The world of digital art is such a rich landscape. The possibilities are endless in terms of the digital art that you can create, crafting beautiful artworks for others to enjoy.
But if you love to create digital art, you may be wondering if this is a viable career option. So how much do digital artists make on average?
Ultimately it will depend on the type of digital art that they are creating. There are specific jobs for digital artists, varying from graphic designers who are paid a regular salary, to the self-employed digital artist who makes a living from commissioning their work.
If you work as a freelance digital artist, it will be difficult to know what your regular income will be.
The salary of a digital artist can vary from anywhere between $10,700 up to $70,000. It will usually depend on the role that you undertake, whether this is freelance, or whether you have taken on graphic design work for a company.
The average salary for digital artists across the United States is around $55,000.
Another factor to consider is that your work will only really be profitable if you’re an excellent artist. The general rule of thumb is that the better an artist you are, the more people will like your work, and the more likely they will be to purchase a commission from you.
Some artists also sell their art as non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, making use of blockchain technology in an attempt to make more money. However, making money from your art as NFTs can be such a temperamental endeavor, and there’s no guarantee that artists can make any money from using this method.
Some artists even argue that NFTs exploit their original art, leaving them out of pocket. After all, anyone can make an NFT out of a digital file, and there is nothing to stop them exploiting your work in this way.
So ultimately, digital artists will be able to make more of a reliable income from paid graphic design work or similar job roles.
How Much Money Do Digital Artists Make A Year?
As we’ve discussed in more detail above, the average salary of a digital artist in a single year will vary depending on the role they have undertaken. The general average for those graphic designers who have taken on a salaried role tends to be around the $55,000 mark.
In order to get these higher paid roles, you will likely need to have a degree in the relevant field. It will also be dependent on your experience, with the lowest salary being more available at the start of your career.
As you gain more experience as a digital artist, you can then progress from the lowest salary up to the median salary of around $55,000.
Is Digital Art A Good Career?
If you are a highly creative person who thrives in a creative environment, then you are likely to find that a career as a digital artist will be ideal for you. However, you may need to ensure that you have the right qualifications in order to get the higher paid roles.
This will mean ensuring that you have a digital arts degree or something similar to help you gain the skills you need.
You will also need to make sure that you are well versed with different types of software, particularly if you’re considering game design as one of your preferred digital artist roles. Game designers need to be used to using a variety of different software to create the digital art they need to.
How Do Digital Artists Make Money?
As we have mentioned in more detail above, this will ultimately depend on the type of digital artist role that you are undertaking. If you are in a salaried role, then it will be more straightforward in terms of how a digital artist makes their money.
However, if you are wondering how a freelance digital artist can make money, it will ultimately come down to commissions and other types of work in this vein.
They will typically design and sell their own merchandise, offer commission work for paying customers, sell their digital art online, or sell their art as NFTs. Monetizing their work as commissions is a fantastic way for digital artists to make a passive income for them to live off.
While this may sound like an appealing career choice for those of you who are creative, it will be worth considering that the world of digital art is highly competitive.
You will need to be highly skilled in your area of expertise to ensure that you will be able to get the amount of commissioned work you would require to get a regular salary rather than just a passive income on top of your other salaried roles that you may undertake to support your passion.
Is Digital Art Profitable?
Of course, selling your digital art online is the best way of earning a passive income. However, trying to make a profit off this could be a very tricky endeavor.
While you might be able to make several thousand dollars one month, other months could see you struggling to break the hundred dollar mark.
Ultimately, it will all come down to how popular your digital art is with prospective buyers. If they like your art, they will likely come back to you again and again to commission more pieces.
However, working as a freelance digital artist can be a very temperamental occupation. There’s no guarantee that you will be able to get a regular income from this.
So there’s no one size fits all in terms of asking if digital art is profitable. It will all depend on how popular your art is with your prospective customers.
Do I Need College To Be A Digital Artist?
Technically, you don’t need to go to college to become a digital artist. You can easily buy yourself a graphics tablet and teach yourself how to draw. So you can easily sell your own art online if this is what you would like to do.
This is an excellent way to earn a more passive income to supplement your salary from another job.
However, if you would like to take on a more professional paid digital artist role such as graphic designer or even working with other game designers, then you will need to head to college to get a digital arts degree or something similar.
This will also teach you about the kinds of software you’ll need to be familiar with so that you can undertake professional paid work in this vein.
If you have a college degree in digital art, you will be more likely to be considered for the higher paid digital artist roles.
In Summary
So there you have it! The salary of a digital artist in the United States tends to vary between $10,000 up to $70,000, depending on the role that you undertake. The average salary of a digital artist is around $55,000.
You will be able to earn more money via a reliable regular income as a graphic designer. You can work freelance and sell your digital art, but your salary will likely fluctuate from time to time depending on the demand for your artwork.
If you are wondering whether becoming a digital artist will be a viable career option for you, you will need to weigh up which type of work you will be able to complete as a digital artist.