28 Online Jobs for Artists That Pay for Your Creativity

Online jobs for artists are tricky to find.

In this day and age, anyone can get a full-time job in the comforts of their own homes and earn a livable income without the hassles of the daily commute, spending gas money, and so on.

That’s why I took the time to find different freelance art jobs to help you come up with legitimate ways you can get paid for your creativity.

Finding online jobs for artists that would preserve their artistry is harder to find because these gigs must have:

1. an acceptable compensation and;
2. an opportunity that would keep their creativity alive.

Artists are a special breed of people—they bring beauty, enlightenment, awareness, and just overall good vibes to the world. When their creativity, artistry, or spirit burns out, their art suffers in the end.

So what kind of online jobs for artists are there?

Types of Online Jobs for Artists

The cool thing about artistic jobs is that you can do as many or as few freelance art jobs as you want.

• Freelance – You can cater to two or more clients at a time. Dabble in advertising, mixed with other specializations like t-shirt design, animation, and so on.
• Full-time – As a full-time, but home-based employee, you work exclusively for one company or client. Your tasks are usually described before contract-signing and will continue to be your responsibilities throughout your “employment.”
• Part-time – Part-time online jobs for artists are a mix of freelance and full-time gigs. You’d have to follow some kind of strict schedule, say 8 am to 12 noon, but you are free to do other gigs after work.

In the past, online jobs for artists were exclusive to work that requires no team effort.

For example, t-shirt design, tattoo design, and graphic design can all be done by a single person and have been known to be a good fit for work-from-home settings.

Meanwhile, animation work and marketing-related jobs such as branding or advertising often require multiple people in a team of artists to complete the work.

The advancement of communication tools and collaboration apps, as well as how companies now embrace the work-from-home culture have made working with a team easier, even if you actually perform your work at home.

This means the majority of the artistic jobs traditionally available in office-based settings are most likely available as work-at-home jobs as well.

10 Online Art Job Ideas

1. Logo Designer

Logo designers are in demand now more than ever. With how easy it is to start a business these days, everyone is looking for creative ways to showcase their new brands.

Fiverr is where most logo designers hang out, but if you’re looking for a steadier gig or even a stable job, go over to Indeed to check what jobs are available for graphic design.

2. T-Shirt Designer

Learn how to design and sell t-shirts, even without equipment or time for customer service.

T-shirts have the possibility to go viral too. The right design + the right ad could become an insane passive stream of income for years.

3. Illustrator

There are quite a few ways to make money as an online illustrator.

You can draw manually, scan your artwork and upload, or use any modern drawing pens and tablets to bring your art directly to the screen.

There are tons of technology to support illustrators these days, allowing you to create anything from stick people to realistic drawings, from line graphs to more complicated charts and diagrams, and a whole lot more.

You don’t even need to have a degree in illustration, but having one can give you an edge over your competition in terms of pay.

4. Font Designer

Designing fonts may seem silly, but you’d be surprised how a handful of graphic designers are still earning real money with fonts they’ve designed years ago.

A font designer can get employed by a company or you can create and sell your own fonts on various marketplaces.

5. Fashion Designer

When you think fashion design, the first thing that may come to your mind is the glitz and glamour of runways, magazines, photoshoots, and so on.

But before the clothes get into production and presentation (either by print or the runway), designing the actual lingerie, streetwear, dresses, outerwear, pants, tops and other types of clothing comes first.

And fashion design can be done wherever you are, which means it’s a perfect job for freelancers.

Plus, you’d be able to make at least $60k/year for one client alone.

6. Motion Graphics (3D) Artist

If you’re skilled at both special effects and animation, you’d be awesome as a 3D motion graphics artist.

You’d need advanced computer skills (with proficiency in tools like After Effects and Adobe suite) and several projects in your portfolio to land a job.

7. Industrial Designer

Do you have a flair for designing furniture, cars, or other industrial goods? Your skills can take you places if you explore engineering and industrial design.

You’ll need to have a knack for creating designs that balance visual aesthetics, function, user-friendliness, and cost.

This career path is also a lucrative one. An industrial designer can make at least $70k/year (and more if he/she takes on two or more clients).

8. Creative Jobs in the Tech World

This fusion between the arts and the tech industry is an interesting field.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics found out (from surveying 400 marketing and advertising HR managers) that companies are looking for experienced workers with expertise in web production, mobile development, user interface, and interaction design for both mobile and web applications.

There are tons of tech-focused creative jobs available, and more jobs are being invented by the day.

9. Online Art Therapist

Seeing a therapist is not as taboo as it once was, and as jobs migrate to the virtual space, therapists can now hold sessions online.

Yes, even art therapists.

You might need to get a degree and some sort of professional certification and license to officially operate as an art therapist, but if doing art that helps people improve their mental health sounds fulfilling to you, it may well be worth it.

For more information, visit the American Art Therapy Association page.

10. Caricaturist

Art can be funny, too.

If you have a knack for focusing on qualities of a subject and humorously exaggerate it (and not be cruel about it), caricature art may be something to explore.

These days, caricaturists aren’t just hanging out in parks, boardwalks, or events; they can be found online, too.

You can be commissioned to create caricatures from digital photos for printing on heavy board or canvas to be framed or on various merchandise, such as t-shirts, mugs, holiday cards, invitations, etc.

If you’re into political or societal humor, magazines or newsletters may be looking for someone like you.

18 Freelance Art Jobs Available Year-Round

If you’re looking for freelance art jobs you can dip your fingers into, check out these 12 companies that are always in search of creatives like you:

Photographers

Those with mad skills behind the lens could join several websites and earn through either direct sales or commissions.

1. Avanti Press – For photographers interested in designing greeting cards
2. Nature Friend – Nature-focused magazine accepts submitted photographs for publication
3. Obeo – You don’t need a portfolio here. You just have to take decent photos of homes listed in the real estate market
4. The Sun Magazine – Freelance photographers can earn $100 to $500 for a one-time use of their photos
5. Papyrus (see under How Do I Submit Artwork) – This greeting card company pays photographers and illustrators for their work to be included in their products

In the past, I’ve talked about several sources where photographers can turn their photos into cash.

Illustrators

1. Avatar Press – Illustrators and colorists can find regular freelance work with this comic book publisher.
2. Analog Science Fiction – Exclusive for artists specializing in realistic-looking illustrations.
3. Cricket Magazine – Only digital formats are accepted to their email.
4. CafePress – Accepts fan designs of t-shirts, mugs, hats, tote bags, and many more.
5. Cape Shore – If you’ve mastered painting in oil, watercolor, acrylic, or even mixed media and are interested in creating designs for the company’s holiday-themed paper products, then head over to Cape Shore for the opportunity.
6. crowdspring – This site connects artists to clients in competitive bids for commissioned work, such as logo design, web pages, cover art, clothing, and many more. Currently, there’s a waitlist to join as a creative, but check back as they have open registrations from time to time.
7. Edge Science Fiction & Fantasy – Exclusively for book cover artists.
8. Funny Times – Got high-resolution illustrations with humor infused in them? Submit your artwork here.
9. Oatmeal Studios – Submit funny greeting card designs and modern cartoon ideas. Oatmeal is always on the lookout for real talent.
10. Photolamus – Create caricatures from submitted digital photos. Jump to “Artists Information” on the footer, leave your email address, and you’ll get contacted back.
11. Rubber Stamp Madness – Regularly accepts artwork in specific themes.
12. Viabella – Greeting card company accepts illustration submissions.
13. Wild Apple – Wild Apple licenses and publishes creative artists throughout the year.

Where Else to Find Online Jobs for Artists

If you can’t find freelance art jobs from the list above, you can hang out in any of these useful resources:

1. ArtJobs.com – ArtJobs.com is an international job board in the Arts & Creative Industries, so you’ll see some acting and singing job postings right beside visual artist and illustrator job postings.
2. Arts Thread – Ideal for graphic design artists.
3. Authentic Jobs – You get a mix of creative, design, and tech jobs on this job board.
4. Behance – Classic site allowing all types of visual artists to display their portfolios and connect with employers looking for artists online.
5. Krop – Creative industry job board and portfolio hosting website, allowing you to search for jobs and display your portfolio on this site.

There’s also FlexJobs, Indeed, Glassdoor, Hubstaff Talent, LinkedIn, and other online job boards that are filled to the brim with opportunities for those deep into creative arts.

The Bottom Line: Artists CAN Make Money!

From the moment you knew you were an artist, I bet you can hear the naysayers clicking their tongues and muttering “just another starving artist.”

Well, they’re wrong!

Persist in looking for online jobs for artists that won’t require you to sacrifice your soul.

You’d be surprised at how many online jobs for artists there really are and how the right opportunity can turn your creativity into your main source of income.

Which of these online jobs are you interested in applying to? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!