Are you a talented anime artist looking how to sell anime art online? Look no further! The anime industry is booming, with a global revenue forecast of $60.06 billion by 2030! It’s not just the anime industry that’s thriving; the digital art market is also experiencing a significant surge. With global online sales rising to 10.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, now is the perfect time to start selling digital anime art.
It’s easier than ever to sell and reach a global audience. With the right setup and and an attractive profile that displays your work, you can make a living as a full time artist directly from your computer while traveling the world. It’s not just a dream; it can be your reality! In this blog post, We’ll guide you through the steps of choosing the right platform to sell your artwork as well as setting up a high converting profile to bring you sales. Let’s begin.
Sell Anime Art Online With These Steps:
- Creating and Preparing Your Anime Art
- Pricing your Anime Art
- Setting Up Your Online Shop
- Top Anime Product Ideas to sell online
- Sell Anime Art Online FAQs
- Conclusion
1. Creating and Preparing Your Anime Art:
Creating and selling anime art online requires a combination of talent, skill, and dedication. To stand out in a crowded marketplace, developing your unique style and continuously improving your skills is essential. Here are some tips to help you create and prepare your anime art for online sales:
1.1. Develop Your Unique Style and Improve Your Skills:
- Explore different anime styles: Study and analyze various anime styles to understand their distinct characteristics. Experiment with different techniques, such as chibi, shoujo, or shounen, and find the style that resonates with you the most.
- Practice consistently: Regular practice is crucial for honing your skills. Set aside dedicated time each day or week to draw and refine your anime art. Consider joining art communities or participating in challenges to receive feedback and learn from other artists.
- Seek inspiration from various sources: Draw inspiration from manga, anime series, movies, and other forms of art. Analyze the works of renowned anime artists and incorporate elements that appeal to you into your own style.
1.2. Brainstorming and Generating Ideas:
- Research popular trends: Stay updated with the latest anime trends, characters, and themes. Follow anime forums, blogs, and social media accounts to understand what resonates with fans. Incorporate popular elements while adding your unique twist to create compelling and marketable artwork.
- Engage with your audience: Interact with your target audience and seek their opinions and preferences. Conduct surveys, ask for suggestions, and involve them in the creative process. This not only generates ideas but also helps build a loyal fan base.
1.3. High-Quality Artwork for Online Sales:
- Digital or traditional: Decide whether you want to create your anime art digitally or through traditional mediums like pencil, ink, or watercolor. Both options have advantages, but ensure your final artwork is high quality and suitable for online display.
- Resolution and file format: If selling digital downloads, ensure your artwork is high-resolution (300 dpi or higher) to maintain clarity and detail. Save your files in popular formats like JPEG or PNG to ensure compatibility across different devices and platforms.
1.4. Enhancing and Refining Your Artwork:
- Digital tools and software: Utilize digital art software like Adobe Photoshop, Procreate, or Clip Studio Paint to refine your artwork. These tools offer a wide range of brushes, effects, and layers that can enhance the visual appeal and overall quality of your art.
- Traditional tools and materials: If you prefer traditional mediums, explore various art supplies and materials to enhance your artwork. Experiment with different pencils, markers, or paints to achieve desired effects and textures.
- Learning from tutorials and courses: Take advantage of online tutorials, courses, and resources available for anime art. These educational materials can provide insights into advanced techniques, composition, shading, and coloring, helping you refine your skills and elevate your artwork.
Remember, investing time and effort into developing your unique style, generating ideas, and producing high-quality artwork will significantly increase your chances of success in selling anime art online.
Here are some resources for creating your anime art:
- https://animeartacademy.com/
- https://www.udemy.com/course/anime-academy-characters-and-illustrations/
- https://www.udemy.com/course/anime-academy-tradtional-anime-drawing/
2. Pricing your Anime Art:
Determining the right price for your anime art is crucial in successfully selling your digital downloads. Finding the balance between offering fair prices to customers while considering your time, effort, and artistic value is key. Here are some factors, pricing strategies, research tips, and considerations to help you determine the optimal pricing for your anime art.
2.1. Factors to Consider:
- Artistic skill and experience: Consider your level of expertise, the time you’ve invested in developing your skills, and your artistic reputation. More experienced artists with unique styles and strong portfolios can command higher prices.
- Complexity and size of the artwork: Consider the intricacy, level of detail, and size of the artwork when setting prices. Larger or more complex pieces may require more time and effort, warranting a higher price tag.
- Digital or physical format: Determine whether you sell digital downloads or offer physical prints. Physical prints may require additional printing, packaging, and shipping costs, which should be factored into your pricing.
- Demand and market trends: Keep an eye on the demand for anime art and market trends. Due to increased demand, artwork featuring popular anime series, characters, or trending themes may allow for slightly higher pricing.
- Value perception: Consider how your target audience perceives the value of your art. Factors such as your reputation, the quality of your artwork, and the uniqueness of your style can influence the perceived value and, consequently, the price you can charge.
2.2. Pricing Strategies:
- Tiered pricing: Consider offering different pricing tiers based on factors like resolution, file format, or additional bonuses (e.g., PSD files, and alternative color versions). This allows customers to choose the option that fits their needs and budget while giving them a sense of added value for higher-priced tiers.
- Limited editions: Create a sense of exclusivity and scarcity by offering limited edition prints or digital copies. Limiting the availability of certain pieces can justify higher prices and create a sense of urgency among buyers.
- Bundling and discounts: Encourage sales by offering bundles or discounts for purchasing multiple pieces or for loyal customers. This strategy can incentivize buyers to spend more and make multiple purchases, benefiting both parties.
2.3. Research and Comparing Prices:
- Explore the market: Research and analyze similar anime art pieces sold by other artists. Look for artwork with similar styles, themes, and quality to get a sense of the pricing range. Online marketplaces, social media, and artist communities are excellent sources for conducting this research.
- Observe customer behavior: Pay attention to customer feedback, comments, and purchasing patterns within your target audience. This can provide valuable insights into what they consider reasonable pricing and the factors that influence their purchasing decisions.
2.4. Fair Pricing and Value:
- Consider your time and effort: While offering fair prices is important, it’s equally crucial to value your time and effort as an artist. Your pricing should reflect the dedication, skill, and artistic value you bring to each piece.
- Assess the market demand: Be aware of the balance between pricing competitively and maintaining a sustainable income. While undercutting prices may initially attract customers, it can devalue your art and make it challenging to sustain your business in the long run.
- Communicate value to customers: Educate your customers about the effort, skill, and creativity invested in your artwork. Clearly communicate the features, benefits, and unique
Here’s a youtube video that explains how you can value your anime artwork as a beginner – How To Value Your Art Commissions For Beginners
3. Setting Up Your Online Shop:
Selling your anime art online requires a reliable platform that allows you to showcase and sell your digital downloads.
When setting up your online shop, consider the following steps:
- Choose the platform that best aligns with your needs and target audience. Evaluate factors such as pricing, features, and customization options.
- Customize your shop layout to create a visually appealing and user-friendly experience. Use high-quality images of your anime art and align the design with your brand.
- Create engaging product descriptions that highlight the unique aspects of each artwork. Clearly communicate the file format, resolution, and any additional bonuses included.
- Use relevant tags or keywords that potential buyers may search for. Consider specific anime genres, characters, or themes that align with your artwork and strategically incorporate those keywords.
Remember, your online shop’s layout, product descriptions, and tags are crucial in attracting potential buyers and converting them into customers. Take the time to optimize these aspects to enhance the visibility and appeal of your anime art.
Let’s explore different platforms and websites that cater to creators and artists:
3.1. CheckYa:
If you have an audience in your social media channel, you can create a product listing on platforms like CheckYa showcasing the Anime art designs that you have available for purchase. You can then use social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest as funnels to promote your listings.
Pros: It’s free to get started. It has a user-friendly interface, and its pricing is the most affordable when compared to its alternatives.
Cons: This platform may not work for you if you don’t have a social following.
Here’s an example profile of an artist selling Digital Art on CheckYa.
Here’s a step-by-step process for selling your anime art on CheckYa!
1. Create your CheckYa account: If you don’t have an account already, creating an account on CheckYa is incredibly easy. You can go to https://checkya.com/ and get started.
2. Upload your Anime art: You can add as many listingsas you wish. Go to the “Sell digital goods and services” section on your dashboard and start adding the details of your Anime art. Add Anime art images along with a detailed description of the Anime art. Next, add a preview of your Anime art to give your potential customers a sneak peek of your design. When you’re done, select “save product,” and your Anime art will now be added to your CheckYa profile.
3. Add your payment option: CheckYa processes payments through Stripe and Paypal, allowing you to get paid in over 200+ different currencies.
4. Share your Anime art: Once you are done adding your Anime art., you can simply copy the link to your Checkya profile and paste it on your social media channels, making it easy for your customers to buy your artwork.
3.2. Etsy:
Etsy is a popular online marketplace known for its wide range of handmade and creative goods. It has a large customer base and a dedicated section for digital downloads, making it suitable for selling anime art.
Pros: The platform provides customizable shop layouts, easy-to-use listing tools, and built-in payment processing.
Cons: With many sellers, standing out among the competition can be challenging. Etsy charges listing, transaction, and payment processing fees, which can impact your profit margins.
3.3. Gumroad:
Gumroad is a platform specifically designed for creators to sell digital goods.
Pros: It offers an intuitive interface, customization options, and the ability to deliver files securely to customers.
Cons: Gumroad charges a 10% platform fee plus the payment processing fee from its customers. Since you are driving the traffic to the Gumroad yourself, it doesn’t make sense to pay them such a high fee. CheckYa allows you to sell for less than half of Gumroad’s fee.
3.4. DeviantArt:
DeviantArt is a well-established online community and marketplace for artists, making it a popular choice for selling anime art
Pros: . It offers a platform to showcase your artwork, engage with a large community of artists and enthusiasts, and sell digital downloads. DeviantArt provides customizable gallery layouts, the ability to create journals and polls, and a built-in messaging system for communication with buyers.
Cons: While DeviantArt has a large community, it is primarily known for its free content, which may make it more challenging to stand out and attract buyers. Additionally, the platform takes a commission on sales made through their marketplace. The commission structure varies based on membership type, but can be as high as 20%. This is 400% higher than what CheckYa charges!
4. Top Anime Product Ideas to sell online:
1. Digital Art Prints: Offer high-resolution digital files of your anime art for customers to print and display. Customers can purchase the digital file and print it on their preferred medium, such as canvas, art paper, or posters.
2. Wallpapers and Backgrounds: Create downloadable wallpapers for desktop and mobile devices featuring your anime art. Customers can enhance their devices’ aesthetics by setting your vibrant anime artwork as their background.
3. Character Icons and Avatars: Design a set of icons or avatars featuring popular anime characters or your original creations. Customers can use these digital icons to personalize their social media profiles, forum avatars, or messaging apps.
4. Custom Digital Commissions: Provide personalized digital commissions where customers can request custom anime art based on their preferences. Customers can collaborate with you to bring their vision to life and receive a unique piece of artwork tailored to their specific requirements.
5. Digital Stickers and Emojis: Create a collection of digital stickers and emojis featuring anime characters or expressive faces. Customers can use these digital assets to enhance their online conversations, adding a touch of anime flair to their messages.
6. Digital Art-Related Notion Templates: Notion is a popular productivity tool, and creating templates specifically designed for artists can be valuable. Develop notion templates for art organization, project management, or portfolio showcases. Offer customers an efficient way to streamline their creative processes.
7. Art Assets, Brushes, and Resources: Provide digital art assets such as background elements, textures, patterns, or overlays that artists can use to enhance their own creations. Create custom art brushes tailored to specific styles, effects, or textures. Offer tutorials, reference guides, or e-books to help aspiring artists learn new techniques.
8. Sell Artwork as a PDF File: Besides offering digital art prints, consider packaging a series of related artwork into a PDF file. This compilation can include illustrations, concept art, or comics, providing customers with a cohesive and immersive experience.
5. Sell Anime Art Online FAQs:
1. How to sell anime art legally?
To sell anime art legally, it’s crucial to follow these guidelines:
- Create original artwork: Ensure that your art is your unique creation and not a direct copy of someone else’s work.
- Respect copyright and trademarks: Avoid using copyrighted characters or trademarks without proper authorization. Instead, focus on creating original characters or obtaining proper licenses for existing ones.
- Obtain necessary permissions: If you plan to sell fan art, seek permission from the original creator or copyright holder to avoid any legal issues.
- Offer prints or digital copies: Selling prints or digital copies of your artwork can help you avoid any legal complications associated with selling original pieces.
6. Conclusion
In conclusion, selling anime art online offers tremendous opportunities for artists like you to showcase your creativity, connect with fans, and generate income. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can set yourself up for success in the world of digital art sales.
