10 Creative Ways to Make Money with Procreate as a Digital Artist

When I first started creating on Procreate, I was simply exploring a new way to draw.

Over time, I realised that one artwork could become much more than a finished piece sitting inside my iPad. It could become a print, a digital resource, a personalised commission, a pattern, a teaching tool or even the beginning of an entirely new product.

That doesn't mean every artist needs to turn their creativity into a business.

But if you do want to explore ways of earning from your digital art, Procreate gives you plenty of possibilities.

Here are 10 realistic ways digital artists can turn their Procreate skills into income — while still developing a creative practice that feels like their own.

1. Create Custom Artwork and Commissions

One of the most direct ways to earn from your art is through commissions.

This could include personalised illustrations, mandalas, pattern-led artwork, wedding artwork, portraits, customised gifts or something created specifically around a client's story.

The important part is not trying to offer everything.

Your strongest commissions usually come from people who already connect with the kind of work you create.

For me, that means detailed digital artwork, mandalas, patterns and illustrations created in the visual language of SD Doodles.

2. Create and Sell Digital Products

This is one of my favourite ways of extending an artwork or idea beyond a single piece.

A digital product could be:

• Drawing grids

• Mandala layouts

• Practice sheets

• Colouring pages

• PNG illustrations

• Creative guides

• Templates

• Printable resources

Instead of creating something individually for every customer, you create a useful resource once and make it available to many people.

At SD Doodles, this has grown naturally from the things I already use and teach — including mandala grids, drawing resources and artist guides.

The best digital products often begin with a simple question:

What would have made creating easier for me when I was learning?

Create that.

3. Turn Your Artwork Into Physical Products

Your artwork doesn't have to stay on a screen.

Patterns, illustrations and mandalas can translate beautifully onto:

• Art prints

• Postcards

• Greeting cards

• Tote bags

• Stationery

• Home décor

• Fabric

• Accessories

Print-on-demand can be a useful way to experiment without holding large quantities of stock, particularly when you're still learning what your audience responds to.

But don't place every artwork onto every possible product.

Sometimes the artwork tells you what it wants to become.

A detailed illustration might make a beautiful print, while a repeating pattern may work better on fabric, stationery or a tote bag.

4. Create Patterns for Brands and Products

If you enjoy creating patterns, there is an entire world beyond selling individual artworks.

Surface patterns can be developed for stationery, textiles, packaging, décor, gifting and branded products.

You can work directly with businesses or collaborate with brands that want artwork created specifically for a collection or campaign.

This is also where developing a recognisable visual language becomes valuable.

A brand isn't necessarily looking for an artist who can create everything. They may be looking for someone whose style already feels right for them.

5. Create eBooks, Guides and Creative Resources

Artists spend years learning through experimentation, mistakes and practice.

Some of that knowledge can become a resource for someone who is just starting.

You could create an eBook about:

• Procreate basics

• Colour

• Pattern design

• Mandala construction

• Preparing artwork for print

• Building an art portfolio

• Pricing

• Exhibiting your artwork

• Organising digital files

The goal isn't to package every piece of knowledge you have.

Choose one specific problem and help your reader solve it clearly.

Some of my own digital guides have grown exactly this way — from questions I repeatedly receive from artists.

6. Create Printables

Printables sit somewhere between art and utility, and there is so much room to experiment.

You could create:

• Colouring pages

• Art worksheets

• Mandala practice sheets

• Planners

• Creative prompts

• Greeting cards

• Wall art

• Activity sheets

Procreate works particularly well for this because you can create hand-drawn elements while still preparing clean digital files for your audience to download and print.

The key is making the printable genuinely useful — not simply creating something because it can be downloaded.

7. Work on Editorial, Publishing and Illustration Projects

Procreate can also become part of a larger professional illustration workflow.

Artists can create work for:

• Books

• Editorial features

• Magazines

• Covers

• Packaging

• Campaign illustrations

• Children's publications

• Creative collaborations

If this is an area you want to explore, build a small portfolio that looks like the kind of work you want to be hired for.

A potential client should not have to imagine whether you can create something for them.

Show them.

8. Teach What You Know

You don't need to know everything about Procreate to teach something valuable.

You only need to understand the subject you're teaching well enough to explain it clearly.

You could teach:

• Procreate basics

• Mandala drawing

• Pattern construction

• Colour

• Line drawing

• Digital illustration

• Your own specialised process

Teaching could take the form of one-to-one classes, workshops, recorded courses, downloadable lessons or corporate creative sessions.

I've always believed that teaching art isn't about asking someone to copy your style.

It's about giving them enough understanding to begin developing their own.

9. Explore Artwork Licensing

Licensing allows another company to use your artwork under agreed terms while you retain ownership of the original work.

This can apply to patterns, illustrations or artwork used across products such as:

• Stationery

• Textiles

• Packaging

• Homeware

• Gifting

• Accessories

Licensing is something worth researching carefully because usage rights, exclusivity, duration, territory and payment structures can vary considerably.

If you're interested in this route, start by building a strong body of work and learning how licensing agreements work before saying yes to an opportunity.

10. Build an Art Brand Around Your Work

This one takes the longest — but it can also connect everything else.

Instead of depending on one source of income, your art practice can gradually grow into different branches.

An artist might have:

Artwork + commissions + digital products + teaching + collaborations + prints + licensing

Not every branch has to grow at the same time.

SD Doodles certainly didn't begin with everything I offer today.

One idea led to another.

Creating mandalas led to teaching them. Teaching highlighted the resources artists needed. Those needs became grids, layouts and other digital products. Exploring patterns opened completely different possibilities again.

Sometimes the most sustainable way to make money from your art isn't finding one perfect idea.

It's allowing your creative practice to grow naturally into several connected ones.

So, Can You Really Make Money with Procreate?

Yes — but Procreate itself isn't what makes the money.

Your ideas, skills, artistic identity and the value you create around your work do.

You don't need to try all ten ideas in this list.

Start with the one that feels closest to what you're already creating.

If you love teaching, begin there.

If you enjoy creating useful resources, experiment with a digital product.

If patterns are your thing, start building a pattern portfolio.

If people regularly ask whether they can buy your artwork, explore prints.

You can always add another path later.

Create first. Experiment often. Build slowly.

That's usually where the interesting things begin.