Drawing was an occasional side hobby for me, but I never really thought about selling illustrations. I never won any art contests in school, and the last time I took an art class that involved illustrations was in middle school. I did occasionally draw pictures since then, but I never really took it as an all-the-time hobby. It was a once-in-a-while thing.
I spent more time doing other hobbies like reading, doing online research, writing blogs, and riding bikes (note to self: get back on the bike already, you've been away too long).
All of my computer work was done in a library or an internet cafe (sadly, most went out of business even before the pandemic) until I finally got my own computer back in 2015. (note: I had one that broke down in 2003, and even then, it wasn't connected to the internet).
With my computer, I finally started what I really dreamed of, making my own electronic music.
So in 2016, I started making & selling instrumental tracks under my nickname Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior.
Because I didn't have any money for big-budget videos, I had to rely on still images for my music videos. Some of the images were photographs (usually my own, or those I found online in the Public Domain or Creative Commons).
But other images were my own illustrations. So yes, drawing became part of my business.
Time to get some coloring pencils and construction paper.
I also had to look at photographs and other images while doing my drawings to make my illustrations look a little more realistic and a little less awkward.
I also did some scratch art (See my official logo) as well as used Microsoft Paint for some graphic arts.
You can find some of the illustrations that made it in my music videos at Pablo The Mad Tiger Warrior - YouTube
Around the end of 2016 & 2017, I did get some unsolicited emails from a vendor that offer artists a chance to get their designs on the clothing they manufactured. I looked at their website and noticed the designs on their apparel didn't match the type of illustrations I was doing.
Afterward, I totally forgot about the idea of having my illustrations appear on clothing and accessories.
Yes, my music distributor CD Baby has a partnership with Merchly, a merchandise manufacturer. The problem is you have to order in bulk, and I don't have room in my apartment for more items ordered in bulk.
But earlier, this year, a friend posted on Facebook that you can order merchandise with his illustration via RedBubble, a print-on-demand service/vendor specializing in novelty shirts, stickers, and other accessories.
here's my friend's illustrations and the merchandise you can buy featuring his illustrations.
Be the Mutant Walking Fish That You Want in the World by StuartFanciful | Redbubble
Dammit, I wish I started doing this earlier.
I mean, I've been making music videos featuring my illustrations for 5 years, that means I have 5 years' worth of illustrations that I already made that I can monetize via novelty merchandise.
So now I started my RedBubble account and started offering a few images that can be featured on merchandise customers might be interested in.
You can check it out at https://www.redbubble.com/people/madtigerwarrior/explore
Let's look at, for example, this image of a tiger cub taking a nap.
And I'm just getting started.
So far, 3 of my images are available on RedBubble.
I'll definitely add more when time permits
(note: it takes about 15 to 30 minutes to not only upload one image but also approve of how the image will appear on each of the merchandise you're interested in having it appear on!)
I'm excited about this because it adds one more revenue stream for me.
My music can only bring in so much money when I have a super-tiny promotion budget and most people consume music by streaming these days.
But if someone wants an item with my image, I'll get circa $3 per item sold (note: it depends on what item, being that I get 20% of the price, and obviously, some items are more expensive than others).
Being that RedBubble is print-on-demand, there is no need to order or manufacture in bulk, it's only printed when someone orders it. No need to waste space on unsold items.
I also indicate on RedBubble if that image appears on my album or music video, bringing additional awareness to my music. Hopefully, customers will check out the video or album it appears on, and this will bring additional revenue for my music. It's all about the synergy!
So check out my images at RedBubble https://www.redbubble.com/people/madtigerwarrior/explore
