After you read this one, make sure you check out the 2021 version to see what’s changed!

After drawing NSFW art as a source of side income for the past few years, I’ve finally gotten serious about saving and using my money carefully.

I’m assuming that you also want to earn from your art, if you aren’t already.

Before I show you how much I’ve made in the past four months, let’s talk about one very important thing: your money goal.

Why do you want to make money?

Well… More money is good, right?

That was the mindset I had when it came to earning from my art. I didn’t need to make money (I still live with parents and I’m currently in art school), but I was grinding away on auto pilot. More commissions, more money, more happy! Hah.

Drawing to make money was a quick way to burn out. When the euphoria of a new commission wears off, you’re faced with the work part and… Oof.

Making money for more is an endless race. Instead, what are you working towards? What goals will your money help you accomplish?

For me, I want to earn enough money to support a minimal but comforting lifestyle, while having enough for things I care for, like books and weekend café runs. Oh, and the occasional trip to Japan.

Having a money goal guides your actions, reminding you to save instead of splurge, to invest instead of spend.

Beats, I just wanna see how much you make. Come on.

Haha, I know the self-development side isn’t for everyone, but I hope that gave you a new perspective. But yes, here’s how much I made in the past four months!

Show Me the Money  

I have two main sources of income: commissions and Patreon. Note that these are not full time work hours, and are pre-tax.

	Commissions	Patreon	Kofi Donations	Total
August	6x comms = $366	$40	$18	424
September	3x = $234	$139	$3	376
October	2x = $176	$110	$0	286
November	2x = $355	Paused Billing	$12	367
				1,453

Insight #1: More work might not mean more money

Back in August, I did six $39 sketch commissions for a total of $366. A lot of people availed, but it meant more work.

Compare this to November, where I only did 2 full detail commissions for a total of $355.

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Personally, I’d rather have a few full detail comms than a lot of sketch comms because I spend the most time in the early stages of an artwork.

On the flip side, if you draw faster and like less detailed artworks (stormcow is a great example), you might want to increase demand by pricing cheaper but spending less time drawing.

It’s important your branding and services is consistent with what you want, so you don’t disappoint clients who expect one thing or the other.

Handpicked for You: How to Build Your Brand and Stand Out

Insight #2: The sooner you start a Patreon, the better

I started my Patreon around July/August, so it was only earning $40 that time. By September, it reached a high before lowering as the holidays approached (Patrons had to save for gifts haha).

Be careful about offering rewards if you’re a slow artist, like me. After realizing how time consuming rewards were,I changed my monthly rewards to bi-monthly. As long as you’re clear with Patrons what the updated rewards are, there’s nothing to worry about.

Handpicked for You: Making Extra Content That’s Still Meaningful

Insight #3: Commissions might not be enough

One of the reasons I’ve tried to stay so productive this lock-down is… if I can’t do it now, how much more when the world starts opening up again?

I’ve pushed my commission prices to the highest they’ve ever been. If I did full time hours, I might be able to pull off a decent income.

But again, what’s your money goal? I didn’t start freelancing so I would slave away full time. I want to earn so I can work at my own pace.

Commissions, though they seem to make a lot, are time consuming and only useful to one person: the commissioner.

However, this is also because of my business model. I don’t like drawing fanart. Compare this to Afrobull, who earns $7k a month from Patreon where he does flash polls!

So, my business goal right now is to build other recurrent sources of income like selling stickers and art prints on Redbubble. These can be made once and sold repeatedly.

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I’ll let you know how that goes!

4 Ways to Make Money as an NSFW Artist

Conclusion

I’m nowhere near making full time income from my art, but it was nice to step back and remind myself of my money goal.

I hope the behind the scenes was helpful for you. Let me know what you think by commenting or tweeting me @hbeatsart.

Join other artists growing their art and business skills over at the NSFW Artists Guild Discord. See you!