How To Make Money With Procreate (2024)
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So, the world is your canvas, and you have the talent and skill to create whatever scene you wish with a few brush strikes.
If this statement describes you, have you considered monetizing your superpower? Think about how fulfilling it would be to get paid to do something you love.
I always look forward to waking up every day because I love what I do. You can make this your reality by reading this article.
Whether you’re a seasoned artist looking to supplement your income or a hobbyist seeking a fulfilling adventure, Procreate offers a fun and easy way to make extra cash.
Procreate is a useful tool for artists; many utilize it in their daily designs. If you already use the app, this article will help you make money with It.
Join me on this exciting journey of discovering what Procreate has to offer and how you can use it to your advantage.
How To Make Money With Procreate
For just $12.99, you can unlock the endless money-making potential that Procreate wields. The site has over 200 handcrafted brushes you can use to turn your artistic talent into a money-making scheme.
There are many options, from teaching to selling digital art and offering commissions for your products. All you have to do is read this article and choose what best suits your needs.
Who says you can’t kill two birds with one stone in art? Feel free to stack several options to maximize your income potential.
1. Create Printables and Sell on Etsy
Printables have always been popular because of their flexibility and seamless delivery process. You can use Procreate to make physical or digital printables, depending on whether you prefer shipping.
With physical printables, you print and ship them to your clients, while digital printables allow for immediate delivery without incurring shipping costs.
If you’re considering juggling Procreate with another side hustle, selling digital printables makes more sense because it lets you spend more time creating rather than organizing shipping.
Furthermore, digital printables let you earn passive income since you can sell them repeatedly without further capital, time, and effort investment after the initial creation.
Some excellent printable options you can make and sell with Procreate include:
- Wedding invitations
- Wall art
- Greeting cards
- Coloring pages
- Digital stickers
- Worksheets
- Journals
If you don’t know how to create printables, I highly recommend you join this free workshop. And if you want to perfect your skill faster, consider investing in yourself with this E-Printables course.
Once you figure out what to sell, you can launch an Etsy store and customize it to fit your niche. Next, add product listings at $0.20 each and wait for customers to reach out.
Pinterest complements Etsy greatly and is one of the best places to advertise your ecommerce store. Redbubble is an excellent Etsy alternative if you want to reach a wider audience.
2. Make Illustrations
Visual representations are easy to understand, and people love them, which is why illustrations are in high demand.
If you’re good at internalizing concepts and using art to create visual representations that are easily understandable, you can make illustrations as a side hustle using Procreate.
So, you already have a few illustrations; how do you get them out there?
It’s quite simple. You can sell your illustrations or services on your website, platforms like Etsy, or social media platforms like Instagram.
You can also collaborate with authors to create illustrations for children’s books. Such gigs are available on LinkedIn, Fiverr, and Upwork.
All the options I’ve mentioned offer a one-time opportunity to make money unless you can land consecutive gigs.
Now, let’s discuss a passive income stream: compiling your illustrations into an ebook. Think of a story you’d like to tell and use Procreate to bring it to life through illustrations.
From there, compile your creations, publish your ebook, and sell it on Amazon or your website. This way, you can make money years after creating the ebook.
3. Start a Blog
If you’d like to share your knowledge with others without the tiresome process of making and editing videos, blogging is for you.
Blogging is among my best income-generating ventures because it lets me work from anywhere. Imagine being able to work from the beach.
You can launch a blog that teaches people about Procreate. Start with beginner articles about setting up and navigating the platform.
From there, you can teach people to create projects like illustrations, clip art, and digital lettering.
Once your blog gains a substantial readership, you can collaborate with related brands in affiliate marketing, run ads, and create sponsored content.
You can also use your blog to sell designs and fulfill custom orders.
I highly recommend starting your blog with Hostinger if you want a website that loads faster. You don’t want to lose readers because of a slow-loading site.
4. Print on Demand
Are you still seeking an almost effortless way to make money with Procreate? Print-on-demand is another lucrative option.
Print-on-demand involves paying a second party to manufacture and deliver your products when a client orders. This flexibility makes this business model stand out among other art ventures.
Let’s break down the process into simple steps:
- First, you create artwork using Procreate. It can be anything that caters to your target audience.
- Next, you partner with a POD supplier like Printify, whose job is printing your designs on hoodies, caps, tote bags, or mugs.
- The third step is getting the world to notice your unique designs. Head to Pinterest, create an account, upload your designs, and start building a following.
- Remember to link your Pinterest account to Printify so clients can see exactly what you’re offering.
- Once a client makes an order, you contact Printify, give them the details, and let them handle the rest. Easy peasy!
Your POD supplier handles production and shipping, leaving you to focus on more important business aspects: design, marketing, and customer service.
5. Create and Sell Clipart
Selling clipart is an excellent way to tap into a wide audience since people across different professions use them.
For instance, business people use clip art in presentations, while educators use them as teaching aids to illustrate their content better.
Another huge perk is that you can make passive income from clip art since you can sell it repeatedly without tweaking or recreating it from scratch.
You can create different themes and types of clip art to appeal to a wider audience. For example, you can explore holiday-themed clip art, such as floral and snowflake clipart.
So, what’s the income potential, and have people succeeded as clipart sellers?
A YouTuber, Wooly Pronto, is a good example of how you can excel by making and selling clipart. She claims to make over $1,000 monthly from this venture.
6. Commissioned Artwork
Creating commissioned artwork is among the most popular ways to make money with Procreate. This involves creating custom pieces based on a client’s specific requirements.
Commissioned artwork can be anything as long as it involves tailoring an art project toward someone’s needs.
You can make illustrations, digital art, or clipart for individuals or brands for commercial purposes.
Are you wondering where to start? For this option, I recommend starting with your friends and family. Create custom artwork for them as you build a portfolio to market your services.
From there, set up your website and leverage social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest to advertise your expertise.
The challenging part is figuring out your pricing because each piece is unique. You can research similar sellers and remember to factor in the cost of supplies and shipping to avoid losses.
7. Start a YouTube Channel
It’s not uncommon to see YouTubers making millions from creating content around things they enjoy.
If you’d like to start a YouTube channel but fear appearing inexperienced at Procreate, I assure you that you don’t need to have everything figured out.
Instead of sulking at your lack of skills, why not get creative and create a channel focusing on your journey to expertise?
Upcoming and seasoned artists will undoubtedly be interested in such content as long as it remains relevant and high-quality.
If you’re targeting beginners, you can start with the basics and inspire your audience to hone their skills.
If you’re an experienced artist on Procreate, uploading design tutorials on YouTube is an excellent idea.
You don’t need high-end equipment; simply screen record as you work on a project on Procreate, and you’ll be good to go.
Amassing a substantial YouTube following might be challenging, but you can pull through by creating high-quality content, partnering with influencers, and engaging your audience.
8. Create an Online Procreate Design Course
Before you skip this option because you think you have nothing to offer, let me show you why creating a course is an excellent idea.
A common misconception about online courses is you must be an expert to get noticed.
Well, getting recognized as an expert is an excellent way to improve sales and establish your brand, but remember, everyone has to start from somewhere.
I know you’ve only played around with Procreate for a few years, hence the lack of confidence, but can you walk a beginner through a basic design?
If you answered yes, then it’s time to get to work. You can write a guide on Procreate’s entry-level features, from setting up to choosing the right brushes and creating the first design.
Incorporate video lessons, illustrations, and worksheets in your course to make it more comprehensive. From there, put a price tag on it and upload it to Udemy or Skillshare.
If you’ve reached this point, you’re halfway done. No one will enroll in your course if they don’t know it exists.
Advertise your online course on social media, blogs, paid ads, or through affiliate marketing. The whole process might seem daunting, but once you get noticed, it’ll be an excellent passive income stream.
This beginner’s guide to Procreate by Kurt Michael Russell costs $69.99 and has over 12,000 students. Find inspiration in the basic knowledge you have on Procreate and be bold enough to monetize it.
9. Digital Lettering
You must have encountered calligraphy, either online or in person. If it fascinates you, then you’re in for a treat.
Procreate offers a fun, faster, and more convenient way to create digital lettering and make extra cash to supplement your income.
The platform lets you bring your unique designs to life through various tools and colors, all in one place. You can work on projects like stickers, business logos, or social media graphics.
Offering bespoke lettering services is an excellent way to maximize your income. To get started, create your portfolio and website and scout for gigs on LinkedIn, PeoplePerHour, and FlexJobs.
10. Freelancing
There’s unlimited potential in freelancing, especially if you can carve out a niche and get a high rating.
Furthermore, numerous sites like Upwork let you sign up for free. This way, you have nothing to lose since you only incur seller fees when you land a gig.
Creating your portfolio is the first step to working as a freelance graphic designer. You can create small projects for your family and friends or treat yourself as a customer and come up with a few samples.
Decide what you want to venture into and who your target audience is. For instance, you could produce illustrations for authors or design logos for start-ups.
Whatever the case, consider what you want to offer and hone your skills. Freelancing is quite competitive, so you must improve your skills to stand out.
After creating your portfolio, sign up for platforms like Fiverr, Guru, Upwork, PeoplePerHour, and LinkedIn. From there, scout job postings and strive to submit the best bid.
Another thing people often overlook in freelancing is the power of approaching businesses and brands. Be confident in your skills and approach companies you think they require your services.
You can visit their physical locations or send cold emails detailing how you can leverage your skills to enhance their visibility in the market.
There’s nothing to lose, and chances are you’ll succeed in getting a client or two.
11. Tattoo Design
Another creative way to make money on Procreate is by designing tattoos. You can collaborate with tattoo artists or create custom pieces for your client base.
Like every other venture on this list, you need a well-curated portfolio to get land gigs. Offer tattoo design services on freelance platforms or social media sites like Instagram.
You can also create temporary tattoo printables to sell on Etsy.
Once you build your reputation as a renowned tattoo designer, you can collaborate with brands and tattoo artists to promote their services through affiliate marketing and sponsored social media posts.
Tips for Making Money With Procreate
Making money with Procreate is possible, and you can increase your income by paying attention to the following tips:
Grow Your Social Media Presence
Social media is your friend if you want to make money as a freelance graphic designer or by selling art projects.
People can’t buy your goods and services if they don’t know of their existence. Luckily, social media offers you a chance to connect with people worldwide.
Once you create your website, sign up on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. From there, link your social media accounts to the website or ecommerce store so people can easily access your products.
Next, focus on building your following by collaborating with other graphic designers and influencers.
You must also consistently create eye-catching content and interact with your followers to keep them engaged.
Market Your Products Effectively
I’ll keep stressing the importance of effective marketing strategies because marketing is how people know you exist.
Social media is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about marketing. However, there are other effective ways to promote your products, including email marketing.
Email marketing involves building an email list by incentivizing your followers. For example, you can provide a free guide on setting up Procreate in exchange for them signing up.
Once your email list is big enough, you can market your designs and offer exclusive discounts and tutorials.
While email marketing is an excellent way to build a following, there’s a fine line between promoting your products and spamming your subscribers’ inboxes.
Keep your content relevant and consistent, but don’t cross the line.
Ecommerce is the New Main Street
The global pandemic revolutionized ecommerce globally. More people are embracing online platforms because of the convenience of receiving deliveries at your doorstep.
That said, leveraging marketplaces like Etsy, Redbubble, and Shopify is an excellent move in the artistic industry.
Art shows and galleries can fetch substantial income, but ecommerce offers a unique opportunity to tap into a worldwide market.
Another perk of selling your art online is the ease of delivery, mainly associated with digital printables. You can sell art prints to someone on a different continent without shipping charges.
Optimize Your Profiles and Listings
We’ve discussed leveraging ecommerce and social media, but how can you stand out when everyone is doing it?
The secret is optimizing your profiles and listings for SEO across different platforms. SEO involves improving your visibility by incorporating relevant keywords into your content.
That said, consider polishing your SEO skills or hiring an expert to do it on your behalf to improve overall sales.
Another way to optimize your content is by ensuring your videos and photos are high-quality. If you choose to blog, your articles should be engaging and aligned with your target audience’s needs.
If you want to be a YouTuber, consider investing in high-quality cameras and microphones. However, this shouldn’t worry you; you can use your smartphone and upgrade as you gain more footing.
Offer Competitive Prices
One final tip as you embark on the money-making journey with Procreate is to offer competitive prices.
Consider the time and effort required to work on a project and factor that into your pricing. Don’t sell yourself short.
On the other hand, setting ridiculously high prices can discourage people from purchasing your products. You must be fair to appeal to the masses.
Start by researching sellers offering similar products to get ideas on pricing your Procreate projects. Offering bundles also helps increase your income while maximizing sales.
Final Thoughts
Making money with Procreate may seem daunting at first, but it’s possible if you start small and pay attention to important aspects like marketing.
Take time to upskill and gain expertise, opening you up for more projects and cash. Furthermore, you can establish your brand and land long-term contracts.
Whether you enjoy art or are getting started, making money with Procreate shouldn’t be wishful thinking anymore. I hope this article inspires you to get started.
Want more money-making opportunities? Check out these options:
