40+ Product Ideas for YOUR Art Business That MAKE MONEY
A comprehensive list of 40+ physical product ideas for artists, ranging from standard prints and stickers to niche items like D&D dice and custom keyboard keys. The video emphasizes creative differentiation within familiar product categories and highlights print-on-demand and DIY manufacturing as accessible paths to production. ---
Key Concepts
| Concept | Definition |
|---|---|
| Hand embellishment | Adding original paint or ink details to a print to increase perceived value and justify higher pricing |
| Buying blanks | Purchasing undecorated items (t-shirts, coasters, hair clips) wholesale or from thrift stores to customize and resell |
| Weave on demand | A print-on-demand equivalent for woven textiles — manufacturer produces and ships as orders come in, no upfront inventory needed |
| Limited quantities | Artificially constraining supply of an otherwise standard product (e.g., prints) to increase perceived desirability |
Notes
Prints & Wall Art
- Standard poster or giclée print — matte, satin, or archival quality
- Newer variations: holographic, gold foiled, metal, or glass prints
- Offering limited editions adds interest to an otherwise ordinary product
- Pre-stretched canvas prints — ready to hang without a frame
- Can be hand-embellished with oil paint, acrylics, or metallic pen to mimic originals while remaining more affordable
- Postcard prints — functional as actual postcards or holiday cards
- Rare and tactile in the digital age; appeals as a novelty item
Stickers & Small Accessories
- Individual stickers — designed for laptops, water bottles, or bumper stickers
- Sticker sheets or sticker books — higher price point, nostalgic appeal
- Keychains
- Enamel pins
- Sew-on or iron-on patches
- Lanyards — practical for office badge holders
Bags & Everyday Carry
- Tote bags — perennially popular, used daily
Stationery
- Washi tape — flexible design options including repeating stamp-style patterns
- Calendars — consider designing so monthly prints can be torn off and framed separately
- Can be themed or include monthly prompts/challenges
- Bookmarks — can include tassels or be shaped/themed by genre or author
- Stationery pads — grocery lists, daily to-do lists, weekly planners
- Custom notecards and letter-writing stationery
- Custom envelopes — calligraphy or lettering work; viable for weddings, events, holiday parties
- Garden plant labels — printable or writable decorative labels for planters
Jewelry & Wearables
- Necklaces
- Bracelets
- Earrings
- Rings
- Brooches and pins (including shaped ceramic options)
- Hair scrunchies
- Hair clips / claw clips — blanks can be bought and hand-painted
- T-shirts
- DIY route: buy secondhand blanks (pre-washed, soft), screen print or embroider yourself
- Allows unique sizing variety and custom placement (sleeves, collar, sides)
- Hoodies — same DIY blank approach; enables unconventional design placement
- Socks
- Winter hats / beanies
- Silk scarves or winter scarves
- Blankets, tapestries, wall hangings, upholstery fabric
- Woven (not printed) options available via services like the sponsor (fiber art / Jacquard loom manufacturing)
Home Décor & Kitchen
- Fridge magnets
- Coasters — ceramic, painted blanks, or crocheted
- Custom mugs — designed or hand-painted
- Note: high-quality ceramic mugs can command $100+ per piece
- Tea towels and kitchen towels
- Could be offered as a subscription
- Cloth napkins
- Bowls, vases, planters — ceramic work
Tabletop, Games & Hobbies
- Playing card decks — relatively straightforward to execute
- Tarot card decks — ambitious; requires illustration for major and minor Arcana
- Suggested approach: start with prints or pendant necklaces of individual Arcana, then compile a full deck later
- Board games or custom board game pieces
- Example: hand-painted chess boards or go stones; thrift store boards as a base
- D&D / TTRPG dice — typically made with resin and molds
- Dice bags, boxes, or organizers — natural upsell if also selling dice
- TTRPG character sheets — best suited as a digital printable; could extend to a full custom TTRPG system
Tech & Miscellaneous
- Custom keyboard keys or key covers — large and active community around mechanical keyboard customization; can be painted or made with resin/silicone molds
- Pencil cases
Actionable Takeaways
- **Differentiate standard products** — add limited editions, hand embellishments, or unusual finishes (foil, holographic) to prints rather than offering them plain.
- **Source blanks locally** — thrift stores provide pre-washed, soft garment blanks in varied sizes at low cost for DIY screen printing or embroidery.
- **Design calendars with dual use** — make monthly pages detachable and frameable so the product functions as both a calendar and a cheap print bundle.
- **Start small on ambitious projects** — for tarot decks, launch individual Arcana prints or pendants first to test demand before committing to a full 78-card illustrated deck.
- **Bundle complementary products** — if selling D&D dice, also offer matching dice bags or organizers as an easy upsell.
- **Explore weave-on-demand manufacturing** for blankets and tapestries to avoid upfront inventory costs while offering a high-quality woven (not printed) textile product.
Quotes Worth Keeping
I kind of want everything in my life to be designed by artists, if I'm being totally honest.
Know that people like me will pay for them — I spent $165 per mug and I was so eager to buy them.