{"id":12906,"date":"2026-03-23T17:34:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:34:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westernbid.com\/%d0%b1%d0%b5%d0%b7-%d0%ba%d0%b0%d1%82%d0%b5%d0%b3%d0%be%d1%80%d1%96%d1%97\/want-to-earn-as-an-artist-on-etsy-top-niches-for-paintings\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T13:07:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T13:07:55","slug":"earn-money-as-an-artist-on-etsy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westernbid.com\/en\/blog\/earn-money-as-an-artist-on-etsy\/","title":{"rendered":"Want to earn as an artist on Etsy: top niches for paintings"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHello everyone! This is Masha Kaganovich, a marketer at Western Bid, and today\u2019s article is a continuation of the topic about paintings. I continue to research your questions, analyze good and bad niches to give you simple comparisons. I will show you not only the good but also the bad \u2014 but all that you’ve asked for. \n

Topics we’ll cover<\/h3> \n

Today we will talk about:<\/p> \n

    \n
  • Chameleons and frogs<\/li> \n
  • Fantasy \u2014 various fairy tale creatures and themes<\/li> \n
  • Psychedelic art<\/li> \n
  • Snake art, in general about snakes<\/li> \n
  • Countryside<\/li> \n
  • Funny cats and foxes in clip-art style or illustrations<\/li> \n<\/ul> \n

    Topic 1: Chameleon<\/h2> \n

    Let’s start with the very first \u2014 it’s a chameleon. I can\u2019t tell you anything particularly cool or interesting about chameleons, besides that there was demand \u2014 we saw something like this over the last five years. But, when you really visit Etsy, you always need to check.<\/p> \n

    There are stores with very high sales \u2014 a real flow. In such stores, it’s best to look: where are the chameleons? There are none. There\u2019s a shell, there are birds \u2014 but no chameleon. So you can look at popular painting types based on their sales.<\/p> \n

    Topic 2: Frog \u2014 A GOOD NICHE<\/h2> \n

    So, a frog \u2014 this is the best niche. Look, on Marmalade, it\u2019s especially insensitive, shows nothing \u2014 there are some searches \u2014 33, with low engagement, competition is, let\u2019s say, okay, but for such demand \u2014 8 thousand. But if you look at actual stores selling frogs, you\u2019ll find things like popular now, bestseller. Well, a bestseller, by the way, is not a very good indicator because it might be something that sold last year, right?<\/p> \n

    But when you see something like popular now \u2014 here, by the way, with frogs, it often happens that both bestseller and popular now are present \u2014 so I wouldn\u2019t exclude them. But they probably should be framed. I see that miniatures of frogs are sold. And generally, in stores illustrating frogs, I see quite good sales. That\u2019s a good sign. Not 1\u20132 sales like with the borscht, as you remember \u2014 like 1 out of 6 thousand stars. That\u2019s a completely different story.<\/p> \n

    Two frogs together. Don’t forget that in America, a very popular fairy tale for children is Frog and Toad \u2014 two frogs, two friends, and their adventures. It\u2019s just the most popular children\u2019s book. By the way, I want to tell you a little tip: words like signed oil painting will sell better \u2014 there is search demand and attraction. Don\u2019t look at the competition now, because we\u2019re not talking about a specific genre, type of painting \u2014 it could be still life, portrait, or anything \u2014 right? It\u2019s about the fact that it\u2019s signed oil painting. Just as an alternative keyword to add to your list.<\/p> \n

    Topic 3: Fantasy Painting<\/h2> \n

    Okay, let\u2019s move on to the topic of fantasy painting. First of all, I need to tell you: your imagination based on your folk tales or movies is a completely different kind of fantasy. And your fantasy won\u2019t be bought \u2014 the buyer will buy their own fantasy.
    What\u2019s the fantasy of an American buyer? Here it is:<\/p> \n

      \n
    • Dragons<\/li> \n
    • Enchanted forest<\/li> \n<\/ul> \n

      I specifically tell you these words \u2014 enchanted forest. It\u2019s, for example, extremely popular in the book Lord of the Rings. Be very careful with Lord of the Rings. These things become bestsellers. The books themselves and original paintings will be out of copyright only on January 1, 2044. And until then, they are under copyright. So be careful. Your personal interpretation as an artist is allowed if you don\u2019t use something from the original books or movies.<\/p> \n

      Picture recognition on Etsy works. If you create such a painting and do not use words that are copyrighted, it\u2019s still like Barbie core \u2014 do something in pink dress, and it will still come up in searches because of picture recognition. So, avoid using words under copyright. If you want to do something like that, I highly recommend researching this process thoroughly first.<\/p> \n

      Remember your photos. Here are just brilliant photos \u2014 showing how it looks, where the print is placed. Several options of frames for the painting are given. High-quality images are shown. When I look at the additional photos in this listing, I learn something new each time:<\/p> \n

        \n
      • Various interesting interiors<\/li> \n
      • Different ideas for walls where it can hang<\/li> \n
      • How it looks better<\/li> \n
      • What else could be added<\/li> \n
      • How the packaging of the painting looks<\/li> \n<\/ul> \n

        All of this is useful information to help your conversion rate. \nLet\u2019s check Marmalade for what\u2019s going on with dragons. Nothing special, really. Remember, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon by the Chinese zodiac. But that doesn\u2019t mean dragons will remain popular until the end of this year. People are already looking towards next year.<\/p> \n

        Topic 4: Snakes<\/h2> \n

        The demand in June was nonsense. My prediction, based on sales and rising demand, is that snake themes should be popular. If you look, the competition on Etsy is about 5.8 thousand, and it might grow. Notice what\u2019s sold \u2014 there are sales in stores, and there\u2019s popular now, and bestsellers. It seems this theme is just starting now.<\/p> \n

        Topic 5: Enchanted Forest<\/h2> \n

        The next theme is Enchanted Forest. Note that I didn\u2019t include a long word or even ‘painting’ \u2014 there can be a million different products under Enchanted Forest. Competition is as described, but it varies over the last five years, and there is demand.<\/p> \n

        Here are some tips from Marmalade for this keyword:<\/p> \n

          \n
        • Enchanted Forest Painting \u2014 a good tip<\/li> \n
        • Enchanted Forest Background \u2014 for wedding or birthday photos. Backdrop, a large photo<\/li> \n
        • Enchanted Forest Invitation \u2014 you can hand-draw a magical forest or create a digital invitation. Very low competition here<\/li> \n<\/ul> \n

          I already mentioned fairy tales should be American, and the theme should be clear for the American buyer. Just look around \u2014 I see that the Fairy Tale Painting theme, especially Enchanted Forest with mushrooms, castles, fairies \u2014 do your own search to see what sells best in this theme. I can tell you it\u2019s a good topic.<\/p> \n

          Topic 6: Trippy Art \/ Psychedelic Art<\/h2> \n

          Since we\u2019ve started with mushrooms, it\u2019s logical that one leads to the other. This is Trippy Art. Psychedelic or hallucinogenic mushrooms. The effect they give to a person and their vision \u2014 such paintings sell very, very well.<\/p> \n

          See:<\/p> \n

            \n
          • Trippy Space Art \u2014 where the person flies into another dimension<\/li> \n
          • The word Psychedelic Art \u2014 very high competition, I don\u2019t know<\/li> \n
          • I personally prefer the word Trippy Art<\/li> \n<\/ul> \n

            Again, this is a very broad term, and the best way is to go to Etsy, search for Psychedelic Art, and look at the crazy sales in stores.<\/p> \n

            Topic 7: Countryside Painting<\/h2> \n

            Moving to the next topic \u2014 Countryside Painting. These are paintings of villages, farms, fields, landscapes. It might be hard for a new artist to break into this niche. You\u2019ll need to invest a lot in advertising and show good conversion from the start on Etsy to get promoted. Of course, there is demand. Landscapes are the number one popular painting in America.<\/p> \n

            But note that Marmalade shows some other options \u2014 Urban Painting. But it\u2019s a completely different theme, not related to Countryside. Then I started doing more interesting searches, like Highland Cow Painting. Right, it\u2019s also about grazing cows. And I understand now \u2014 there are searches for cows, engagement was even recorded last fall. So, perhaps it will grow this fall as well \u2014 high likelihood. Competition is about 5000, which is a different story altogether.<\/p> \n

            In essence, it\u2019s mainly classical oil paintings for French country homes or in a beautiful golden ornate frame. The demand is high. Don\u2019t be surprised by large sales in stores. Just look at the first page, right?<\/p> \n

            Topic 8: Cowboy Boots<\/h2> \n

            But if you delve deeper into the theme, women cowgirls \u2014 that\u2019s a whole different story. Flowers in cowboy boots, like in a vase, are the peak of the season \u2014 wow<\/em>. Pink cowboy boots and paintings with cowboy boots are really in demand. If you choose from Western themes, focus on blue and pink women\u2019s cowboy boots.<\/p> \n

            Another inspiring shop I recommend as an example is Fomenko Art by Lena Fomenko. She doesn\u2019t show her sales, but that\u2019s okay. Just look \u2014 she focuses. She paints with watercolors, and she creates collages of three paintings with a hat, a cowboy bottle, and boots. She follows trends.<\/p> \n

            Another store, very different, focuses solely on cowgirls \u2014 women in mini-skirts, white or pink boots. And there are sales there, but it\u2019s posters, sold at very low prices. Still, we don\u2019t know how much it costs her just to print these images.<\/p> \n

            Topic 9: Funny Cat Poster<\/h2> \n

            The last niche I want to discuss is funny cat posters. Funny cats, specifically posters. I chose not illustrations or other, only what I found. There was good demand in May and August \u2014 17 thousand competition, engagement, so there is potential. Competition on clip art is huge, but I did a search \u2014 Funny cat illustration.<\/p> \n

            Make it really funny. Often with food \u2014 coffee, pizza, mushrooms. Combine themes, for example:<\/p> \n

              \n
            • Cat in cowboy boots<\/li> \n
            • Combine several themes<\/li> \n
            • A cat in this enchanted forest<\/li> \n<\/ul> \n

              Understand? Combine multiple themes \u2014 instant double hits, two target audiences.<\/p> \n

              Topic 10: Fox Illustration<\/h2> \n

              Fox illustration \u2014 not very good, of course, unlike cats. Competition is quite high. Search recently shows some activity around May last year. Not much else overall. So, not a very popular topic. Also, keep in mind, when we say fox in Ukrainian, it\u2019s usually feminine \u2014 a clever fox from fairy tales. But in America, fox \u2014 masculine. It\u2019s usually a fox, more often a male character. Not always, but mostly in stories and everywhere else, it\u2019s masculine.<\/p> \n

              I think it\u2019s a good topic. I see there\u2019s popular now. Stores have sales of foxes. I believe it\u2019s a good, interesting theme despite Marmalade\u2019s data suggesting otherwise.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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