Minors who consider themselves creators and artists and wish to earn income from their work quickly face the seemingly inevitable problem: signing a contract and accepting payments as an underage person—it’s a big no, right?
Not so fast. Entering a legally binding contract and getting paid for your creative work is not impossible even if you are under 18. Sure, there are rules to follow but you definitely have alternatives.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to start, what are your options, and what platforms you can use to sell your art and earn money as a minor.
- How can you sell art if you are under 18?
- How to do art commissions under 18?
- How to sell art (not via commissions) under 18?
- Selling art under 18: How to take care of the finances?
How can you sell art if you are under 18?
There are two main ways you can sell art if you are under 18:
- Commissions: Doing a commission means that people contact you to do a new art project customized for them. You’ll need to meet their requests when it comes to creating that individual piece of art that they would like to have while staying true to your style (at least when we’re talking about artistic commissions—freelance work can differ from this point of view).
- Selling pre-made art: This is when you share or exhibit your artwork to sell it. Unlike being commissioned, here we’re talking about art that you already created and based on your terms and ideas only.
Depending on which method you choose, there are different things to acknowledge but at the same time, there are some universal rules that will apply to both when it comes to accepting payments or making sure that you’re doing everything legally. We’ll discuss everything below.
How to do art commissions under 18?
Here are the basics to know if you wish to start doing art commissions under 18:
1. Share your art
First, you need to build awareness around yourself as an artist and share your artwork for people to notice. You won’t find a single independent artist in this world who could start doing commissions without putting themselves out there beforehand.
In other words:
If nobody knows about you and the things you create, you cannot expect anyone to find you and ask if you could do a custom artwork for them.
Fair warning: You need to be patient, persistent, and ready to do the hard work here. It might take a long time before you build up a fan base or a community and, thus, a potential circle of buyers who would commission you in the future.
On average, it’s hard to get noticed on any platform because they’re easily oversaturated these days, and can make it difficult for creators to stand out—be aware of this but don’t give up. Go and test the waters, and see what works for you.
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2. Tell the world that you take commissions
This might seem like an obvious step but let’s reiterate. When you feel confident enough to take commissions, share the news. Include that in your bio. Share a post on social media. Dedicate a page to it on your website, and maybe even highlight it on the homepage.
Let people know in any way possible and don’t be scared to re-post and re-share the message either.
Never assume that every person sees every piece of content you put out—especially if you don’t use paid advertising, the chances of someone organically encountering your message can be quite low. Not impossible, but low.
So, tell people you’re available for commissions in healthy doses of reminders, and stay positive that your first customer is somewhere out there and will soon reach out to you.
Oh… And, really, as step zero, talk to your parents, main caretaker or legal guardian before jumping on this ship. No, consulting any random person over 18 on the internet doesn’t count, even if they’re an artist, too.
Selling anything comes with certain responsibilities and consequences (more on this in a minute)—make sure that the people closest to you and responsible for you are aware of your plans and actions.
2. When someone commissions you
Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when somebody commissions you:
➡️ Communicate throughout the whole process and before it starts
This means laying down the ground rules for what the person who commissions you can expect.
A common problem, when artists are commissioned, is that they are approached because the commissioner likes their style, but along the way, they somehow forget about that and driven by so many, often random ideas, try to get the artist to create something that is not up their alley.
You can avoid that by presenting examples of the types of work you can do and what the process entails. Illustrator Cristina Gómez does a good job of explaining both on her site where she talks about accepting commissions.
➡️ Have written proof of the artwork commissioned
Since you’re under 18, you’re probably not trained in drawing up contracts, but the thing is that not knowing the law won’t make you exempt from the law. If anything happens, you, or, actually your parents, could be penalized in different ways, and surely nobody wants that.
I definitely advise you to have a Proof of Order document or something similar to a contract covering what should be delivered, under what circumstances and what are the responsibilities of the signing parties. Money exchanges hands, so take this seriously. Plus, a legal document protects you too in case a problem arises—for instance, if the customer doesn’t want to pay you in the end.
✨Tip: Always consult your parents, main caretaker or legal guardian on the above matter and here are some additional legal resources (also offering templates and pro bon services) aimed at creators:
- The artist’s J.D by Kiffanie Stahle (US)
- For creators by creators by Julian Sarafian (US)
- Artists’ Union England (UK)
- The Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre (UK)
- PandaDoc Contract Management Software (electronic signatures are valid in most countries)
For full transparency, I will mention that I know (and you may know, too) many creators who simply rely on written communication, email or chat, as proof of order so to speak, which is better than nothing, of course, but like I mentioned before, that is not the recommended route.
| Good to know In most countries, you cannot enter into a legally binding contract as a minor only with parental or guardian consent in writing. This means they will take full responsibility for you and your actions and they will be the party on your behalf to sign the contract. It’s good to know that even if you entered a contract as a minor (and not via your parent and guardian), legally speaking, it wouldn’t mean anything. As if the contract wouldn’t even exist, the other party wouldn’t be obliged to pay you since your agreement (signed by you, being a minor) is “null”, as they say. You couldn’t even sue or file a lawsuit against them if something happened. At the same time, you could also walk away from the agreement without anything binding you—except perhaps to return the amount of money if they accepted any beforehand. PandaDoc’s guide on minors and contracts is a very good place to get the legal basics in this matter. |
How to sell art (not via commissions) under 18?
Here are 6 ways an artist under the age of 18 can sell their works—but of course, with a few rules attached.
1. Etsy (age 13 and up)
Etsy is one of the e-commerce platforms many artists vote for. Some sell their works here exclusively (although, I don’t recommend that if you don’t want to face the consequences of platform risk). Others use it as a secondary outlet next to their webshop, and many consider Etsy as a way to earn passive income.
You can sell on Etsy if you’re at least 13 years old and have the permission and direct supervision of your parent or legal guardian. They are the ones who are allowed to register an account on the site, filling in their own information, including their name, email and financial details. They’re also responsible for any activity on the account—consequently, an Etsy account owner must be at least 18 years old.
👉Here’s Etsy’s summary on minors selling on their platform, and their Minors Policy.
2. Patreon (age 13 and up)
Patreon is well-known among artists, in fact, it’s one of the most lucrative subscription platforms for creators. This site is all about exclusivity, building up tiers that your fans can join and pay for content hidden behind them—content that they cannot access anywhere else.
As opposed to Etsy, this is not the channel for directly selling individual art pieces (although there are features you could utilise for this purpose), but your Patreon fans may want to commission you after a while. Of course, that depends on the type of audience you’ll attract there. For instance, many artists use their Patreon to educate fellow artists who wish to learn from them and want access to tutorials and other educational content, instead of buying.
Nevertheless, if you wish to earn money from using Patreon, you need to be at least 13 years old to create an account, and if you want to provide membership for others (and get paid), you need to have permission from a parent or guardian.
👉 Patreon’s policy about age restrictions also includes advice for parents and guardians on how they can have better control over their child’s experience on the platform.
3. INPRNT – POD (16 and up)
INPRNT is a respected POD (print-on-demand) platform, where you can only sell prints of your artwork (as opposed to other POD sites where you have more options). In general, you can start selling if you gain enough votes from the INPRNT community, or you may be one of the lucky ones to receive a rare invite. Once you’re in, they cover all costs for production, shipping, and anything in between, they only take a percentage of your sales.
If you want to get a quick look at POD platform options, read our article on Society6 alternatives, where we also point out a few tips on what to consider when deciding on using one.
If you wish to have an Artist account on the site, you have to be at least 16 years old and need the express permission of your parent or guardian to use it. They are the ones who need to create the account and register their information, including bank account, billing and tax information. A parent or guardian giving their permission this way to a minor, according to the terms of the platform, will take full responsibility for directly supervising the minor’s use of the site and for any account activity.
👉 You can read INPRNT’s Artist Agreement where they write about minors.
4. Gooten – POD (13 and up)
Gooten is another POD service but with a much wider portfolio than INPRNT. Here, you can not only sell prints of your artwork but you can put your designs on towels, mugs, water bottles and even candles. The list is nearly endless.
When it comes to selling on Gooten as a minor, the rules you need to follow match Etsy’s. You can do it if you’re at least 13 years old but need a parent’s or guardian’s consent, and they must accept full responsibility for your actions on the site.
👉 Gooten’s Terms of Service includes their age requirement details.
5. Kid Art Show (any age with parental/guardian consent)
Kid Art Show is specifically designed for young artists, meaning that children and teenagers are the only age groups selling their artworks on the platform, which in return provides a safer digital environment for them than others—even though, all the other sites mentioned in this list do their best to protect the online privacy of minors.
First, a parent or guardian needs to sign up and they can grant access to the child artist who can then log into a separate sub-account and create listings. The parent or guardian has oversight of all account activity of the minor plus, child artist accounts cannot send or receive messages unless the parent or guardian enables that. The platform also doesn’t collect or publish any information from children, only the photos and descriptions of their work.
👉 Here’s the FAQ page of Kid Art Show describing their policies and their general guidelines.
6. Going local (any age with adult assistance)
Digital selling is not your only option—sometimes we forget that selling your art locally can be just as powerful. Now, there are two main ways to go local like this: local establishments and markets.
➡️ Local establishments
Many coffee houses, restaurants, co-working spaces and similar locations accept art to decorate their space and let creators take money for it if somebody buys it.
The price tag can be placed right next to the artwork and if somebody buys it on the spot, the staff or owner can give you or transfer the money when you meet later on—of course, you’ll need to discuss beforehand if they want to take a percentage of the sale and in what way you’ll receive your payment. Make sure to bring a parent or guardian with you to negotiate this.
The other option is having your parent’s or guardian’s contact information displayed next to the artwork—that’s a good option if somebody doesn’t want to or cannot pay for the artwork right then and there for some reason but wants to make sure it stays available for them. Presenting the contact information is also a good idea if somebody wants to see artworks of yours that are not exhibited there or if they want to commission you for a custom piece.
If you have artwork displayed like this in any location, make sure to take photos of it and share it on your social media and other channels, as that is a good way to further promote your art.
➡️ Markets
In order to exhibit and sell your artwork at markets, you usually need a license or permit from your local authority. The exact process for this will differ depending on where you live in the world. You can google “market permit” or “street vendor permit” plus your town or city as a starting point.
Getting a license or permit usually comes with a fee and that is where you’ll need your parent or guardian again to help you out.
In other cases, you need to pay the private organizer of the market but the general idea and the obligations are the same.
We have loads of useful tips for you if you want to discover selling locally, in this article:
👉 How to sell your art locally + 3 extra money-making ideas
Selling art under 18: How to take care of the finances?
If you wish to sell art under 18, adult assistance is necessary when it comes to handling the finances. In most cases, for instance, with PayPal, which is probably the most well-known payment processing platform, you must be 18 to open an account and use their services.
So, first, you’ll need payment processing tools that you can use as a minor and if you choose to sell on a digital platform, make sure to seek out those that will accept the given payment options. Many sites will accept PayPal, but as we discussed, as a minor that is not an option for you.
Here are two popular platforms that will allow you to accept payments as a minor (with parental or guardian assistance):
1. Stripe (age 13 and up)
You can sign up for a standard Stripe account if you are 13 years old or older but it requires your parent or legal guardian to be the account owner before the account would accept charges and you could get the funds from sales.
They will need to provide personal information such as name and date of birth, along with the last four digits of their Social Security Number (for US citizens), a postal address and a signed statement expressing that they consent to your agreement to abide by their terms of service. In some cases, they might be requested a copy of their ID.
Stripe also has Express and Custom Connect accounts but those are only accessible if you are at least 18 years old.
👉Here are all the details of Stripe’s age requirements.
2. Cash App (age 13 and up)
You can use Cash App if you are at least 13 years old and are “sponsored” by a parent or guardian. Once they sponsor your account, they become the legal owner of that and an authorized user of the sponsored account, too. In other words, in return for taking responsibility for your account activities, they’ll get full access and oversight rights. They can order a debit card that is attached to the account, too. But when you turn 18, you’ll get full access to the account, as well.
👉 Make sure to read Cash App’s policies on selling as a minor and what is there to know about their sponsored accounts.
Become a selling artist under 18: It’s not impossible
If you are under 18 and want to sell art or do commissions, I wish you the best of luck and success with it. Know that The Creator’s Diary team is fully behind your aspirations.
Discuss all your options with your parents or guardians, and make sure to learn everything there is to know about your options. As you can see, earning money as a minor is not impossible at all—just seek out your best options and make sure to follow the rules. Hopefully, this article will help you do that.
In the meantime, feel free to browse our Creator Business articles, read our Creator Interviews, and check out our Creator Courses to learn more.
Featured image by Kristin Brown
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