this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2026
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I'm a watercolorist, I actually paint on paper. I don't like digital artworks, they feel sterile to me. I don't sell anymore, but others who do watercolor/gouache, that I follow on instagram (i.e. indie artists, not gallery artists), can't easily sell stickers anymore, because all that sticker-type illustrations (e.g. teapots with nice designs, animals etc), have been taken over by AI designs on Etsy. Stickers has been the primary way these artists were making money in the last 10 years. Very few people buy prints, as they're more expensive.
I have been making physical art myself since I could walk pretty much, and I have never once heard of anyone with similar interests evwn mention making stickers for a living. Maybe it's a geographical thing? I know some where making postcards and selling them on the streets for some beer money, while others kissed who ever ass they needed to in order to have gallery shows and establish themselves in the disgusting art world and make a decent living of their art.. But never stickers. I never bothered with trying to make money off it myself, I enjoy painting and making money from it has never crossed my mind.
I'm not saying that you're wrong, just to make that clear. But given how people will literally refuse to even touch anything that's been made with AI these days (gaming industry for example), I personally feel that the loud minorities of this online activism of "AI stealing creative work" is digital artists who only have grown their fanbase by a lot from slapping a "human made" note on their work, rather than having their livelihood snatched because of a Ghibli or a Disney generator available online.
Most of the illustrators I follow on IG, do stickers. Here's just one of the 600 i follow: https://www.instagram.com/cecileberrube/ Maybe you're into different type of art, that's why you haven't seen this kind of product. But cottagecore and lifestyle illustration usually produce stickers.
Yeah, that might very well be the case. I don't follow anyone online, which might explain my lack of insight of the different online art communities. Not because I don't think there's great art available online, I'm sure I'd find a lot that I liked if I used Instagram, for example. But because I don't really look for it. The only content I see online is pretty much posted on spaces like Lemmy (or Reddit in the past), like Comic Strips for example. Those spaces typically involves either digital anime drawings, realistic IRL paintings/drawings, or digital comics which often are easy on the eye with the point usually resolving around making a social comment on what ever topic people are upset with that week, neither of which speaks to my preferences. I appreciate the added context!
I understand! I follow mostly illustrators who do "cottagecore art" (apparently that's a thing), and while many still sell prints, stickers exploded in popularity in their online shops about 10 years ago, and overtook print sales. This is my art btw, on fediverse: https://pixelfed.social/EugeniaLoli Do you have a pixelfed with your art? I'd love to check it out!