Practical tips to grow your social media following with digital art

You’ve heard about it before. Artists are often struggling to get their work seen on social media. When there is so much content out there, it’s tough competing for some visibility. Simply posting a picture on a platform isn’t enough. We need to get creative about how we get out there and be engaged with the online community. Luck certainly plays a role too. We have some ideas though for things you could try for growing your social media audience.

Livestream your art

So you’ve spent some time growing your skills and you feel like you can put yourself out there. Why not invite people to join you for a live stream where you share what you’re working on? You could even invite them to jump into a shared Magma canvas with you. You might find yourself a long-time follower excited to share what you created together.

Capture timelapse videos

People enjoy watching the process of coming alive, and the best way to show that is through video. Timelapse videos are a great way to show your audience a bit more of what goes into making an artwork, and most devices have a screen recorder built-in that you can use. With some basic editing, you can then share your art far and wide through channels like YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels.

(Magma does not have a built-in timelapse recorder yet - but if think it’s a great idea to add it, let us know here!)

Make a YouTube video

Like live streaming, making YouTube videos can be a bit daunting, but it’s a great way to connect with people and show your process in more detail. Talk about what you are doing, what you are struggling with, and what you are trying to achieve.

Share what you know

Many people treat YouTube as a search engine, so if you have skills to share, then this will get more eyes on you and your work. Found a cool feature in Magma you want to share? Have you had people ask how you draw this or that? Make a video or interesting explainer post about it. If you are able to provide content that is helpful and informative while sharing your art, people may be more inclined to tap that Follow or Subscribe button.

Make some fan art

Do you love Star Wars, Critical Role, or Avengers? Well so do many of us! And like us,  I’m sure you like seeing cool art of your favorite characters done by different artists.

Making fan art is a great way to connect with audiences that enjoy the same things as you. If they like your style and your ideas about their beloved characters, they might hit that Follow button to see what you draw next time.

Join a monthly drawing challenge

Monthly challenges are a great time to discover tons of new artists, while they all tackle the same set of daily prompts. People are actively looking to see how other fellow artists are interpreting those, and so your chance of being seen and meeting other determined pixel pushers is much higher.

Join a Draw This In Your Style challenge

Speaking of fan art and drawing challenges, why not try your hand at Draw This In Your Style challenges that other artists put out.

Collaborate with friends and fellow artists

Two creative heads are better than one. Team up with fellow artists to create something together and tap into each others’ audiences. Do an art chain, draw simultaneously on a shared Magma canvas, or challenge each other live with drawing prompts and a time limit. If you are looking for buddies to draw with then consider joining our Discord server. Here you’ll easily be able to meet fellow artists and jump on a canvas together. Look for the Drawing Buddies tab on the left side of your Art Desk on Magma.

Tag your brands

Let the hardware and software brands you use know that you are enjoying creating with their product. Magma loves to see what artists are creating on our platform so be sure to mention us and use the tag @magma_com. We may even share your work with our audience as well on social media and in our newsletters! With over 1 million registered Magma users, that’s a lot of potential eyeballs for you.

Wrapping up…

You don’t have to use all these ideas for growing on social media, but some combination of them will definitely be helpful. Don’t expect to go viral right away though. Likes and praise shouldn’t be why you post. You’ll lose motivation and confidence quickly if it is. 

A career in art is a marathon. So take the time to develop your ability and cultivate good habits and enjoyment for the process first. Your passion and creativity will surely rub off and inspire others. What better way to share that than to draw with other artists, and that is what Magma is for! Try Magma for free today.