The Gothic Times

Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: Art

Abdoulaye Camara

I never had difficulty making money with art. When I was in elementary school, I used to sell pictures of cartoon characters for a quarter. Then in high school, I designed custom t-shirts with Prisma Color and fabric markers, and sold them to my peers. As far as how much money I made, let's just say that I was able to pay for my own prom ticket as well as my date's ticket…oh yeah, and both of our limo seats, too.

Now you might be thinking, "Well that was high school. What about the real world?" Or maybe you think I'm just lucky. Well, let me tell you about three other artrepreneurs: my brothers Mohamed, 22; Moustapha, 18; and Abou, 20:

Mohamed, a.k.a. Mo, is the C.E.O. of FirstClassDesignStudio.com. He didn't study art in school, yet he makes $200 per week designing CD covers and party flyers in his spare time.

Moustapha, a.k.a. Big Moust, and Abou, a.k.a. AJ, are the editors of T-shirt magazine.com, the world's first online t-shirt magazine. This year, retailers nationwide will carry their new clothing line Cashletes.

This doesn't mean we're the best artists in the world. All it means is that we recognize the value of our art and found a way to turn it into a business. But since not everyone is business-minded, we've compiled a list of ten things you can do to make money as an artist.

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1. Build a Portfolio with the type of work that you wish you were paid to do.

2. Submit Your Work in Art Exhibits

-You will have the opportunity to showcase your work to a large audience and someone might buy your art.

-If the gallery is in a very affluent neighborhood, they'll pay you big bucks.

3. Enter Art Contests

-You have the chance to rake in some serious cash. Some contests pay winners anywhere from $100-$1,000.

-Even if you don't win, at least you had the chance to perfect your skill and build your portfolio.

-When you see who the winners are, observe their style and technique. If all of the winners have the same things in common, you should adopt those elements into your own art, so you can win the next contest.

4. Have Your Work Published

-This not only exposes your work to the world, it also builds your credibility. People will think, "If this artist's work is in a magazine, they must be good!"

5. Build a Website (If you don't have one, you don't exist)

-Register your domain name on a site like GoDaddy.com.

Continued...

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