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Taking Stock of the Situation

Welcome to another honest blog post - where I discuss what’s really happening with my artistic career, rather than sugar-coat the situation in order to appear more professional and successful!

My goal is simple - go from being a part-time to full-time artist. But is that possible this year?

We're now well over the halfway point in 2025 - the year is speeding by. So have I actually made progress towards my goal? It feels like the right time to take stock: to look at what I’ve done, where I’m currently at, and where I need to go next. If you're also chasing a creative career, or just curious about how mine is going, I hope this gives some insight into the reality behind the art.

Let's start with this Website!

I consider this site to be my central hub. I direct people here when they ask about my art, commissions or after having bought my art or products at events.

It’s had over 4000 active users after 7 months this year. I’m happy it’s getting at least some traffic. Although I would discount at least 500 of the visitors - especially from countries like India and China, since they seemingly only visit in order to then try selling me some SEO package, or steal my content.

I’ve posted on my Blog thrice this year. There aren't enough readers to warrant posting more than 3 - 4 times per year. Plus, right now, and each 1500+ word blog post like this, still takes a large chunk of a day to write and post with a few accompanying images. I’m concentrating more on Youtube instead– using it as my current social media / content creating platform of choice.

The shop was recently updated with 16 new listings. I'm giving producing and selling stickers a try. Although, I must admit, sales of my products online have been extremely low this year. It's tough times trying to sell art or luxury items to customers here in the UK when so many are struggling to pay bills right now.

I often think about replacing my website with a whole new design, making it more focused around my shop. Selling is more important to me right now, compared to taking commissions or using it as a portfolio / online business card. I’ve been considering this for, maybe, 3 or 4 years! But I'm just not convinced it’ll make much of a difference so far as generating sales goes. I'd continue to sit on the idea until I think the time is right to act.

I'm making my own game!

Since no one was hiring me to work on their projects this year, I decided to continue with my own. A two-player fantasy card game, Total Blast.

• I gave it more play tests
• Refined the Rule Book
• Received several price quotes to manufacture and ship the game from China
• Finished off the 8 remaining art cards, which all needed polishing and then colouring
• Attempted to promote on social media (I'll discuss this more later)
• Gave it its own YouTube channel along with several promo videos
• Added it to the Board Game Geek Database

It looks great! And so much fun to play! But, finding people interested in signing up for updates about the game is proving extremely difficult. How do I spread the word that this is a good thing I’m trying to build and drum up interest? I tried posting about it on a few Facebook Groups and Sub-Reddits, but they mostly got deleted off the bat and considered spam.

Other than paid ads, I don’t have a clue how to generate interest or even get eyeballs on the project. Until I get a few hundred sign-ups, I can’t guarantee I’ll fund the game once it goes live on Kickstarter. Very Frustrating!

And so, progress with Total Blast has kind of come to a standstill. There are still a few little bits here and there to tweak, but everything hinges on knowing there will be customers interested in pre-orders.

Complete and Utter Social Media Burn Out

I posted on 30 occasions. Each time being a development update for Total Blast. The result- it seemed like a pointless exercise. It felt like each post was barely getting noticed, pulling between 0 and half a dozen engagements (like/comments/shares) per post. Not great, considering the fact my combined social media following is well over 65,000 people! 

To break this down:

Instagam: 33.9K followers
Facebook Page: 2k followers
Facebook Profile: 3.3K friends
Pinterest: 6.9K followers
Tumblr: 4.8K followers
Linkedin: 4.3K connections
X: 10.1K followers

After a month of daily posting on all my socials, guess how many I converted into Total Blast mailing list subscribers? Zero!

I appreciate most people follow me for the artwork, and me posting about a card game I’m working on each day may not necessarily be their cup of tea. But still - the levels of engagement my posts receive just makes posting feel like a pointless endeavour. I feel like I'm done with social media posting. Certainly, on my current social platforms, if discussing or promoting Total Blast. In the future I might:

1. Just post glossy, finished character art on my socials. Perhaps That will to generate interest Development sketches, photos and notices aren't cutting it.
2. For Total Blast, create entirely new social accounts and start from the ground up.

I’ve posted to my existing accounts several thousand times over the years, and it feels like it would be a shame to give up on that. But it certainly seems like I’m not connecting with an audience who is genuinely interested in my projects and artistic endeavours.

It's crazy to think just how much time was poured into social media posting, replying and commenting, when instead I could have been creating art or simply doing something else.

It just felt like this was something I had to do if I ever wanted to build an audience and potentially end up making a full-time living from my art. Maybe I still just wasn’t using the platforms the ‘right’ way? Or perhaps I should have waited until my artwork and products were better before attempting to show them to the world?

Growing My Own YouTube Channel

Platforms like Instagram seemed to be failing me, and in the face of an AI take-over, I felt as though I now needed to prove to the world that I’m a human.

And so, I continued uploading videos to YouTube. I’ve been consistent, posting up a new video at least once per week.

39 videos created this year so far, plus a few shorts.

The quality is getting better, and while I’m never going to be perfect in front of a camera, I’m actually proud of a lot of the content I’ve created for the channel: be it my own personal rants about struggles to make it as an artist, or tips to help fellow creatives. Perhaps It feels like such an achievement because I know just how much effort it is for me to be front-facing and put myself online? As a neurotic introvert, it's not easy to say the least!

I have a goal of reaching 1000 subscribers.

Although ideally, I want them to be active, dedicated subscribers. Unlike the 65,000 I mentioned earlier on other social platforms, which have seemingly all deserted.

1000 subs (along with increased watch hours) also means I can monetize the channel, and YouTube will then give me half the money they’re making via the ads being attached to my videos.

To be honest, I thought it would be easier to build an audience than it’s currently proving. I feel like my content is good enough to warrant at least 4-figure views, but breaking double digits is often just not happening!

I don’t expect a million views on a video, but I’m waiting for my bit of luck to strike. For my 1 video to “blow up” or at least gain the attention it deserves. I'm committed to continuing with it. But in the mean time, I’m finding it very challenging to pour hours into creating content, knowing that its target audience is highly unlikely to ever know it exists.

I'm Still Selling my Art and Taking Orders

Approx. 150 orders have been fulfilled for Art prints, T-shirts and so on. Great that I’m able to get some orders in despite my social media efforts proving to be more effort than they’re worth.

Worryingly, orders are down around a shocking 75% from 2022-2023, and I think that’s mostly due to the rise of AI art.

I’ll continue to take orders, since I have the art prints here and ready to go. And I’m using print-on -demand services to fulfil shirt orders as and when, so that I don’t need to keep an inventory.

I kind of enjoy packing orders too. It's a welcome break from the screen; to roll a print, pop it into a postage tube along with a flyer and attach the postage label! Sometimes you just need to low-cognitive overhead job to give you some respite! And, of course, it's always very fulfilling to know a customer bought your art. Out of all the artwork in the world, they choose yours! That's pretty damn cool.

Selling at Comic Cons

I've attended just one con so far this year (MCM London in May), and will possibly do another two. The bigger shows here in the UK are just about worth visiting. Smaller shows aren't really worth it any more since I have no idea if I’ll even make any money or break even.

With over 40 shows under my belt, it's got to a point now where they feel more like hard work. I'll never forget the first few times attending large comic cons- it felt magical and exciting! I would be buzzing every time someone wanted to chat or make a purchase. I still enjoy some of the interactions I have with customers. Although many positive feelings are now somewhat replaced with apprehension, as to how many sales would have dropped this year over last, based on current trends.

One thing I did was to create a bunch of stickers. 16 designs, based on designs I already use on Art Prints and Tees. I found a good supplier in China, and they certainly sold better than my How to Draw Manga books. I'm glad I tested them out. Of course, selling a few stickers here and there is never going to earn me enough to consider myself a full-time artist, but as a side project, it's worth having them to sell in addition to my other products.

Job Applications... And Rejections!

I brushed up my CV, and created a new mini portfolio PDF. It included just 10 of my best works with a little extra info. I sent it to several companies and agencies who were looking for an artist with my skill set. And I waited…

I didn’t result in anything. No interviews. No replies. Actually, there was one reply- to my application. It was from an agency that specifically asked to work with me. They replied just to tell me that they don’t want to work with me!

I became despondent and took a break from applying.

Creating New Art... Or Not!

Other than finishing off the Total Blast character artworks I mentioned earlier, I haven’t created a single new artwork all year!

I'm supposed to be an artist!

The ideas are starting to build up and overflow since I haven’t created anything new and original. I’m keen to work on some new things. But I thought it was better to instead push my existing content out into the world, and do the YouTube thing.

My thinking - if I create artwork, but without an audience aware of its existence, then what’s the point? I’m talking from a professional point of view. Actualising ideas is great, but that can’t happen until the bills are paid. I can’t pay the bills until I sell my art and merch, and I can’t sell my art until I’ve built an audience, or have access to interested customers. 

What Next?

I have to admit, I feel a little uncertain. Part of me wants to double down - keep creating, keep posting, keep pushing. Another part wonders if it’s time to change direction and simply take a break from pursuing art full-time.

I know I need to start making new artwork again, if only to reconnect with what made me love art in the first place. And I still believe in Total Blast - even though I’ve hit a wall when it comes to getting eyeballs on it.

I’m not giving up.

But I’m also trying to figure out how to work smarter, not just harder. That might mean experimenting with new strategies, rethinking how I use my platforms, or even taking a temporary step back from certain things that clearly aren’t working. One thing’s certain — I’ll keep sharing the process. The wins, the failures, the “not sure if this even matters” moments. And if you’re on a similar journey, I hope we can keep figuring it out together.

Sorry for disappearing!

Continuing on from my previous post, I've continued work on my new card game Total Blast. What is it?

"Soon to be the world's best two-player card battle game — strategic, fast-paced, and packed with stunning artwork. Easy to learn, endlessly replayable, and designed for those who crave the perfect mix of skill and excitement!"

I had a goal: to a single handily create the game entirely from scratch- from concept to creation. I'm no stranger to creating bigger projects on my own. For example, my How-to-Draw books were solo projects for the most part, other than the occasional check-in with my publisher's editor and graphic designer. Of course, the main benefit of my book projects was not personally needing to worry about sales and marketing. This was something the publisher handled.

However, I soon realised, tackling even a relatively small-scale game like this on my own was not going to be a quick to complete task. In fact, I pretty much went silent on the project for 2 years! I'm sorry for that. I think the whole thing just overwhelmed me, so I put it on the back-burner.

But, I have news! I've been making slow, steady progress over recent months. I'm determined as ever to make the project into a tangible product. It would be a travesty to not get such a fun game out into the world for players to enjoy. Not to mention, I'd feel horrible if having to throw out all the work put in to it thus far.

Latest prototype now completed and game is being tested and enjoyed 🙂

Progress

It took around 7 months to before making the previous Development diary #4. Then a further 2 years to get to this one - diary #5. In that time lots of jobs are now completed:

• The Rule book jumped from being on version 2.5 to 3.3. That basically means it's now more or less complete, including an initial interior layout design.
• I printed out a new prototype with upgraded card arts.
• The game has now been play tested dozens of times.
• Character artwork all finished (which was the biggest task, art-wise)
• Promo Flyers were printed and handed out.
• Today I crafted the initial Cover artwork.

Updates are also being posted on the Total Blast Facebook group. If you'd like to follow along there, be my guest 🙂

Total Blast Flyer- this was handed out at shows I'd attended over the last year

Art Development Overview

As I mentioned in my last update, I wanted to add characters into the mix. Initially I thought about using a fun, chibi style like this little knight:  

For some reason, which I can't even remember now, I decided to scrap the cute, chibi style and instead make the characters a little more bad ass! Characters now included are:  Thief, Ninja (below), Mage, Merchant, Spy, King, Alien. One representing each of the cannon types in the game. Plus, I've included a special, secret one I'll reveal later! Here's a little demo showing how I went from sketch to something a little more refined:

What’s next?

1. I need to figure out how much this game will cost to produce. I will begin gathering a few quotes- both to print here in the UK and in China.
2. I'll also look into fulfilment centres. I want to find out if it's worth getting copies of the game sent straight to foreign countries rather than ship out games from here in England.
3. Create a Box / packaging mock-up.
4. Find ways to promote the game. Ultimately everything will hinge on this! I'd like to order 500-1000 copies manufactured minimum. Yet right now, I've got no more than half a dozen potential customers interested!

I want to be a pro artist!

Many kids grow up reading comics, watching animations and playing video games. At some point in their teen years, they're asked "what do you want to do for a living"?

So, they ask themselves, is there a way for their adult job to involve movies, games or the stories they enjoy? There sure is! - You could be compose music for video games, draw concept art for movies, write comics... The possibilities are endless!

Back in the 80s (when I was born), through to around 2020, a career in art and design seemed to be a tough, yet viable option. So, I went for it. I decided I was going to be an pro artist!

So, I got educated. Then found work.

From my late teens onwards, I spent 5 years in higher education, obtaining various qualifications such as A level in art, an advanced NVQ in Art and Design and a degree in Graphic Media. Back in the late 90s- early 2000s, people around me at the time said these were a necessity in order to get a full-time employed job. Were they right?

I then went on to sample various art-related jobs. I found work as: graphic designer, web designer, fine artist, freelance illustrator, and tattoo artist. I actually got paid to design and create things! Was I living the dream?

Although, as much as I hate to admit it, making a liveable amount of money with my artistic skills was seriously tough! While I did find work (some times), it was by no mean easy to come by, nor lucrative. What's more, it was especially hard to find the type of work I was more passionate about - creating anime inspired art.

I was determined to not only find a series of sporadic low-paying art jobs, but to turn my artistic dreams into a flourishing, sustainable art career. So I persevered.

From Accomplishments to Disaster.

During my artistic journey over the course of my 20s and 30s, I had many victories: I built my own websites from the ground up, I authored several best-selling how-to-draw manga books, a colouring book, created art for games, sold my artwork to hundreds of customers at comic conventions, occasionally receiving VIP guest invites to events to demo or exhibit my art.

I was proud of the things I'd achieved. But still, the flourishing art career eluded me. And after 20 struggling years scraping a living from art, Covid happened in 2020. This was a further blow to my artistic journey by putting the final nail in the coffin to my tattoo business. A venture I'd kept up, part-time at least, for over 10 years.

I decided that instead of tattooing, I'd focus on creating art to sell both online and at offline events. It was perfect timing and it started to work! Sales began increasing for the first few years and it looked like I might finally be on my way to making the artistic dream sustainable. Things were finally looking up.

But then, perhaps, the biggest disaster yet. AI became a thing in 2023. As a primarily digital artist, I could no longer compete with AI image generation algorithms, which could pump out an entire high-end portfolio of artwork in a single afternoon. My sales halved. The next year, they halved again. My predictions for 2025? Sales are likely to half once more!

As of 2025, I'm now in my earl 40s and my life as a self-employed artist has gone from difficult to completely unsustainable. My entire work life has always felt like surviving on a sinking ship, frantically throwing out water with a bucket to stay afloat. Rarely having to to enjoy the voyage... But now things got worse- my bucket has a hole and meanwhile this metaphorical ship is caught in a relentless storm!

Where do I go from here?

I spent a long time wondering if I should be honest. Should I publicly admit to these struggles or fake the persona of a highly-successful, in-demand artist? After all, maybe a new client will stop by this website and want to hire me? Therefore, I'd best look busy, in-demand and of high-value! Right?

The truth is, it's been years since a decent, high-paying work enquiry landed in my email inbox via this website. While I've had my own art websites active and online for over 25 years (more than 99.9% of artists), right now this site receives only a handful of visitors each day. Since there's such little interest in what I'm posting here, I guess don't feel like I need to impress anyone anymore.

And while, I know my art is good enough to sell (since it does at live shows), this website's shop isn't particularly active. The occasional item sale every other week is simply not enough to pay the bills. It might 'look bad' to say the website is struggling to seduce customers into buying, but I don't think most potential customers would even read this post, or particularly care whether or not I was some big-name artist or a struggling nobody.

I've seen the internet evolve a lot in recent years. I've realised that, people are now bombarded with so much new content each day, that anything I write here will be forgotten within 24 hours. Sadly, this seems to indicate that I can't sustain a level of notoriety and significance among the changing online landscape, no matter what I post on this website. The good thing, however, is that it means there's now a new level of freedom to say pretty much anything I want. If I want to vent frustrations, be angry at a lack of success or look unprofessional. It's fine. No one cares!

Is Youtube the solution?

At the end of 2024 I decided to post weekly about my current plight on my Youtube channel. Knowing full well that I am horrendous at presenting video content and hate being in front of a camera! Youtube is my last ditch attempt to put out content into the world, and attempt to build and audience so that I can continue the artistic journey.

Even though I only update this written blog 2-3 times per year, I much prefer writing to speaking! But, like I say, no one is reading this stuff. Alternative social networks like Instagram completely dried up for me too, so I figure I'd better start making videos or otherwise my online presence will completely vanish.

My channel is there to discuss how to / if I can make a living as a fulltime artist moving forward. I've given myself until the end of 2025. If I can't figure out a way to make art pay a living, it'll be an end to a 25 year long journey.

2025 so far is bit of a s#!t show

While I'm here, I'm going to honest again and vent. This year is a disaster! Many back-to back disappointments. I'm going to list them in case anyone else is crazy enough to try making it as an artist in 2025, so that they know what they might be up against!

I've spent 52 out of 70 days so far ill with not 1, not 2, but 3 separate flus! As a freelancer, this is not good news! Time out recovering means no time to work / earn an income. There is no sick pay, no health care. Or even the option to go to work while unwell, doing the bare minimum and still get paid for the day regardless.

My laptop kept freezing and eventually wouldn't start. I couldn't work until I was resolved. It took 3 full days for me to fix. At least I didn't need to buy any new parts, as initially expecting.

I applied to sell with the online art gallery/ retailer: 'Art Finder'. They said no.

I wrote to a number of illustration agencies to ask for representation. Most didn't reply. One said no.

I applied for several full-time related jobs via LinkedIn, e.g. creating game assets for E-Slot and Casino games. I even tried several cold emails to similar companies. Barely received any rejection replies and no interviews.

After having built up a few decades of  digital art experience, I thought I'd try offering Photoshop Art Tuition to students via crowd sourcing. Even with the first lesson given for free! No enquiries.

Art Grants

I discovered a potential opportunity- Art grants. Arts council England offers up to £12,000 to level up your art business. This was just what I needed!

I literally spent days crafting the perfect application, detailing all the things I would do to help get myself deal with my current predicament; coaching, building a new website, creating a new selection of works, market research etc. I waited. Months later, I received a reply. "No". Since I had a chance to apply one more time, I tried again. I studied previous successful applications and adapted mine to fit, I went through my entire application form with a fine-tooth comb making sure it was spotless- that I put forward a compelling case, that every penny I asked for would be accounted for and worthwhile, tangible deliverables would be ready to show after finishing my levelling up process. "Someone has to get the grant, so why not me?", I thought. Again, the answer was "No". I was disappointed and confused.

I did all I could to put my best foot forward. It wasn't enough. Instead grant funding was given to projects such as "Research Trip to Nashville to explore Queer Country Music", "Exploring Alexithymia as an Autistic Arab Writer" and "LGBTQI+ Zimbabwe portraiture"!

You know what I learned? 20 years of struggling to make it as an artist, 20 years of practicing my craft and sacrificing a stable lifestyle without ever asking anything from anyone, until now. And then I'm basically told, "Fuck off you're not woke enough to be an artist"!

Winning Awards

On a positive not, I am now officially the 2024 UK Manga artist of the year!

It's true, but to be honest, it's not really positive - it's more like a scam.

"Lux life magazine" contacted me to tell me I'd been first, shortlisted, and then second, that I'd won a so-called 'prestigious artist award'. I was now UK Manga Artist of the year. Apparently!

They then they wanted my money to make it 'official'!

I learned that, basically, it was one of these 'pay-for status' awards whereby some random entity sets itself up, puts on an awards event then charges people to be a part of it! On this occasion, I was curious to find out if I could still receive an award before the hard-sell was inevitably introduced.

While I did receive an award, I wasn't featured in their newsletter or whatever. And you know what? I don't care. No one cares. No one in the history of humanity has ever gone to a luxury lifestyle magazine to find out which UK manga artist is worth paying attention to this year! And ironically, I've only ever produced about 6 pages of manga (comics) in my life! None in 2024.

As I mentioned in my last blog post, it's hard to know what to do next. Both in terms of, "what to draw" and how to make a living from the only thing I know- producing art. So, in the meantime, I'm working on my personal project to create Total Blast- my 2 Player head-to-head card game. Both that and Youtube are how I'll be investing my life this year.

It's all about promotion. Can I promote my game? My art? Me as an artist with a set of unique experiences and back-story? Time will tell.

The 'Choosing what to create' dilemma

You want to make something. You sit there in front of an empty canvas, a blank sheet of paper, or digital file. What do you put on it?

There's an infinite amount of potential colour or line combinations you could create. And even if you have something in mind, like a drawing of your pet, there's endless styles, perspectives, and ways of taking on the task. Making the perfect choice and taking the most correct path is impossible. There is no correct path.

It seems like you have three choices:

1. Wait patiently for your internal muse to inspire you.
2. Start doing something immediately and hope for the best.
3. Get overwhelmed at your limitless ideas and possible directions to go in, subsequently having a complete meltdown.

I tend to do a combination of all three! Although I wouldn't consider them much of a choice. Sometimes it just depends where you're starting from. For example, if you're in the habit of focusing and creating on a daily basis, starting on the next thing isn't going to be as taxing compared to when you've had a long break away from it. Getting back into the habit to begin with is often half the battle. Knowing the general direction you want to head in also helps.

But what happens when the muse has left you, the goal is unclear, and overwhelm is kicking in?

Right now, I'm at a point where I don't know what to do for the best. Both so far as knowing what type of art to create, and also what steps to take in order to survive financially.

I'm supposed to be a professional, yet I'm stuck

Over the years, I've created thousands of artworks, graphics, and illustrations. Identifying as an artist is a huge part of who I am. Therefore, shouldn't it be easy to know what to do next?

This year I've begun feeling like "I'm done." Or that "I just don't know what else to do."

When it comes to ability, there's always room for improvement. I'm nowhere near the level of skill or talent I'd wish for. No artist ever is. But I feel like I've somewhat plateaued. Reached my limit. Peaked. Or perhaps gone as far as I am willing?

When I was a kid, I used to love 80s and 90s video and game box art like the ones above. I'd often draw my own sci-fi and fantasy characters based on this kind of stuff. It was great! Even though I was a million miles away, skill-wise, it didn't matter. I used to wonder, "Maybe one day I'll be pro and good enough to create box art for games like this?"

I'm sure creating art for relatively unknown B-movies and obscure games back then wasn't a glamorous job or particularly lucrative. No doubt I would have been better off training to become a doctor or something. I didn't know. I didn't care. If I could just create artwork on the same level, I would have achieved my life's dream!

Fast forward to 2024, and I'm now at a point in my life where I look at these and think, "I could actually do that!" Although the first cover in particular (Mirai Ninja) is still pretty badass!

Granted, the bar for this genre of art has risen massively over recent decades. I often see a million other pros out there producing next-level, mind-blowing images. But the goal was never to be the greatest of all time. I just wanted to feel like my artwork was on par with the box art I used to admire all those years ago. Now I do. See examples below. Considering where I started, the personal obstacles I've had to overcome, and my lack of genuine talent, I'm seriously proud of what I've managed to achieve.

I've reached the goal. More or less. Although imposter syndrome kicks in often and I start to doubt myself. Am I actually any good? Was it all just luck? I still don't really know what I'm doing!

So why am I concerned, frustrated, confused, and lacking direction? It must be because I've finally reached a huge milestone in my life, and yet at the same time, surviving as an artist got harder!

Let me explain my current situation

There are a million different art styles I've fallen in love with over the years, but for the most part I ended up going down the comic and anime route. Particularly, recent years were spent concentrating on anime fan art to sell as prints at comic conventions and online. It took a few attempts to get right, but eventually people started buying my work. It was awesome. I'd gone from producing How-To-Draw Manga books, which required hundreds of drawings, thousands of lines of text and several months of my time, to making single art prints, which sold at a similar price point to a book. And despite young talent rising all the time, I could still compete as a now 'old-skool' artist in his 40s.

Then it went bad. Even though my skills and product range are better than ever, selling art has become much, much harder. Due to increased competition, the rise of AI, and soaring living costs, I've seen my sales decrease by 70% in recent years. Paying bills and making a modest living solely from art has become difficult, to say the least!

I could continue to push out a new fan art piece every so often, but there's no way adding more of the same would get sales back up by 70% or beyond. Even if I were to double my output.

How should an artist spend their time?

To reiterate the title of this post, what the hell are artists supposed to do? What is the best way to invest our time? What should we be creating? How much time should we devote to the different aspects of our business, i.e. making, sourcing materials, promotion, and so on?

We live in an age where the answers to these questions are never far away. Ask Google or Youtube "how to be a professional artist" or "how to run an art business," and you'll find plenty of advice. But will that advice help YOU? The trouble with advice is that it's either middle-of-the-road general statements that anyone with an average IQ could have worked out for themselves, or it's specific to the advice giver's very particular situation.

What I personally want to know is, where do I, Ben Krefta, go from here? Given the fact I've done a load of stuff and lived on this earth for over four decades, what should my next move be?

I tried some things

They said to create a website. So, I invested several months learning graphic design and how to code and made a site. I then worked as a web designer for a number of years before making myself a new one.

They said get on social media, so I got on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, Pinterest, Tumblr, Deviant Art, Art Station, Cara, Youtube, and TikTok. Missed SnapChat, but that's fine with me! When a following didn't present itself, they said to post consistently and engage with your followers. So I did, for years. I posted thousands of times and responded to thousands of posts and comments.

They said sell your products online. So I created Etsy stores, Amazon stores, an eBay shop, and a WooCommerce store on my own website. I also added several thousand products to print-on-demand sites like Zazzle, Society6, Displate, and Spreadshirt. (Check out my DesignbyHumans article for more about this.)

They said get offline and exhibit at comic conventions. By the end of this year, I would have attended 42 of them.

Despite doing what was expected of me, there was never a time where I felt successful. Where I had the opportunity to spend my work time doing the jobs I wanted, or earning enough money to keep a roof over my head and pay the bills. The inevitable consequence of that is to feel cheated, like a failure, that something went wrong. Maybe I was too dumb to notice my shortcomings? Maybe the world is against me!

I may not feel successful as a person overall, but I appreciate the fact I've had successes with the endeavours listed above. Without my first website, I would have never landed my first, albeit low-paying book project. Without setting up the stores, I wouldn't have sold over 5000 art prints or print-on-demand products. Increasing my follower count to 50K across my various socials probably even helped validate my application to comic cons and events.

What next

I am still learning what the hell I'm supposed to do. Although at this point in my career, I'd hope to continue pursuing selling my art in some capacity, as opposed to taking on work for hire.

Right now, this means needing to sell hundreds of prints every month in order to pay the bills. Yet anime fan art, at least in the style or to the standard I've been producing, no longer sells. Continuing to do the things I've been doing up until now simply isn't working...

I ask myself, "Why create another fan art to sell, if virtually no one cares? Why invest work hours into maintaining a website or social media presence if it can't generate a living?" Sure, there's nothing wrong with making art or posting online as a hobby, but this isn't a hobby for me. My hobbies are rock climbing and video games. Art is one of the only 'practical' skills I have, so I'm desperate to find a way to make the most of it and provide value to the world.

I'm trying to work out if the things I've attempted just need tweaking and improving, or if a new direction is necessary.

It seems clear that the content (the images I'm producing) or products (e.g. prints and t-shirts) I'm offering aren't quite hitting the mark. People still buy my artwork at events, or online, and I'm fairly certain there are future customers out there who'd love to get their hands on the things I'm producing. If only I could get their eyeballs on my art. Although, for the most part, the product range and certainly the content needs a fairly drastic change.

As for the promotional side of things, I'll need to try a new approach also. Social media posting, blogging, vlogging, or running ads like I have been isn't effective when it comes to selling. The competition is relentlessly grabbing attention with click bait, catchy hooks, psychological manipulation, or finding new ways to exploit a platform's algorithm. Meanwhile, half my posts are just 'me showing a thing I did'! I'm coming to terms with the fact that a pretty illustration or artwork is just an AI image prompt away. And so, now you need to combine the presentation of artwork with entertainment, education, or human connection.

This might all sound obvious, but I grew up believing in the "Build it and they will come" philosophy. I thought if I could just draw 'Rotox' (see image above), I'd be set for life! Perhaps if you or the thing you do is phenomenal, that philosophy still holds true. For the rest of us, it seems we need to work a little harder. And smarter. I've arrived a little late to the party, and there's a lot of catching up to do.

From here, I'll start figuring out how much time to devote to creating new projects and products and then learn how best to promote them. I'll update in future posts, so stay tuned.

Artist says goodbye to digital art

To be honest, when I first began my artistic journey, I was scared of traditional media. As a kid, I'd grown up using pencils and paper, but the thought of adding colour with ink or paint terrified me. What if I made a mistake? Unlike my go-to Photoshop App, there's no Undo button!

Strangely enough, the cure to my fears was to learn how to tattoo. I spent over a decade tattooing on a part-time basis. I then realised once you've tattooed another human, or in my case hundreds, making mistakes on paper becomes a trivial concern. 

While I have no plans to give up digital art, I'm pleased to be able to add traditional media options to my artistic skill set.

Art sold, and new art for sale

I first began taking private art commissions over 20 years ago. The most common request was to draw people's family members or pets in anime style. After a while, it felt like I strayed away from working on the kinds of images that made me want to pursue art in the first place. I then began putting out artwork I had a genuine interest in. Anime, game, tattoo or comic book related. Be it original character creations or fan art.

It worked! Everything I've put out as art prints has gone on to sell at least once. And hundreds of times in some cases.

Admittedly, some of my art didn't hit the mark. To this day, there's certain artworks I've created which I love, yet they don't get the appreciation that other pieces in my store do. As an artist it can be hard to know what will resonate with your audience. But I still believe that, working on what I want seems to be the best way to ensure my enthusiasm and achieving the best results I can.

It paid off recently when a buyer here in the UK bought the marker-coloured artwork above. Many thanks. She's Akio - a skilled female space pilot, who had dedicated her life to protecting humanity from any threats that might endanger it. Her final mission was to take on an invading alien race, which had been slowly but surely making its way towards Earth, leaving destruction in its wake. 

It seemed wise to add several other new pieces to my online store. These included:

Nyx

Once a child from the darkest depths of a sprawling, dystopian city, she was moulded into a lethal weapon by a shadowy organization that exploited orphans. Now a rogue operative, she navigates the underbelly of a corrupt, high-tech world, using her skills to dismantle the power structures that created her, leaving a legacy written in blood and shadows…

I wanted to go full-colour with this one. Neon pink light and neon green accents give it vibrance.  An anime character who's fun, confident and a little devious, stood against the death and destruction of her past.

Skull Astronaut

In the vast expanse of space, an astronaut’s final journey met an untimely end, the body drifting endlessly among the stars…

This one is more stark and monochrome, although the skull has a warm grey tint. I went on the make a more affordable art print version which has a more ominous red tint. I'd polled around 50 people which version they liked better and the results were split down the middle between this version and the red visor alternative. Although I will only ever be selling this monochrome version as a one-off original.

Blood Fingers

In the depths of a dystopian future, where humanity teeters on the edge of extinction, there exists the myth of the Cyborg Reaper…

Monochrome, but with a hint of red. An girl with a dark past. Why robotic hands? Why the blood? I like these suggested narrative hints of her past.

Neon Orange Hikari

In the sprawling neon-lit underbelly of the cyberpunk metropolis, Hikari carves out her existence as a skilled mechanic and scavenger. Clad in armour that melds practicality with rugged style, she bears the weight of survival on her shoulders. Literally! Her neon orange-red eyes, burn with intensity hinting at her deep-seated resilience and fierce determination...

Warm and cool grey used on the character with a neon orange backdrop accent. While I love full-colour, vibrant art, I feel keeping the pallet super limited i.e. black white and grey + 1 accent colour looks awesome. It's also for sale, but would love to hang on to this one and will be sad to see it go. 

Where to buy?

These new pieces all aim to blend subtle storytelling with vibrant or high contrasting tones, each piece reflecting a unique narrative or emotion. Crafted for fellow anime, game and sci-fi fans, using high-quality ink and materials to ensure vibrant, lasting colour.

If you would like to own one, they can be purchased directly via this website's store while available. All artwork is sent securely and insured with trackable shipping. The art is/will be signed in the bottom corner.

I always think, owning original artwork isn't just about decorating your space; it's about connecting with the artist's vision and bringing a piece of their creativity into your own life. Having met hundreds of other artists from various walks of life, I appreciate not everyone will resonate with my style or aesthetic taste. Although I also know there will be a small selection of people who view my art and will say, "that's awesome!" - this artwork is created for them.

Your support means the world to me and helps fuel my creative journey.

Another Housekeeping post

Can I tell you a secret? There's artwork in my portfolio from 20 years ago. Characters I'd drawn in 2004!

My gallery deserved another tidy. I still like a lot of my older artwork, despite the fact that it might not quite represent my current capabilities. So, should I remove older artworks to make room for something new? Or re-work older images in an attempt to level them up a notch? I began making a few minor improvements to an older character art. An hour later, I realised it would probably be better to simply redraw it from scratch. And in that case, I might as well just start something entirely new instead!

Originally, I'd considered removing a dozen images from the site, but in the end, I just reworked the Orange Masked Girl below, adding extra splatter effects to make it a little more interesting. It's more full-on Chicano graffiti style now. This was originally one of six masked girls I created 10 years ago, in 2016. Time flies.

Frieren

I also uploaded a new artwork I'd created of Frieren. 

Frieren is an immortal elf from the anime / manga series "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End." A Dungeons and Dragons style JRPG tale. She travels through various lands, accompanied by her companions, in search of bettering her magical abilities, such as casting spells that turn the ground into a field of flowers. Through her encounters with others and the challenges she faces, Frieren's character explores themes of resilience, companionship, and the passage of time. Her journey serves as a reflection on the nature of immortality and the complexities of existence.

Frieren Step by Step

Here's a stage-by-stage process of how she came together. Sketch - > Cleaned, Ink lines - > Flat Tones and Shadow - Rendering and Background. 

The final stage was to adjust colours and swap out the background for something a little more harmonious.

Lastly, a couple of close up shots...

The Frieren anime series shot up to the number 1 spot in the all-time best ever anime charts. It was good. Good enough for me to rate it a solid 7 out of 10, and to create fan art too. Although it's not quite able to compete with other anime I'd seen recently such as Dr Stone, Made in Abyss and Heavenly Delusion. I'm now feeling the need to create something less pretty and a little more bad-ass! Do you have any favourite characters from anime, games or films? An idea which might look cool? If you have any suggestions, let me know 🙂

Life of an artist in 2024

It's been a while since I regularly sat down with the intention to create new artwork. Strange, considering the fact that I present myself as a professional artist. Although being a modern day commercial artist means not only creating art, but also doing all the jobs surrounding the sale of the art. This includes: initial market research to help decide what might be popular with customers; promoting art via social media and other channels; creating sales pages online for each product; attending shows and events to connect with customers back in the real world; or packing, posting, and resolving issues with online orders.

Basically the business of selling art takes up so much time that creating art becomes secondary. This doesn't seem right. People don't become artists because they like selling and performing admin jobs. Most artists create art because they have ideas they want to express or to share their own aesthetic sense with the world.

Who values the artist?

The trouble is, the world doesn't properly acknowledge and reward creative types. When a best selling book is written, the publisher earns more than the author. When a chart-topping song is released, the record label takes the lion share. When art is sold in a gallery, typically the gallery takes a 50% commission, yet the artist pays for the materials used to make the piece. When a collaboration between talented writers, musicians, and artists creates a box-office smash movie, it's the producers and studios that cash in. Am I wrong in thinking people with money make money by exploiting others' creativity? Do movie studio shareholders care where the money comes from? Or about the comparatively starving artists paid an insignificant sum to generate them a huge pay day? Does anyone care?

It's true that there are creatives who made big bucks. Michael Jackson, Pablo Picasso, and Agatha Christie are listed as all-time best sellers in their respective fields. Each generating hundreds of millions of dollars. And many creatives alive today are comfortably living off of their artistic endeavours. Although I'm not sure people realise that for every success story, there are thousands who tried and failed through no fault of their own. I've personally met hundreds of them.

Why am I mentioning this? Because I hate injustice. Why become an artist and spend years devoting one's life to a creative pursuit, perhaps sacrificing luxuries or even basic needs? It would make far more financial sense to pursue a job requiring far less skill and time investment. Of course, if you're creatively inclined, money isn't the goal. But if artists weren't undervalued and could at least pay the bills, that would be great. And in my case, I'd love to be able to afford paying a team to run the admin side of my creative enterprise, allowing me time to do the job I signed up for. Perhaps I'll get there eventually?

I don't want to sound bitter. Instead, I hope to raise awareness about the plight of the many skilled artist friends I have who bring beautiful creations into the world yet aren't adequately compensated. Also, I'm a realist who thinks it's useful to make a counterpoint to the typical go-getter 'you can do it' advice other successful artists will espouse. Sure, that's what people want to hear. It's optimistic and inspiring, but naive. Making a living from one's artistic endeavours is tough, and for some, it will be an impossibility. Let's not pretend otherwise. 

With that said, I am an artist, so I need to create things. I have 🙂

Three things I've been working on:

For the most part, I've been thinking about anime fan art. I'll be attending a few upcoming comic conventions and wanted to offer up some relevant character art. I thought it would be cool to show a few progress shots, going from the mid-way point to the final, finished article.

Here's Senku from 'Dr Stone'. It's one of the greatest shonen manga / anime series ever made. Also it was originally drawn by artist Boichi, who's got perhaps the most bad-ass style in all of manga. My typical workflow starts with sketch, which I then ink to replace the sketchy drawing with smooth, neat outlines. These are filled with flat colours. Then I indicate where the shading will go with a darker tone, which gives it an animation cel look. I could leave it there but I always want to add smooth rendering to really make things pop!

Here's Gon and Killua from 'Hunter x Hunter'. As with Dr Stone, Hunter Hunter is top-tier shonen anime/manga. And I'm not the only fan- did you know the original author of Hunter x Hunter Yoshihiro Togashi gained over a million followers on X the day he opened an account! Often the term "fan art" is simply used to refer to art created by other artists of existing characters. The "fan" part isn't always true of some artists, but I truly am a huge HxH fan, so was happy to pay tribute to such a masterfully created story.

Nami from probably the most popular anime series to date, One piece. After having watched 1100 episodes (yes, a crazy amount), I thought it was about time I created another One Piece artwork after Zoro. I tried to incorporate Eiichiro Oda's style, and at the mid way point I was concerned with it. Maybe it just needed more purple (my favourite colour)? 😁 I continued refining the shading regardless and am now happy with it.

When I was a kid I loved air brush art. Maybe it was something to do with being an 80s baby? All the book covers and video game covers I loved back in the day had that smooth blended 80s airbrush look. When I found out you could recreate it using Photoshop back in the late 90s, it became my go-to art style of choice. Even when I experiment with different line styles, or face styles, I think the smooth, gradients and blends at the rendering stage help tie my digital portfolio together.

What is Berserk?

Berserk, crafted by the late Kentaro Miura, is a masterpiece manga that plunges readers into a nightmarish medieval-inspired world. At its heart is Guts, the "Black Swordsman," a lone mercenary marked by trauma and tragedy. Miura's storytelling delves into the complexities of human emotion, portraying guts as a deeply scarred individual navigating a brutal and fantastical realm filled with supernatural horrors and human malice.

Guts’ journey, from his mercenary days in the Band of the Hawk to the traumatic Eclipse event, unfolds against the backdrop of a world teetering on the edge of despair. Miura weaves a narrative that transcends typical fantasy boundaries, exploring themes of destiny, friendship, and the pursuit of identity. Guts’ relationships with characters like Griffith and Casca add layers of nuance to the story, revealing the fragility of human connections amidst overwhelming adversity.

Berserk's world is a character in itself—a grotesque and captivating backdrop mirroring the psychological and physical struggles of its inhabitants. From towering apostles to the ethereal realm of the God Hand.

Berserk's success lies not only in its evocative art but also in Miura's ability to elevate manga storytelling. The series is a visceral journey through the darkest aspects of the human soul, challenging readers to confront the brutality of existence and the indomitable will to persist in the face of insurmountable odds.

It's more than a manga; it is a literary and artistic masterpiece. A legacy which endures through Guts’ epic saga.

Ben Krefta is on a journey to becoming an artist worthy of creating a Berserk fan art tribute

Berserk left a lasting impact on Ben, inspiring his creative journey and leading him to eventually create this artwork. His artistic growth mirrors Guts' relentless spirit, a character known for his resilience in the face of tough challenges.

Decades ago, when Ben first got into the dark world of Berserk, he was hooked on Kentaro Miura's storytelling. But back then, Ben admits he wasn't skilled enough to capture the depth of Guts' character. In fact he could barely draw at all! Despite many frustrations, his determination to continually improve, led to years of practice and honing his skills. Deciding to document his progress, Ben created these progress images and time-lapse video below showcasing the stages of shading and rendering. This wasn't just about the final artwork; it was a nod to the countless hours spent perfecting his craft, a visual journey paralleling Guts' struggles in the pages of Berserk.

Initial Line Art

Planning Colours

Main Shading and Rendering Complete

A few final notes before completion

The Video

The time-lapse video below reveals the evolution from an initial sketch fully rendered finished art. Ben uses Photoshop with his trusty Wacom graphics tablet to add colour, depth and texture to Guts' worn appearance. Each shading layer is a deliberate choice, using his signature comic book airbrush style to add contrast and vibrance into the artwork. The video captures the gradual refinement of details and subtle nuances breathing life into the two-dimensional drawing. It's not just a showcase of technique; it's a visual narrative echoing the arduous journey of artist and character.

Ben hopes that sharing the creative process, the struggles, and triumphs of Ben's artistic journey will inspire others, in the same way Guts and Berserk did to him. The final stages of rendering mark a personal triumph. The last brushstroke isn't just about completing an artwork; it's overcoming self-doubt and creative hurdles.

I'm doing another tidy-up of my gallery

It's never an easy task deciding which artworks stay and which ones leave the gallery. There's usually at least one thing I still like about every image I've created.

When I was younger, I guess it's fair to say I had a small degree of aptitude when it came to art creation, but I've never been a naturally gifted genius. Creating each piece meant relying on a lot of grit, determination and trial and error over time to get artwork to a level where I was happy with the result. And therefore, removing any image from the gallery, effectively letting it die, always feels like a difficult job.

But with each passing year, my art gets a tiny bit better. I can see minor inconsistencies or errors with early work which bug me. And I ask myself, why am I presenting this as a representation of my capabilities?

Bye Bye Witch

Firstly- I created this anime witch art in September 2003 - 20 years ago! I'm amazed it stood the test of time, while many other artworks of that era had since been removed from my galleries. The face could use some tweaking and the background needs some work. There's a few other bits I'd alter to bring it up a notch. Having said that, I still like 85% of it. I'm going to keep it available for sale as a print, at least for now.

Goodbye to Cigar Girl

Cigar Girl - a Chicano / tattoo themed character I made up in 2009. 14 years ago. At the time I wanted to become a tattoo artist. As an exercise, I'd check portfolios from local tattoo shops and try to re-create their tattoos while attempting to improve them [see photo]. In the end, I went to the shop this tattoo came from, showed them my portfolio and and asked for an apprenticeship. They liked my work, but didn't give me an apprenticeship. I ended up teaching myself to tattoo. A job I held part-time for around 12 years.

See ya Skull and Snake

Skull and Snake – Again, this was a case of taking someone else’s art and attempting to improve it. The amazing thing about this one was the fact the original was created and drawn by an A-Level Art teacher [see egg-snake image]. Over the decades I’ve also attempted to land a job an an Art Tutor in a school or Lecturer at an art university. Other than a few short spells of 1-1 teaching and a one-off 2 hour Uni lecture whilst freelancing, I never managed to land a full or even part-time position. To be honest, I never understood how egg-snake man made it and I couldn't? For now I will have to impart my teachings through my How to Draw Manga book. This Skull and Snake artwork will, for the time being, stay available to buy as a print.

Goodbye to: Neon Pink Streak Portrait and Sci-Fi Sunset

Neon Steak Portrait  - It was an experiment, using some digital textured media brushes. Normally my work is all smooth and airbrushed, so wanted to try out creating something more raw, textured and graffiti-like. It was quick to produce compared to typical art I make. It's a bit sketchy and think it shows. It was fun trying out a different style. Buy the A3 Print here.

Sci-Fi Sunset - Similarly, using textured brushes, I wanted to create something a little more painterly than my usual smooth, rendered blends. I like the colour scheme, so perhaps I can use the orange and purple again some day in a different, new and more polished artwork? Buy the A3 Print here.

Hello to: Geisha, War Memorial, Junko, DnD Girl, Zoro and Guts

I'm replacing the above artwork with 4 new pieces created within the last 12 months. I'd like to, at some point, present a closer look at each of these with their own blog post. For now, they've been uploaded into the gallery as stand-alone images. That now makes 45 portfolio pieces. Let me know what you think of these.

Injustice!

You've spent days creating some awesome artwork and shared it with the world - as all beautiful art should be. Later you find it's been stolen! Used on a site or product without your permission. This is not right, fair or legal. It shouldn't be that some unscrupulous seller can just come along, harvest the fruits of your labour and convert it into their own personal revenue stream.

In this article I'll discuss the topic of art theft and what you can do to minimize the chance of falling victim to it.

Not a new phenomena

The topic of online image theft has been on my radar since the late 90s. I've since become an expert on the matter.

In my late teens, I created my first art portfolio website back in the early days of the web. The sole purpose was to share what I'd been working on with like-minded people. Having my own website was great. It started as a hobby project and went on to generate many fantastic opportunities. It allowed me to become a professional, paid artist which, would have otherwise remained a pipe dream.

I recommend everyone has their own site!

Although it was and will always be true that where there are creative people offering quality content, there will also always be poachers looking to take advantage of the fact.

The internet was a much smaller place 20+ years ago, which meant fewer 'web surfers' and smaller potential audiences. This fact didn't stop a handful of image thieves from discovering my art. Looking back, my early work wasn't particularly amazing, but good enough to inspire a few fans. And wherever there are fans, they will unfortunately be thieves.

I remember several occasions between the late 90s and early 2000s whereby I'd spot wannabe artists who'd taken a few pieces of my work and were passing it off as their own. Sometimes it would be a straight-up Copy + Paste from my gallery to theirs. Other times they might colourise the image or add some small detail to it in order to make them feel as though they were its author.

I remember at the time being furious to find someone out there was taking credit for the art I'd created. I'd email them; complaining, either asking them to credit me or take it down. Most of the time they'd just take it down. The shame of being found out was normally enough to make these people comply.

What do these people have to gain?

There are 3 different types of art thief- some amateur artists copy your work, others who take the art and pretend it's their own, and criminal thieves or infringe on your copyright to turn a profit.

Tracer/ Copier Art Thieves:

Years ago, the main concern from artists would be having their art copied or traced by another amateur and simply not giving credit. This still happens, but these days it typically doesn't worry me. A lot of the time it's just kids online wanting to emulate art for fun and aren't necessarily looking to trick anyone or profit from the endeavour.

Pretender Art Thieves:

Then there's those who steal another's artwork and pass it off as their own for kudos. If someone wants to fake being better than they are by trying to fool others, they are doing themselves more harm than they think. This type of art thief subconsciously reinforces the fact that they are a loser who's too lazy to put in the work themselves, so resorts to shortcuts- leeching off others and being deceitful in an attempt to gain external validation. Being that way will not get them far in life. They might get a few 'likes' on social media, but then how sad to feel as though your self-worth is tied to a social media platform's 'like' counter?

The damage this type of thief does to their own sense of self worth is often much worse than damage caused to the artist they've stolen from. My advice to this thief is to learn how to draw as good as the artwork you've stolen and taken credit for. At least then you wont have to know that deep down you're a cheat who's incapable of achieving great things. If you the reason you're stealing is because you simply can't draw despite many years of trying, then perhaps find something else you can get good at and focus on that instead.

Criminal Art Thieves:

Lastly there is the type of thief who wants to exploit and profit from an artist's efforts. These people frustrate artists the most. Especially commercial artists who understand the financial value in their work and want to be the ones profiting from it themselves.

Insane amounts of art Piracy!

We're more than two decades into the 2000s. The internet has become a big part of everyday life for most people. Art theft is hitting record numbers. Now, us artists do not have to simply concern ourselves with the occasional amateur taking credit for our work, but hundreds of illegal businesses could potentially be making huge amounts of profit via our art and designs.

I don't want to scare anyone to the point where they don't feel safe in posting their images online. As I say, I think everyone should have their own website and share their beautiful art with the world. To inspire others or evoke emotion from one's creative endeavours is one of the most virtuous acts one can perform.

However, we need to be realistic about the world we live in. Even during the last few years alone, I've discovered several hundred instances of my work being used on websites or products without my consent. I almost can't keep up! For every new artwork I create, there are multiple sellers seemingly waiting to pull it off the web and sell it on dozens of products. Clothing, cases, accessories, wall art or basically any item that can be printed on to. I've somewhat come to terms with it being part and parcel of being a successful artist. But that doesn't mean I don't take measures to protect my art or actively fight against the piracy of my work.

Why is there more art theft?

Here's a few reasons. I'm sure there's many more.

1. The internet has grown

According to Internet Live stats, In 2000 there were 17 million websites. Now there's close to 2 billion! Simply, the more sites and people using the internet, the more opportunity for web crimes to occur. There's now more art than ever to potentially profit from, and more thieves hoping to make a quick buck.

2. More countries have online access

Certain counties such as China do not share the same respect for intellectual property. Sellers in China do not need to battle with the moral or legal enforcement issues we have in western countries. And so for these people, the internet becomes one big buffet to pick from and exploit. Individual sellers in China can now access the west's online retail space via sites such as Ebay, Amazon, Alibaba, Wish or AliExpress. These sellers can afford to work for less and produce physical items at a lower cost. Therefore, making and supplying printed products has become a lucrative business.

3. The rise of Print on Demand

Print on Demand isn't new, but really began to take off between 2015 and today. Rather than need to print, stock and then sell hundreds of products in one go, companies now offer the production of single items at a reasonably affordable price. A seller doesn't need to risk printing 100 pirated t-shirts with the fear of losing the ability to shift them all if their operation gets shut down or their product is banned [Note- Retailers such as Amazon or Shopify do not typically ban blatant pirate sellers or their operations. Rather, they ban copyright infringed items and only when such items are brought to the attention of these platforms].

"Where there are creative people offering quality content, there will also always be poachers looking to take advantage of the fact."

Ben Krefta, Artist

10 Ways to Protect Your Artwork Images from Being Copied Online

At this time, there is no way to completely prevent your art being taken, reproduced or replicated unless it never makes its way to the web. A tiny percentage of artists might decide they won't ever share anything online and that's fair enough. But if your goal is to sell your work, promote yourself or services through your online portfolio and web presence, then posting your art is a necessity.

My feeling is that the more barriers and obstacles you put into protecting your work, the better. Some thieves will simply be deterred and instead go after images that are easier to attain.

1. Limit the size of your images

Smaller images can look fine on a screen- especially mobile devices. They only print small and when enlarged they become pixilated and grainy. This makes them unsuitable for printing onto products. Another advantage to uploading smaller images is that they load faster, plus take up less space on your hard drive or SD card.

Image size is determined by its dimensions and measured in pixels. For example, 400 x 600 px (pixels). An image's size can be described as it's 'resolution'. A high resolution image is one with large pixel dimensions such as 1000 x 2000 px or more. An image's pixel per inch (ppi) value can affect the print resolution of an image, which will be explained later.

How big should my online images be?

It depends who's viewing them and where they'll be used. If you've put together a slick, full-screen, online art portfolio to show clients, you might want to consider slightly larger files compared to something shared with the general public on social media. Consider who will have access to your art and who's likely to find it. If it can only be found via a direct link and your work isn't popping up on a Google image search despite your best efforts to find it, then it's safe to say that thieves will struggle to find it also.

◾ If the art is just going on social media, something like 700 x 700 px will suffice.

◾ When your work is featured in video content such as a Youtube video at high-definition 1080p, then you'll want to consider a bigger image to fill this 1920 x 1080 px resolution frame. At this time, stealing images from Youtube screenshots to later use on a printed product isn't common.

◾ For online use, I generally try to keep the widest part of an image at 900px - 1200px maximum.

2. Lower the print resolution of your images

Not to be confused with screen resolution, when an image is printed, it's pixels per inch (ppi) is taken into account to determine its print resolution and level of quality. [Note- for the sake of argument, I sometimes use the terms 'ppi' and 'dpi' (dots per inch) interchangeably]

Pixel dimensions and ppi are somewhat interlinked. If saving art in Photoshop, you can modify its dimensions and amount of ppi independently and under the setting: Image -> Image Size.

Lowering the image size and resolution before putting it online is one of the best ways to prevent art theft. However, some thieves will still attempt, and in some cases succeed, in selling low-res printed products to unfussy customers. As a consumer, you should always expect the artwork on any product you buy to look sharp as a knife. If it's not, ask yourself- Is this product counterfeit? And if so do I want to support counterfeiters? Less demand for low quality, stolen 'toot' = less reason for art to be taken in the first place.

Also, it's worth being aware that A.I. software exists which can attempt to up-scale low-res art into high-res sizes. It's not perfect, but something to consider.

3. Compress your images and save as JPEG

Most images shared online will be saved as a compressed JPEG file. This typically uses .jpg extension at the end of the file name. Even a large, high-res Jpeg won't be suitable for print if it's been super compressed.

You can vary the amount of compression applied to a jpeg. But the more compression, the uglier it looks on a display. You want to find a sweet spot where the quality will drop by a few notches but the image still looks decent on the screen. A Jpeg should still look fine on screen at 60-70% quality and also benefit from a smaller file size. Certainly, 100% quality shouldn't be shared online.

If I'm saving a jpeg for the web with Photoshop, I'll typically use it's 9 out of 12 quality setting.

4. Add a Watermark to artwork

Your digital watermark could be a logo or signature. Watermarks usually cover a portion of the art with a semi-transparent logo or word which makes the image less useful without totally obscuring it. 

I've found a 50-50 split with some artists advocating watermarks, while others think it degrades the quality of their work. Sure- a watermark will always somewhat interfere with the beautiful artwork beneath, and that's the point.

It's worth noting, anyone selling products containing watermarks is making use of 100% stolen art. Again, as consumers, we should resist the temptation to purchase these products so as to not support the pirates.

Amazingly, I once saw a stolen, watermarked artwork with a huge DevianArt logo over the top being sold on a garment by a printed hoodie business. The audacity to openly commit this act of fraud was remarkable. I would often troll their social media account asking why they steal all their art and don't pay artists for the privilege. It was an attempt to shame them into stopping the practice. Sure, they'd delete my comments and attempt to ban me, but when I see things like this, I can't ignore it. I don't like to see other artists being taken advantage of, whether they are aware of  it or not.

How do I know if I should watermark my artwork?

I've noticed certain styles and themes of artwork are more likely to be stolen. And so the need for a watermark is more important. Do you create fan art? Paint celebrities? Draw actors or characters from popular culture? Is your subject easy to cut out and paste on products, e.g. a character on a flat, plain coloured background? If so, consider watermarks. Something like a generic boat sailing on the ocean or a nice looking photograph of a local landmark is less likely to get swiped, even if it's a good piece of art.

5. Add a copyright notice or website address to images

Similarly to adding a watermark, you could add a copyright notice to your image. By default, any artwork created by an author grants them automatic copyright and ownership (other than in work-for-hire or other contractual relationships). However, adding a line of text to state the artwork has an owner may deter a few thieves and make people aware of the image's author.

Adding your website address to the bottom of an image could also deter and, in some cases, work as an extra benefit to the artist.  If it's the type of art that could get shared around a lot on social media, it could potentially earn you a few new site visitors. Or at least it gives no reason for anyone else posting the image to not give you credit for having created it.

6. Let people know you're the artist

Rather than adding copyright info or a web address to the image itself, you can always add this to any web page you post your images to. On social media, add hash tags including your name, company or brand in the description box. This helps mitigate the damage from social media shares where people don’t give credit.

A lot of people don’t understand the importance of giving credit and not stealing ideas. Add reminders explaining how giving credit helps you as an artist. These can be added to social media posts discussed on your blog or website. Anywhere you might post your intellectual property. No need to moan about it. Be professional and let people know why crediting artists is important.

7. Don't share the full image

You could decide to post just a cropped version of the full image you have. This isn't necessarily a great solution and the crop still has a chance of being taken, but in a few select cases, it could work as a deterrent.

8. Only post photos of your art

Particularly for digital artists and photographers, one thing to consider is printing out your work, then taking and sharing photos of it. It can be taken at a slight angle by tilting the work, placed in a frame or held up to the camera. Any ambient shadows or lighting stops a thief from being able to download a clean version of the image suitable to add to products.

I see this from a few Instagram artists I follow- they add overlapping pens or paintbrushes to their art before taking a photo. It looks cool. Or they shoot their work in different environments- perhaps with plants or other accessories surrounding the image.

9. Disable the right-click function

If you manage your own website and have some coding know-how, you can disable right-clicking on your images. Therefore not allowing the option to save them. Or you can make images only downloadable 'webp' files which means they'll only open in a browser. This makes it a bit harder for some people to save your images to their devices.

However, there are still several work-arounds to this. These include saving using a screenshot, searching through the website's source code to find the unprotected image location, or searching through their browser's cache of temporarily downloaded images.

10. Be easy to contact online

If you make it easy for people to contact you, they’ll be more likely to ask for permission to use your work. Mention your web address or how people can contact you on the sites you post on. If you don’t want to grant permission, you can still politely decline. On my site, the Contact page even has a drop down heading for 'Usage rights' so that I can address this topic more efficiently.

"As a consumer you should always expect the artwork on any product you buy to look sharp as a knife. If it's not, ask yourself- Is this product counterfeit? And if so do I want to support counterfeiters?"

Ben Krefta, Artist

Battling Art Theft

I appreciate the war on theft isn't the most uplifting of art-related topics. There are many articles and websites which promote posting your art online to gain exposure, or e-commerce sites promoting ways to display and sell your artwork with relative ease. However, it's worth being realistic and spending some time considering the 'dark side' of putting your work on the web.

How do thieves find my artwork?

You've created an amazing image and want to share it with the world. For the majority of web users, this will be limited to friends, family and a few strangers picked up on the way. You might share it on social media platforms or art-related websites. Most artists, or at least, aspiring artists, won’t need to worry about their work being ripped off because they're simply not famous or easy to stumble upon.

If you've managed to not only create beautiful art, but gained notoriety, fame or followers as well, Congratulations! You've made it into the upper echelon! But unfortunately, now you're a target.

Is your work is easy to find?

Perhaps you’ve considered Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) for your personal website? Or maybe you’ve shared it on a site which increased its findability with its own SEO? If your creations have proved popular with lots of shares, likes, sales and so on, they'll likely rise up and become easier to stumble upon. Is your work ranking high on a Google Image search? Or perhaps it is one of the first items to appear via a Pinterest search? Great! It's not easy for one’s art to gain that level of exposure. However, thieves now know it exists too. They also know that the cream of the crop rises to the top, so they're far more likely to see value in your digital offering/s.

The prime targets for thieves, however, are existing online stores. Thieves pay attention to the best sellers on each platform to determine which art will more likely award them higher profits later on. If you’ve been successful at selling your work on retail sites like, Red Bubble, Zazzle, Fine Art America, Society 6, Etsy, Amazon and Ebay, then you’ll need to understand the artworks on those products are at higher risk of being taken.

Some of these sites will put some measures in place to prevent art theft. After all, it’s in their interest to not have to compete against their own offerings on alternative sites. Unfortunately, for me personally, their measures have been insufficient. Most of my work is typically taken from various other retailers I’ve licensed with.

Thieves using stolen art to sell their own products is only half the story. The other half is made of thieves re-selling stolen artwork files to other manufacturers or Print-On-Demand sellers.

Many sellers don’t even realise they’re effectively handling stolen goods when they buy a ‘digital image pack’ containing hundreds or thousands of popular images they can make use of on their products. Well, I say they don’t realise, but you’d have to be pretty naive about copyright law to think a nominal price for a huge collection of royalty-free professional art is legit.

I give a tiny bit more leeway to sellers who buy existing products already containing your artwork from sites like Alibaba in China. It’s funny how such a huge corporation can float on the stock market despite being a huge hot-bed of blatant illegal activity. Don’t take my word for it; just search for your favourite, popular IPs and franchises to bring up pages of unlicensed goods for sale.

There isn’t a solution to the whole 'being found' issue- we want our artistic efforts to go noticed. And we want our art-based merchandise to become the next hot seller. If it does, art theft is simply an inevitable consequence.

Should I always bother protecting my artwork?

Some things aren't worth bothering to protect. For example, thumbnail images for your online gallery will be too small to do much with.
Quick sketches, work-in-progress images or idea posts don't have a lot of commercial value, although the idea of having a link back to your site or including a web URL on these may still be worth considering.

Realistically speaking, is your art good enough to steal?

For most of us, we wouldn't even bother sharing our art if we didn't see at least some value in it. But while we may love our creations, would an on-looker sit up and take notice? After all, there's already such a huge buffet of pre-existing, quality content floating around on the internet. Perhaps there's no need for concern if you're just starting out on your artistic journey. Maybe wait until your work is good enough to steal or you've found it's been stolen before you worry about putting in more measures to protect your portfolio.

Your art may be good, but could still be safe if there's already something very similar ranking high on search engines. Or other art that already has a proven track-record of generating sales on other online stores.

It’s a waste of time to even worry about art theft

When it comes to taking measures to avoid art theft, such as adding watermarks to your art, it will be up to you to decide if it's worth the effort. Some artists just want to post their artwork online, then move onto the next thing. They don’t want to hang around, wasting time to consider if or when it could get stolen and used without their consent. This is fair enough.

I understand that life is short and we don’t necessarily want to worry about the dodgy, objectionable practices that take place within our global society. It can be a waste of life if you’re forever chasing thieves instead of moving on to your next exciting creation. Many artist friends of mine say the battle against art theft is too emotionally costly. The stress that comes from seeking out instances of theft or taking steps to resolve these infringements is too upsetting and not worth the distress.

Therefore, ask yourself, is it worth your time to take measures to avoid art theft? Is it worth your time to resolve an instance of copyright infringement? And do you have the mental fortitude to engage with the stress it causes?

Speaking for myself, my sense of justice and fairness is baked into my personality such that I can’t let artwork theft slide. Despite the mental toll it takes to deal with these instances, it’s even worse for me to do nothing while I know there are people out there profiting from the fruits of my labour. Also, if I am to sell my artwork on a print, canvas or product on Amazon, for example, I don’t want to have to compete against other sellers who are illegally offering the same art and product type, albeit of a lower quality.

Flattery

There is an argument I've never understood - "Why is this so bad? You should feel flattered that your work was good enough to steal". I understand there are many non-artists out there who'd love the ability to create good art. Art so good that it's noticed and appreciated. So much so that it warrants being stolen! However, they do not understand the effort and commitment that has gone in to creating the art.

Artists have developed their craft over many years to get to a point where they have become competent professionals. It has taken passion, effort and a degree of sacrifice (such as time) to have reached their level of ability. And with each artwork, a small part of them goes into its creation. An artist's knowledge, preferences, tastes and loves have been distilled into their work. It's personal.

But for thieves, it's not personal. It's business. The business of exploitation. This isn't something to be encouraged or thought of in a positive way.

Perhaps, for some, the theft provides a little boost of self-esteem? It makes them feel their efforts have value and so they are of value. I understand. It's nice to know we have something positive to offer the world, but that's not what this discussion is about. It's about acknowledging an injustice and considering what you can do to battle it.

Where do thieves sell my artwork?

Sometimes you'll stumble upon an e-commerce site making use of your work. Other times, a friend, follower, or good Samaritan will notify you so that you can take action. But if you are prepared to see if your work has been taken and is currently being sold online, there are a few sites you can use to assist:

Google Image Search - Upload your art / image and search for visual matches via  Google.

Tiny Eye Reverse Image Search - This works in the same way and can bring up matches from alternative sources.

[Note: In testing these sites while writing this article, I unfortunately found 7 instances of my artwork being used on Diamond Painting Kits and Jigsaw Puzzles by Amazon sellers. They've since been reported.]

In addition, you may want to try manually searching for products containing your art on sites like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, or Print on Demand Stores like Red Bubble. This is easier if your work is more niche. For example, if you've painted a blue fairy riding on the back of a toad- you might try searching for "blue fairy on toad", "blue fairy on toad art", "blue fairy on toad canvas" etc. It may yield product results. It may not.

If you'd previously listed and sold your artwork for sale on a site like Red Bubble, a thief may have also found it. You might try searching sites for the same title you'd used on the original product listing.

What to do when you find someone has stolen your art

Many instances of theft are by kids or naive idiots taking your image to use as a wallpaper, avatar or perhaps an album cover for their stupid little song. Over the years, I've found my art posted on forums, in signatures, as a Youtube thumbnail or Ad banner, as a logo for a tattoo shop. I've also discovered it on several hundred different retail products and can still find them being sold illegally today. Typically, an artists work will be taken and used to sell posters, canvases, shirts, mugs, or any product where 2D printed artwork can be applied.

For non-profit use, I typically don't mind my work being taken and shared online. However, I have a problem when I find it's been stolen and used for profitable gain. 

If that's the case, firstly, try not to get too upset and know that it happens to a lot of artists.

From there you work out:

• Who's taken it?
• Where is the individual or business located?
• To what extent has the art been used?
• What will you do about it?

If it's an offender in the USA, Europe or English-speaking world, there's usually measures in place to potentially take legal action. But you may simply want to request the art/product be taken down. Contacting a site owner / seller, explaining the situation and threatening further action is often enough for them to take down the product.

Takedown Forms

On bigger sites, there's usually a form you can fill in if you want to request a product be removed which infringes on your copyright. I'll list a few of these below:

◾Etsy has an official Intellectual Property infringement report you may want to submit. I once submitted a report against a seller who was illegally using my work. The seller then issues a counter-notice to declare they had permission (a lie). They would obviously never win if the case was brought to court, but Etsy then requested that I submit evidence of taking legal action in order for Etsy to take down the infringing product. It made me realize, sellers can game the system if they are ballsey enough to deny their crime.

◾Pinterest - You can fill out a take-down request. I usually just do these if the Pin is pointing towards a for-profit site/product.

◾Amazon - You will need to have an account with Amazon to use their infringement form. You may find instances of infringement on multiple Amazon territory sites- i.e. Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk and will need to submit reports to the appropriate site. Years back, Amazon often sided with Chinese counterfeit sellers when it came to infringement reports, but thankfully, things have changed. These days they've usually been pretty good at dealing with the hundreds of reports I've submitted over the years, with the exception of Amazon Germany, often siding with the thieves for reasons unknown.

◾Red Bubble has an IP Report form. As do many of these large print-on-demand websites.

◾Shopify also makes you sign up to their platform in order to submit a copyright report. I'm not impressed with them as a company. I've contacted their trust and safety team on 3 separate occasions to report a seller who uses their platform. This seller frequently steals my art to sell on their products. Everything they sell is blatantly stolen from many different artists, but Shopify refuses to take action against them.

Issuing a complaint

Here are some examples you can copy and modify when registering a notice of copyright infringement via email or web forms to sellers:

1.

Dear Seller.

My name is [insert name] I originally created the artwork on this [insert product] and its copyright belongs to me. I have not authorized the sale of or reproduction of this work and therefore it is a crime for it to be sold. I would request it be removed from your store immediately.

If you fail to comply, I shall be taking legal action against you and any other sellers attempting to profit from this or any other product containing my artwork.

For more information about me and my work, you're welcome to check out my site at [your website].

Regards

[insert your Contact Details]

2.

Regarding Copyright:

Hello. One of my followers informed me that my artwork is being used and sold on your listing:

[insert URL]
My Artwork:
[insert URL of your art]

I appreciate this product was likely bought from or will be drop shipped from a counterfeit seller based in China, but as I have not given permission for my artwork to be used on this, I would like to request it be removed.

If you would like the rights to use this artwork however, let me know and a licence can be arranged. Costs start from [Insert Fee] per design.

Regards

[insert your Contact Details]

3.

Details about Claim:

THIS IS A COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT CLAIM. The manufacturers of these products are illegally reproducing my intellectual property on this product. The products feature artworks of which I am the artist and copyright holder. The use of my artwork on these products infringes my COPYRIGHT. I have not licensed or given permission for my intellectual property to appear on these products. Therefore, these physical products include unauthorised copyrighted images. As a result, these products infringe my copyright under International Law and I require that they are immediately removed.

What to do when you find another artist's art has been stolen?

If you can spare 5 minutes, contact the artist. I'm sure a few artists would rather be blissfully ignorant about the fact, but overall, I feel that making the artist aware, at least gives them a chance to take action.

It's useful if you're able to supply:

• Who's taken it?
• Where is the individual or business located?
• To what extent has the art been used?

And then it's up to the artist to decide what to do about it. I'd imagine most artists aren't going to care if their work was used, for example, as someone's personal avatar on a website. And consider that perhaps the artist has licenced the artwork to be used legally.

Personally, I might not mind it if some mid-sized company blatantly rips me off so that I can potentially sue for a hundred grand!

When should you find a Lawyer?

I use a site called Pixsy. It's purpose is to find and tackle image theft on your behalf.

You upload your art or portfolio of work and they will display websites they find which make use of it by finding visual matches online. After that, you have the opportunity to allow Pixsy's legal team to chase any unlawful seller for damages or fees to continue using the art by officially licensing it's use.

If you've been selling your art and images online or licencing your work for some time, it might be worth signing up to see what they find? It seems most suited to digital artists, illustrators and photographers.

Over the last few years, I've asked Pixsy to chase several offenders on my behalf. You put in a no win - no fee claim, so there is no risk. 

One claim netted me a few hundred dollars after Pixsy took their cut of fees. Another claim allowed Pixsy to register one of my artworks with the USA Copyright office on my behalf without needing to pay a fee up front in order to chase a compensation claim.

However, it is often the case that they are unable to recoup damages as the companies/sites using my art have been small-time 'pop-up' stores which don't list a business address and info you'd need to pursue a law suit. Similarly, they find many instances of infringement, but are unable to pursue sellers in countries they don't have jurisdiction in.

Other than Pixsy, you may want to contact an independent lawyer who specializes in copyright infringement. There are also lawyers who specifically focus on online image or art copyright infringement. It's worth noting there will often be fees to pay up front and know that any legal battle will be lengthy and stressful to deal with. 

"with each artwork, a small part of them goes into it's creation. An artist's knowledge, preferences, tastes and loves have been distilled into their work. It's personal. But for thieves, it's not personal. It's business. The business of exploitation"

Ben Krefta, Artist

What to do when a seller reaches out to use your work, or has used your work

In the event you have a genuine customer interested in using your work- well done. If its for use on a product or service, this is your chance to sell it's use for a licensing fee. If its for the promise of "potential" profits or "exposure", I'll often decline it's use.

Any business or serious individual will expect to pay you for the right to use your art. If they've scoured the net looking for the perfect image, and your art is it, then that puts you in a good bargaining position. Don't sell your work short. Of course, you'll then need to determine who exactly the buyer is and exactly what they want to use your art for before giving a price. I'll leave the details of how to price your work for another time.

If a seller has already taken your work, applied it to a product for sale, then at a later date asks for permission, again this is a chance to charge a usage/licencing fee. Of course, this puts you in a bind as you will be going into this new business relationship without having had the opportunity to negotiate terms up front. You may otherwise want to refuse a licence to use the art and potentially sue the seller for using your artwork to begin with. 

I had this happen on an occasion and decided to charge a relatively small licensing fee for the art already used. I thought it was better than nothing, compared to over-demanding more than the seller could afford. And at least the seller realized the error of their ways and wanted to put it right by later finding me and paying for usage. It highlighted the problem that, with so much art floating around online, it can be hard to find the original author. And so, can be tempting to simply just use the art for one's project without investing time trying to find the original creator.

Will people still be stealing your digital art in the future?

The online space is still very much the wild west and in it's infancy- there aren't measures in place to deal with digital crime or to cope with the vast amount of counterfeit sellers abusing the systems that currently exist.

For many years I've speculated about the internet changing in a way to safeguard digital content. Around 2010, I dreamed up an idea to publish or share images online via blockchain technology which keeps a ledger of ownership or transfer history. Funnily enough, NFTs started becoming popular with artists a few years ago and although owning an NFT isn't going to prevent it being stolen and used on products just like any other image, the concept at least has the potential to develop.

With A.I. now able to reproduce "original" art based on existing image data, I suspect it will become easy for many sellers to profit from these derivative artworks as an alternative. Less art may get stolen, although it means artists will need to work harder than ever to promote themselves and their 'brand' over and above creating glossy professional-looking artwork, after such work continues to flood the internet. 

Summary

Ultimately, it's important for artists to take proactive steps to protect their work, but it's also important to recognize that it can be difficult to completely prevent online theft.

If you found this post insightful, please share it a link to it. The more we can do to highlight this stolen art issue, the better.