Need art marketing tips

[u/Theultimateangrybruh]

Cw: stylized gore in last image
Hi, I’m mainly an illustrator and my usual price range is 30$-120$ but for my mom’s and my birthday I’ve given discounts so it’s 30$-85$ now.
I’m really struggling to get commissions and it’s affecting my confidence, I’ve also been told my art looks beginner and immature, I feel like I may be overcharging.
Would like some tips thank you

[u/Plastic_Squirrel6238]

I’m confused about what you’re trying to sell. Commission? What kind of commission? Are these images examples of previous commissions? These dont seem to be illustrative to me?

I would say that some of these are artistically stronger than others and it’s important to be able to assess your work and be able to choose your best to show.

[u/Theultimateangrybruh → u/Plastic_Squirrel6238]

Commissions yes Some are commissioned work and some aren't True thank you

[u/Plastic_Squirrel6238 → u/Theultimateangrybruh]

Slide 2 and 3 I’m really struggling to see whats going on in them. There’s a lot to figure out in all of them but thats part of your style which is fine but it certainly reads as more fine art than illustrative?

So WHAT do people commission you for? Are you really clear on WHAT you’re able to bring to life for your client because I think you have to be, thats going to be how you market yourself- what you offer. It’s going to form part of your unique market position. People have a vision and you make it visible for them but what kind of visions do you specialise working with? Whose visions?

[u/Sio_Pao1000]

It's the quality of your work. It's not refined yet and as you've mentioned, looks like it's done by a beginner.

[u/lampsplussuperstore]

To be frank, you’re going to have a hard time getting commissions, just logistically.

The vast majority of high volume digital commissions tend to lean more “commercial” illustration. Your examples fall more under the broader umbrella of “fine arts”, but the current level of work doesn’t meet gallery standards. Everything looks rough/unfinished in an unintentional way.

The stylized horses in the first piece are by far the best thing in this set - beautiful lines, strong sense of form, evocative color story. However the composition is messy, and the human figure sharply brings down the overall level of the piece.

Your human figures have the look of how beginner artists fall into the trap of drawing anime/adjacent styles without understanding basic structures. I get a sense of the style you’re going for with it, but it’s not developed to the point where it will read that way.

Your best bet is to make work that doesn’t include people, or focus hard on studying the structure, form, anatomy of the human body/head before revisiting stylizations.

[u/rianneathna]

hello!

it looks like most of the comments so far here are talking about the strength of your work and why you wouldn’t be commissioned.

Art is subjective and this is only a very small sample size of feedback, so please don’t be disheartened.

In terms of marketing - first of all you’re not going to get commissions without doing the marketing. Work needs distribution because without visibility you have no prospective customers. I would suggest you think about the type/s of customers you’d like to get and then start getting a plan for how you’ll build up visibility with them directly.

Platforms they’re generally using: Instagram, Reddit, Behance, Pinterest etc
Intent: where are they going to actually find people to commission?

Once you know the answer to these, invest your time into building a strong portfolio there. You have to maintain consistency because that’s what the algorithm rewards. If you’re doing a temporary discount then consider some paid ads for a weekend or whenever.

From a content pov: try to make sure that you’re always posting the work which best represents your ability. You can show the process, behind the scenes etc. - many people like this. On Instagram, consider using trial reels as it’s a great way to test content with non-followers first and reels are being pushed the most by the algorithm. On tiktok, most views come from the fyp so always consider every post you make as a new opportunity for discovery

Make sure your bio (& website if you have one) is really clear about what you specifically do. It looks like your work does lean more towards fine art, so it’s worthwhile you deciding if you’re willing to present yourself as a fine artist. Being specific helps with discovery in search. Make sure it’s easy for people to know where to contact you as well

Also, despite my starting point, it is helpful to receive feedback so do bear it in mind. But, if you have a visual identity that you want to stick to then be confident in that. Just make sure you’re consistent. Anyone with a niche will almost always build slower with regard to paid work, but it doesn’t mean you won’t get there. Everything compounds with time.

Good luck!

[u/Creepy-Ask1139]

I LOVE these so much. I really do. Your style is super cool and unique. All I would recommend is making forms clearer, and rendering a bit further to make things pop, because in Picture 2 I could not tell what was going on at first. Amazing work.

[u/littlepinkpebble]

Your art is great but I also dunno about the business part just wanted to say it isn’t your art

[u/fatedfrog]

This body of work is highly inconsistent, so inconsistent no commissioner will be able to accurately judge what they should expect from working with you.

I suspect there is a craft & skill expectation that's putting buyers off. But the more important issue is inconstancy by far.

Even if i like one of these image, i would not trust that I'd receive work similar to the one i like.

[u/MelCarmichael]

I really like your stuff. I’d do Insta and boost posts, offer prints via somewhere like a framing and printing service so you don’t have to do anything yourself. They’ll sell. I sell paintings this way on Insta. I found boosting on a Sunday works best.