Are you passionate about creativity and making colorful art? Imagine turning your artistic skills into a reliable source of income, all from the comfort of your home. One commonly overlooked way to earn money with your creativity is by coloring.
Yes, you read that right. So many people love to color. I find it to be an easy and therapeutic way to relax and decompress after a long day or week.
If you’d like to get paid to color, you don’t have to be a seasoned artist. You just need to have some creative ideas and a solid strategy. This blog post will walk you through 7 realistic ways to monetize your artistic skills, from designing adult coloring books to teaching art online.
1. Design an Adult Coloring Book
Adult coloring books continue to be a massive trend and have become popular for adults looking to relieve stress and practice more mindfulness. Designing your own coloring books allows you to share your art and creativity while earning passive income.
Start by picking a topic for your coloring book, whether it’s travel, nature, motivational quotes, geometric shapes, or something else. You can use Adobe Illustrator or free online design tools to create high-quality illustrations.
Then, self-publish your book on platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), or you can sell it in a Shopify or Etsy store.
Self-publishing on Amazon is one of the easiest ways to sell your coloring books because Amazon KDP allows you to format and create a listing for your book in minutes. Amazon takes a small cut of the sales in order to help you produce coloring books, but you’ll have a massive reach of potential customers, as Amazon has millions of active users.
2. Sell Your Artwork on Etsy
Etsy is one of the largest online marketplaces for handmade and creative goods, making it perfect for artists looking to sell their artwork online. You can create printable coloring pages to sell, custom templates, or you can list your original artwork and paintings.
It helps to have a theme for your store and artwork so you can narrow down your target customer. A few summers ago, my son participated in a children’s entrepreneur fair and sold some of his artwork and sketches. He loves certain anime TV shows, so a lot of his artwork represented this, and some of the people who purchased his drawings shared the same interests.
You can set your store’s theme to sell niche items like coloring sheets for homeschoolers, plant lovers, or popular animals. You can sell printables like a PDF step-by-step guide for certain art projects or create coloring games to download.
3. Become a Work From Home Art Therapist
Art is not just creative. It’s also therapeutic! With proper training and certification, you can offer art therapy sessions online to help people deal with stress, anxiety, or trauma. To get started, you’ll want to gain the necessary experience and earn a degree or certification in art therapy.
Scholistico offers an affordable art practitioner certification course that features 12+ hours of on-demand video and audio lessons, along with 9+ training modules and exercises to help you grow and master your skill set. Art therapists can advertise their services on a platform like BetterHelp or their own private practice’s website. You can also offer courses and group coaching services on sites like Coursera.
According to ZipRecruiter, art therapists earn around $32 per hour or $66,321 annually, depending on experience and expertise.
4. Create a YouTube Channel
Starting a YouTube channel is another way to get paid to color from home. YouTube is a popular platform that anyone can use to grow an audience and a community that supports their creativity.
You’ll need a theme for your channel so viewers know what to expect from your videos. This could be anything from discussing and showcasing your art, or you can review coloring products and provide recommendations on the right coloring materials for certain projects.
Growing a YouTube channel takes time, and it’s not guaranteed, but if you can meet the requirements to monetize your channel, you can make money from ads through Google. Another way to earn money is through affiliate partnerships or an art brand ambassadorship, where you get paid to share a product or service that will benefit your audience.
This is a flexible option to earn money since you can work on your YouTube channel whenever you want, but you’ll need consistency to see results over time.
5. Illustrate Children’s Books
Children’s books are often filled with bright, eye-catching illustrations that help bring the story to life. If you love to draw and create your own coloring content, you could advertise your services to children’s book authors who would rather outsource the illustration elements of their books. According to ZipRecruiter, book illustrators can make $29 per hour on average.
You don’t have to be a trained artist to do this either. Just be creative and own your ideas and concepts. I have a friend who wrote a book on farm life and illustrated it herself by drawing and coloring chickens, cows, and other animals in her own creative style. Were the pictures perfect? No, but they were fun, a bit unusual, and stood out in the book.
Think of other popular illustrations from children’s books, and you’ll notice how each person’s style is different but works effectively to enhance the overall book.
To earn money illustrating children’s books, you’ll need to build a portfolio to showcase your style and versatility. Then, network with authors and publishers on platforms like Reedsy, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and various social media platforms. You can even attend local publishing or authors’ conferences to network and market your services. You can also offer freelance illustration services on sites like Fiverr and Upwork.
6. Become an Art Teacher (Online)
If you enjoy guiding others, consider teaching art online. Platforms like Teachable, Udemy, or Skillshare make it easy to create and sell an online coloring course to art enthusiasts and creatives. You can brainstorm your own curriculum and supplies students will need, whether it’s support pencils, coloring materials, or paint supplies.
Online course platforms will pay you a percentage of the sales made from students who sign up. But these sites make it easy to market your class to others who are interested.
If you’re interested in branching out to serve your local community, check with community centers, local businesses, or your park district to see if they are interested in partnering for seasonal art classes or would like to buy new coloring games to distribute to students’ families.
7. Give Interior Design Advice
You can further explore your love for color theory by working as an online interior design consultant. Online interior design consultations are an excellent way to leverage your design sense by helping clients select color schemes and decor that represent their creative expression.
You can market your services on sites like Upwork and create a dedicated Facebook page or website to share more about your services. Then, consider offering remote consultations via Zoom or email and helping clients choose wall colors, furniture, and decor accessories. Use software like SketchUp or Canva to present mock-ups.
It’s not required, but having a bachelor’s degree in interior design or a related field could be helpful. You could also consider getting an interior design certification or taking some courses to gain knowledge of basic design elements if this will be a completely new industry to you.
Get Paid to Color: Summary
Monetizing your love for art and color can take many forms, from publishing your own coloring books to teaching a coloring workshop. With today’s digital tools and online marketplaces, coloring doesn’t have to be just a simple hobby. It can be a great side hustle or even your full-time job.
While it can be a great way to boost your mental health, turning your creative side into income is more than possible with these ideas. Just take the first step by exploring the option that resonates most with you. Remember, the key to success, especially when working independently from home, is consistency and staying true to your creative style.
