't even use Elden Ring anywhere and they still hit me.
Thank you for this video! I’m hoping to open up a shop in 2024 so I have some decisions to make. I opened up my commissions on Black Friday and got five sales as well! But it would be nice to sell the work I’ve already done.
Perfect timing, I'm working on online shop on my website right now! You've convinced me to add etsy to the mix 💕 Do you think it'd be okay to have slightly higher prices on etsy to compensate for the fees there?
Best of luck and that super normal to do on Etsy!
@@Inkwell Thank you! ^^
23:04 please do put in business cards
I feel this is incredibly important
Thank you for your information, it is very interesting.
Hi! How did you first get into the convention scene, given the (already high and) rising costs of vendor spaces, and what are your methods for keeping track of dates for shows? We're an artist duo that has been looking to get into the art convention scene, and we've been doing our best to scope out as many shows as we can, recording dates and looking at costs. While we agree it takes big money to make big money, we're not certain as how we can feasibly afford the costs for all of these shows given they all want their money by months in advance.
So I started with one/ two cons a year while maintaining a day job, I peeped for my first con almost a year in advance, there are also definitely cheaper shows out there, I would say start as local as you can!
@@Inkwell That's realistic. I appreciate your quick and honest response! Do you have any personal recommendations for entry-level art shows out there that may be more affordable to break into? We're out of Upstate New York, and there aren't that many shows out here, though we're willing to travel.
@@rootbearfloat2757 that where I use to be located, upstate NY is hard and the city I would stay away from. My first show ever was conneticon, which has gone down hill in recent years but is still really easy to get into, but maybe look at animeboston if you can get in, its cheep and an amazing show, also maybe look in the DC area there are a bunch of decent shows out there, anime next, otakon, magfest, I’m sure there are more smaller ones but my info on that would be very dated at this point
6:32 oh but I would say to put alt text either on the image id the site allows it or in the description
Good shit!
Oh boy I'm still in the process of making my own shop but I've been sort of procrastinating it because I'd rather put work into my next print which I know will sell at the next con where as I'm pretty sure I will make less than 10 sales online. I already bought packaging materials, read up on shipping info etc but I haven't put it all together yet and I also don't know how I'm going to start promoting it.
Best of luck
Very curious to know where you get your printed shipping boxes like your studio ghibli box set? Cost benefit to having something printed and looking good versus the boxes that you have locked in the description.
Great video! I'm confused about one thing. You said early on in the vid, that you have one product that you have an outside printer and shpper do. And that you handle all of the shipping on all of your other products...
How does that work exactly? If you are collecting shipping costs through etsy and then mailing the products off yourself?
how do you keep track of all that and do you have a shipping label printer or something?
I hope this question makes sense. lol!
Thanks again
It's news to me that USPS gives free printing labels. Can you please give me more info? blank, self stick labels for thermal printers? went to the website, saw nothing like that being offered.
mmmm etsy gives discouted shipping rates? i'm not based in usa, and not in anglophone country either. all i remember that a few years ago etsy started charging fees on shipping costs as well (which is absolutely absurd as i don't "pocket" that money, it all goes to shipping company, so extra fees are bringing me loss or a price increase for customers) so i stopped using etsy for good.
as a customer i also don't want to use it, knowing that i probably have to pay that extra fee which was probably included in seller's price (who wants to work at a loss?)
i mean, i stopped using etsy as a seller and i don't want to use it as a customer either.
etsy has changed a lot and changed to worse imho
its not the eastern companies that you have to worry about - its the western licensers of these franchises from eastern companies you have to worry about. viz, funimation, etc. they will come after you and have your items taken down. you can still risk it by using slightly dodgy titles and keywords, but its always a chance you take when selling fanart.
Great video dude, im thinking about opening a print shop. I was confused on one part though...esty converts the painting into a print and ships it for you? Or do you have to print and ship it yourself? I saw you rolling up prints and putting them into a box along with other items but idk if that was for a bundle deal or something.
Etsy is not a drop shipper , you have to get your prints and ship them your self, or integrate with another company that will do that for you.
@@Inkwell thanks for the reply I did a quick search and saw the printful integration, but also saw reddit threads complaining about it and I now understand why you do it yourself lol
@19:32 Are you pronouncing it Itsy (as in bitsy)? it's EH-t-sy, as in Ergonomics. It's funny bc you said it correctly in other parts of the video.
Hello Inkwell, Nice video and great tips! Myself I use Red Bubble I set the % to what I like. My friends use ESTY. May I make a suggestion? You are looking off camera most of the video, dont look right watching the video. Thanks got the tips!
What are your thoughts on AI? Will you still post on Instagram with their new AI tool?
R U still finding vivia print to be consistent in quality for POD art prints?
Who is interviewing you tho?
I was wondering, where do you get your custom boxes? I tried to get some on Alibaba but I had to order like 5000 boxes to bring the price of each box to a $1 and the shipping is insane!
I would love to have some branded boxes but I can't afford 5000 boxes and also don't have the space ;_;
I do use Alibaba for some custom boxes but yes I normally order a lot, I'm not sure how big the boxes you need made are but I def think you can get way under 1$ per box on Alibaba just check with some other vendors, other then that I use Packlane,
@@Inkwell thank you for the response! I do think that the size of my boxes is what makes them so expensive. I need 12in x 9in x 6in.
It would be nice if you were facing the camera xxx
Etsy is 90% dropshipping nowadays
A bit late but what if you're selling digital products instead of hard copies? Cause I would like to start making and sell products but I can't afford to actually make them (mostly because of money and space). I know Etsy does have the option of selling digital products (in which case you gotta pay to download) but nobody ever really talks about it. 🤔
Honestly I’ve never done digital products so I’m not sure, I can’t imagine the marketing strategies would be all that different tho, as a consumer they were not something I was ever interested in so it never felt right for me to make them now as a creator, but definitely would be a cost saver.
@@Inkwell thanks for the quick response! 🙏☺️
Sorry if you covered it and I missed it, but would you suggest just doing sole proprietor or making an LLC for selling art? Ive been buying some equipment and afraid I may miss out on some tax deductions.
You can write off any equipment either way, the main difference between the two is liabilities. unless you're doing something super risky I wouldn't worry about getting an LLC right away or at all. Also, I'm not a tax expert so idk
cool, I have only been looking at all that at the surface level. thanks for taking the time to respond!@@Inkwell
Guys please vote for leaders who will help our economy this time ahh
it aint that simple brit 😔
Do you need a vendors license to sell your art in the US?
Depends on where your coming from and what state your selling in, most shows you sign up for will have that information for you.
Nice video but I really wish you would tone down the anime clips. There's a bit too many.
You gonna hate my next video 🤣
I'm new to this channel and they're so jarring and unnecessary. He's giving SUCH smart, useful advice and then these irrelevant clips forced in just...
It's like a great Ted Talk and someone in the front row is scrolling TikTok.
@@irislafontainethe clips are relevant though, usually just rewording what he’s saying… don’t like then don’t watch haha
Itsy bitsy ads
Love the advice, can't stand the annoying video game clip interruptions
The anime cut-ins every 5 minutes make this super difficult to take seriously and kill the flow of the video
INPRNT pays really well imo
As usual, thank you for being super transparent and honest. A lot of people are very unwilling to talk about money, especially artists, like it’s shameful to want to live off of your art or something as you’re lucky enough to do a “passion job”
I’m a tattoo artist and also sell some of my art, and I found all your advice really useful :)
(on a side note, I love your waistcoat and I need it in my life 🤣)
ps: regarding fan art, I must say when I was selling resin bookmarks decorated with characters from various franchises that I had drawn in a chibi style, the only ones who came after me were Terry Pratchett’s lawyers, as my bookmarks all featured ONE sentence from said character … and apparently I was not allowed to ^^’
its like getting real art advice from a professor that actually cares bc NO WHERE can I find authenticity like this
2. Make Cool Shit. SO TRUE. I just had an epiphany some year or so ago...and now I'm on track with things that I would not have been creating if I didn't have this hit me like a ton of bricks at 2am. And some of it seems so simple...like greeting cards...and bookmarks! Not everyone wants just a pretty print.
I've been selling my art online for a couple of years now but I never feel like I have the system DOWN, it still feels overwhelming after so much time haha. I appreciate your videos SO much; hearing another artist break down their experiences and what's worked vs not worked has made me feel a lot less intimidated. you've really inspired me and I'm looking forward to tackling 2024 with a fresh perspective! (also I found you through your TH-cam videos but you've made me double a fan-I ADORE your art!!!)
Thank you and best of luck next year! Make all that bread
Actual step 1: Be popular
The major social media algorithms are completely screwed in 2023 and I doubt things will improve next year. It's all in favor of corporate advertising now. How can you even build a customer base if nobody can see your work? The info you've shared is only relevant to people who have a decent following of fans who are willing to spend money. Honestly, that's the easy part. The hard part is getting noticed to begin with. If already established artists are complaining about a huge drop in social media engagement, what hope do beginning artists even have? This isn't 2010 where you all you had to do is "post good work and leave nice comments" to gain followers.
Your right about it not being 2010 however in regards to everything else I respectfully disagree, these types of platforms benefit from you selling more, it’s not like a traditional social media. The more you sell the more these companies make the majority of there profits don’t come from ads, there is no incentive to gamify it to the same level as like instagram or other social medias. The majority of this video is about how to get seen in the current environment, so I suspect you didn’t watch much of my video. I know quite a few people who are pulling much larger numbers than me on their stores with little to no popularity other places. Either way best of luck to you.
Sir, this video is like the ultimate Christmas present. I'm planning to open an Etsy store next year after wrapping up a big project and this gives me a lot of good ideas to think about and optimize until then. Much appreciated, keep shining on and making the world more wonderful.
Happy to help, and best of luck with your store!
Bro thank you for being so transparent/truthful with all your info i truly appreciate it, you are the reason im gonna start trying to sell my art more seriously and go to conventions to sell🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿❤️
Absoloutely amazing video Dustin! I've consumed a lot of vidoes about making money and a lot of them are either completely generalised and lack transparency or are normally aiming to artists who are not within my area of expertise.
It is incredibly refreshing to see a artist not only break down all of the complete transparencies of their income but also a artist who doesn't make 'cute' or 'contempory'. It's shocking how difficult it is to find videos like this done by fantasy artists.
I was beginning to wonder if the only way to make money as a artist online is either making cute stuff or make videos as some sort of 'art guru'.
Thank you so much for making this video its honestly been incredibly helpful, this year has been incredibly tough for artist with all that AI drama flinging around and just sucking up artist's inspiration and motivation but seeing another artist out there suceeding despite this. Is incredibly motivational!
Thank you.
Thanks so much for watching hope it helps!
Everything is cool if your country is not banned from services. Politics sucks.
whoa hey man! i think you are suuuuper good eh? tysm!
I appreciate what you said about Etsy I always second guess myself when I hear about someone quitting it and think I made a bad decision, but I’m still quite small and sales are minimal so I’m not ready to jump ship yet. Even when I do, I’d still want to keep it open.
And you’re so right too about people feeling uncomfortable about putting their information into a random website where a lot of people already have an Etsy account.
Also right about the photos too, I really need to get around to updating my older listings and their pictures!! 🤦🏻♀️
Thank you for making these videos! I've been stuck trying to decide what I want to do with my art for the past few years, and these have made feel much more confident in trying to put my work out there!
I love what your doing man thanks for sharing all this information. Your artwork is incredible as well. Your an inspiration to us all, keep up the good work 🙏🏼
Thank you so much!
Thanks Dustin, love your sense of humour and transparency! Looking forward to the next episode, if I would suggest a theme it would be sizes of prints and if they are numbered in batches with a authenticity paper or whatever! And framing or frames and how they decide the size of your prints.
Thank you for creating this video! I am an artist who has only been selling my original art locally for a couple years now but now I am ready to take my art business seriously and expand it, I can’t thank you enough for all this advice and honesty about entrepreneurship and art in 2023/2024!
Best of luck to you! 🦑
Thank-you for your videos. I am starting my business to sell my sacred geometry, on paper with inks and pencils. I want to sell as prints too. Have a nice time.