Devon Rodriguez’s Tips for Marketing Yourself as an Artist

Painter Devon Rodriguez grew up in the South Bronx in New York City and first became interested in art as a child. Now known for his portraits of everyday people—particularly NYC subway commuters—Devon is one of the most popular visual artists on TikTok. Devon’s self-marketing efforts on social media have garnered him more than twenty-seven million TikTok followers and landed him on the Forbes “30 Under 30” list for social media.

Marketing is a key component of pursuing a career as an artist. To market yourself as an artist means to “open up your art to a wider audience,” according to Devon. Consider these art marketing ideas:

1. 1. Attend gallery openings. Market yourself in person by going to art shows and art fairs to meet gallery owners, curators, art lovers, and art world professionals. You can also meet potential clients and customers at events. It can be helpful to have business cards listing your website and contact information for networking opportunities.
2. 2. Build an online portfolio. It is essential to have an artist website with an artist statement, images of your work, pricing for your artwork, and perhaps an e-commerce store for your work. Email marketing is another way to share information about your work with potential customers. You can have a sign-up option on your website and add contacts you receive from in-person meetings.
3. 3. Post on social media. Through social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, you can create a robust online presence and expose your work to a vast audience, building a pool of potential customers.

Devon Rodriguez has a strong social media presence. Learn how to build your personal brand and market yourself with this social media marketing strategy:

1. 1. Create a good hook. Find a way to immediately grab attention with your videos. The opportunity to hook the audience is very fast, “It's usually only three seconds,” he says. When posting videos of drawing strangers on the subway, Devon uses this hook: He starts with a shot of the person sitting down, then overlays the text, “Wait for the reaction” at the two-second mark to engage the audience.
2. 2. Do your research. Studying viral videos from professional artists can help you create your own art content. Use popular art world hashtags, such as #artistsoninstagram or #artistsoftiktok, to find viral art videos. “Try to analyze why it went viral or how it was edited,” Devon says. “And try to copy it second-by-second, but insert your own artwork into it. Always try to keep stuff fast-paced, because it has to be entertaining.”
3. 3. Entertain the viewers. Social media apps prioritize content that keeps people’s attention to drive ad revenue to make money. “One of the most important things to video on social media is having a good hook and keeping the viewer entertained throughout the video,” Devon says. “You have to find a way to keep people on the app while marketing yourself. [The apps] end up pushing your artwork for their own reasons—you could take advantage of that.”
4. 4. Keep it short. “You need to learn how to edit video and have short form videos on social media in order to make it,” he adds. He’s found the optimal watch time for his videos is nine seconds. After he hooks the viewer at the two-second mark, he’ll present the finished product nine seconds later, at the twelve-second mark. “Most short-form content is, like, zero to twenty seconds,” he says. “Getting twelve seconds guaranteed watch time is a magic formula.”
5. 5. Plan a content schedule. You want to create a robust online presence, so you should post on your social media account regularly, but not more than twice a day. “Two times a day annoys people and they end up unfollowing,” Devon says. “If you have a good quality post and a good quality formula, then you could post less.”

If you want to learn to capture portraits on paper and canvas, start by building a toolkit of materials. Discover TikTok sensation Devon Rodriguez’s approach to drawing and painting realistic portraits, marketing yourself as an artist, varnishing an oil painting, and more when you sign up for the MasterClass Annual Membership.