How Ordinary Artists Are Earning Thousands Every Month Drawing Cartoons (Here’s How)
Professional cartooning is a powerful and lucrative skill. Whether you want to draw political cartoons for newspapers or educational cartoons for students, there are many ways to monetize your passion and build a steady income. Let’s dive into the tools, niches, and earning opportunities that can help you succeed.
🎯 1. Develop Your Cartooning Skills
Before worrying about money:
- ✏️ Practice regularly: Draw characters, practice different styles (e.g. anime, comic strips, political cartoons).
- 💡 Study successful cartoons: Pixar, Disney, webcomics, editorial cartoons.
🧰 2. Choose the Right Tools & Software
Professional cartoons require professional tools:
- ✅ Free options:
- Krita (painting & drawing)
- GIMP (image manipulation)
- ✅ Premium tools:
- Clip Studio Paint — industry standard for comics.
- Procreate — top-notch for iPad-based cartooning.
- Adobe Animate — for animated cartoons.
- Toon Boom Harmony — studio-level 2D animation.
- ✅ Tablet or iPad with Apple Pencil/Stylus — gives you control and flexibility.
🧠 3. Create a Portfolio & Personal Brand
- 🖼️ Start posting your work on social platforms:
- Instagram, Twitter (X), DeviantArt, Behance.
- TikTok & YouTube — post process videos.
- 🎨 Develop a consistent style and theme so people recognize you.
- 💻 Create a simple portfolio website or use a service like ArtStation.
💸 4. Monetization Strategies
Here’s where you make real money:
🎯 Commissions & Freelance
- Join marketplaces:
- Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer
- Offer custom avatars, portraits, comic strips.
- Charge per character or per scene.
🏪 Sell Cartoon Products
- Merchandise: Sell your cartoons on t-shirts, mugs, stickers.
- Print-on-demand sites:
- Redbubble, Teespring, Society6.
- Digital products: Sell PDFs of your comic strips or character designs on Etsy or Gumroad.
🎥 Create Animated Content
- Start a YouTube channel making animated shorts.
- Monetize with ads, sponsorships, and memberships.
- Revenue can grow fast with viral content!
🎮 Offer Online Courses
- Teach cartooning basics on platforms like:
- Udemy, Skillshare
- A well-done course can make passive income for years.
📈 5. Scale Your Business
Once you gain traction:
✅ Build a team — hire colorists, background artists to take on larger projects.
✅ Expand into licensing — license your characters to companies.
✅ Collaborate with brands who need custom cartoons for their marketing.
🔥 6. Consistency & Marketing
- 📅 Post regularly — consistent output = loyal followers.
- 📣 Market actively — use hashtags, join cartooning communities.
- 🤝 Network — attend comic-cons and art fairs.
💰 7. Realistic Earnings
- Beginner freelancers: $200-$500/month
- Intermediate cartoonists with followers: $1,000-$5,000/month
- Successful cartoon brands or channels: $10,000+/month
(You scale this up with passive income streams like merchandise and courses.)
🎯 8. Conclusion — Stay Passionate & Professional
Professional cartooning is creative AND entrepreneurial. Focus on improving your craft, building a community, and offering products/services people love. Stick to it and your income will grow.
🎭 1. Political Cartoons
What they are:
- Satirical drawings that comment on current events, politics, and social issues.
- Popular in newspapers, websites, political blogs.
💸 Monetization options:
✅ Sell your cartoons to newspapers and media outlets.
✅ Syndicate your cartoons through agencies.
✅ Launch a Patreon for fans who appreciate your satire.
✅ Offer merchandise (T-shirts, posters) with catchy political caricatures.
✅ Get hired as an editorial cartoonist by magazines.
💡 Example:
Draw cartoons related to elections, budgets, or policies.
Keep an eye on political trends and submit cartoons regularly to publications.
📚 2. Educational Cartoons
What they are:
- Cartoons that simplify complex concepts — math, history, science, language learning.
- Popular on school websites, educational YouTube channels, children’s books.
💸 Monetization options:
✅ Sell to textbook publishers or educational companies.
✅ Sell animated lessons on Teachers Pay Teachers or Gumroad.
✅ Start a YouTube channel for animated educational videos (monetized via ads & sponsorships).
✅ Create paid learning packs for parents and schools.
✅ Partner with EdTech companies that need engaging content.
💡 Example:
Draw cartoons explaining how gravity works or a comic-style story about world history.
This style often gets funded by schools, ed-tech startups, or e-learning companies.
🌳 3. Environmental & Health Cartoons
What they are:
- Cartoons about climate change, pollution, healthy habits, and social awareness.
- Governments, NGOs, health organizations often need these.
💸 Monetization options:
✅ Work directly with NGOs or international organizations as a paid illustrator.
✅ Sell public-service comic strips to magazines or websites.
✅ Make animated PSAs for social media campaigns — funded by grants or sponsors.
🎮 4. Entertainment & Pop-Culture Cartoons
What they are:
- Cartoons referencing movies, gaming, celebrities, memes, etc.
- This is huge on Instagram and TikTok.
💸 Monetization options:
✅ Merchandise & stickers.
✅ Subscriptions on Patreon (offer exclusive comic strips).
✅ Brand deals and sponsorships for viral accounts.
✅ Licensing your characters.
🏫 5. Children’s Book Cartoons
What they are:
- Cartoon illustrations for storybooks, learning games, bedtime stories.
💸 Monetization options:
✅ Self-publish children’s books on Amazon KDP.
✅ Sell illustration services to authors & publishers.
✅ License your characters to toy companies.
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