There are numerous methods of making money and there are simply too many to mention in one article.  However if you are an artistic person then you will perhaps want to find ways of making money by tapping into your artistic juices.  Here are a few ideas you might want to pursue.

Pet Portraits - So many people have pets these days, whether it’s a cat, dog, parrot , horse or rabbit they will often want to commission a portrait of their beloved pet so that they can remember them forever.  There are many styles that you could choose to do and it really depends on your own strengths.  Many pet portraits can be done in pastel, charcoal, pencil ,oil paints, acrylics and watercolours. 

To begin with you could do portraits of your friends’ pets or photos of pets that you find in magazines or on the internet.  This way you can build up a portfolio to show potential clients.  If you create a simple website you can place scanned images of the portraits onto your website.  If for instance you live in San Diego you could have the title of you website something like “Pet Portraits in San Diego” because this is probably what people would type in when they are searching for this service.

Mural Painting - Again, if you have a flair for painting you could offer your services to those who want a mural in their home.  It could be that someone wants a waterfall scene in their sunroom or Disney characters in their child’s bedroom.  Again, creating a portfolio is important for this sort of thing because clients want to know the quality of your work.  A mural doesn’t even have to be huge.  You might offer to do some simple ivy trailing around the picture rail or you could even paint pretty designs onto mailboxes.

Face Painting - Kids simply love having their faces painted in all sorts of different patterns from a pretty butterfly to a scary zombie.  Offering your services as a face painter at kids parties can bring in some extra money for you.  You could even set up a stall in a busy area offering face painting.  Find out what festivals and sporting activities are taking place and enquire about setting up a stall.  When it comes to actually painting faces you will need to make sure that you have practiced a number of different designs to ensure you are competent enough.  You will also need to buy face paints in a variety of colours.  You could also diversify into hair braiding and temporary tattoos.

Remember that whatever method you use to make money as an artist you ought to conduct your activities in a professional manner.  This means turning up on time, being polite, communicating with the client about what they are looking for and when the work will be completed and such like.  Be careful about taking on too much work because you might end up disappointing people in terms of quality and promptness.  And don’t undervalue your work.  Too many artists undercharge and sell themselves short.  You should also have business cards made up along with a simple leaflet explaining what you do.  Many artists receive work because previous clients have been so happy that they have recommended you to their family and friends.  Don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth.