Illustrator

Illustrator Success Stories [2024]

Pat Walls

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Updated: September 26th, 2024

Artistry meets business in the world of illustration.

As an illustrator, you create visual narratives that can transform everything from children's books to marketing campaigns. Your canvas can be both traditional and digital, and clients range from publishing houses to corporate giants looking for standout branding.

The beauty of this business lies in its versatility and scalability. You can work on commissioned projects, sell prints of your original work, or even create online courses to teach aspiring artists. The digital age offers a multitude of platforms for showcasing and selling your creations, from Etsy to Instagram.

Building a successful illustration business requires a continuous honing of skills, effective networking, and disciplined self-marketing. If you have a passion for drawing and storytelling, pursuing a career in illustration can be both creatively fulfilling and financially rewarding.

In this list, you'll find real-world illustrator success stories and very profitable examples of starting a illustrator that makes money.

1. Avatoon ($56.4K/year)

Zoltán and his colleagues founded Avatoon.net after realizing the obscure market for custom hand-drawn avatars. They launched their website and attracted customers through an email campaign and ProductHunt feature, and have since focused on improving their SEO to attract organic traffic. With a majority of their clients being returning companies, they plan to spend more on SEO and introduce different art styles at different price points in the future.

How much money it makes: $56.4K/year
How much did it cost to start: $800
How many people on the team: 3

How We Started A $4.7K/Month Business Selling Custom Hand-Drawn Avatars

Avatoon.net founders share how they started a $4.7k/month business selling custom hand-drawn avatars and grew to an average of $5,000 per month with ~100 clients through SEO-focused marketing and serving returning companies.

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