How Much Money Do Artists Make? (2024)

Pat Walls

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Updated: June 23rd, 2024

Become An Artist

TL;DR:

Based on our data, artists can make between $876-$160,000 per month.
The average revenue for a successful artist is $26K per month.
The highest grossing artist in our records makes over $1,920,000 per year.
artist owners salaries can vary wildly depending on industry, niche, and size of the business

So you're thinking about starting an artist?

And now you're wondering how much artist owners actually make...

Well, let’s dive in!

Here are example of real artists and how much money they make - as reported by the founders themselves:

1. Art Lovers Australia ($1.92M/year)

Nancy and Jarrod, both with backgrounds in the arts industry, recognized the obstacles that artists faced in gaining visibility. They decided to start Art Lovers Australia, an online gallery, to showcase the talent of Australian artists and make buying art easy for art enthusiasts. Through collaborations with designers and TV shows, their audience has grown, and they now have almost 1000 artists on their platform, with monthly sales averaging $160K.

How much money it makes: $1.92M/year

2. Astrography ($1.08M/year)

Artur Kurasinski and Adam Jesionkiewicz co-created Astrography, a company that prints and sells fine arts related to space. Adam, an experienced astrophotographer, decided to print his own pictures and found that people were willing to pay for them. With a zero marketing budget, they managed to print $160K worth of fine art in 12 months and have since become a profitable business.

How much money it makes: $1.08M/year

3. Dropcloth Samplers ($180K/year)

Rebecca taught embroidery and introductory textiles classes in Chicago when she started making samplers. Fabric shops started reaching out to inquire about purchasing the designs to sell and she realized the business potential.

How much money it makes: $180K/year

4. Mapply ($180K/year)

Scott Wood, co-founder of Mapply, came up with the idea for his map print business after seeing the success of a similar brand called Mapiful. With a background in digital marketing and a love for travel and art, Scott saw an opportunity to create personalized and colorful map prints. By starting with offline validation and gradually expanding his product offerings, Scott has grown Mapply from a few hundred pounds in sales to over £30k ($40k) in prints per month, with plans to expand further in the future.

How much money it makes: $180K/year

5. Just Artisan ($120K/year)

Just Artisan, a handmade-only marketplace founded by Marcello De Lio, has seen impressive growth since its launch in 2020. With $15,000 in sales during December 2020 and a strong customer base, the platform is on track for continued growth in 2021. De Lio's personal experience selling handmade goods and observing the frustrations of artists competing against drop shippers and facing rising fees inspired him to create a platform that supports artists and provides them with a true handmade marketplace.

How much money it makes: $120K/year

6. Suzann K Fine Art ($76.8K/year)

Suzann Kaltbaum, a fine art photographer, started her business as a passion project in travel photography. Through experimentation and honing her skills, she developed a unique blended technique that resonated with her clients. Her art, printed on mixed metals, highlights the pictures and has generated a lucrative business, winning awards and being featured in various venues. Suzann emphasizes the importance of seizing opportunities and believing in oneself.

How much money it makes: $76.8K/year

7. Innerglow Art ($51.6K/year)

Painting had helped Sarah channel her emotions of getting rejected from grad schools in a positive way, as she had been the "artsy" girl in college as well. It started as a hobby but within a few months, her friends and family encouraged her to sell her art. Seeing the demand on her store, she started Innerglow Art.

How much money it makes: $51.6K/year

8. Sarah Paints Pets ($42K/year)

Sarah Miller, the founder of sarahpaintspets, came up with the idea for her business in college when she painted her boyfriend's cat as a gift. After receiving positive feedback and selling over 100 paintings for Christmas presents, she realized there was a demand for her custom watercolor pet portraits. Since then, she has been able to increase her prices and attract customers through her personalized approach and social media presence.

How much money it makes: $42K/year

9. URSULA BARTON ($36K/year)

Ursula Barton, an artist, came up with the idea for her business after a spill of expensive ink onto watercolor paper led her to embrace a process of unpredictable art creation. After gaining positive reactions to her work at a cafe, she realized she had something special and started reproducing her paintings as greeting cards, postcards, and prints, eventually expanding her product line and opening a retail shop called Jailbreak.

How much money it makes: $36K/year

10. Brush Tokes ($30K/year)

After realizing she needed a real hobby, Kelly rediscovered her love for art and decided to sell her creations. Partnering with Natasha, they came up with the idea for Brush Tokes, a 420-friendly art class that combines their shared interests in art and cannabis. Since launching in January 2018, they have sold out classes and experienced steady growth, with monthly income reaching up to $2,500.

How much money it makes: $30K/year