Is Drawing a Hobby That Makes Money?
Typically, when people ask, “Is drawing a hobby, they are really asking if it can help someone earn a living.
And the simple answer is a resounding YES!
Sketching and drawing can be more than just a relaxing pastime—it can also be a rewarding way to earn extra income, especially for those over 60 looking for a creative side hustle.
Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just picking up a pencil for the first time, there are many ways to turn your drawings into profit. From selling digital downloads and prints online to offering custom portraits, greeting cards, or even teaching art classes, the possibilities are endless.
With a little creativity and the right approach, your sketches can become a steady source of income while bringing joy to others.
Is Drawing a Hobby That Can Help People Over 60?
Drawing is an excellent skill for people over 60 because it offers a range of mental, emotional, and even financial benefits. It helps keep the brain active, improving focus, memory, and cognitive function, which can support overall mental well-being.
Sketching is a relaxing and meditative activity that reduces stress and provides a creative outlet for self-expression. It also enhances fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, which can be beneficial for maintaining dexterity.
Additionally, drawing can be a social activity, connecting people through art classes, online communities, or local groups. Whether pursued for personal enjoyment or as a side hustle, drawing is a fulfilling, low-cost hobby that keeps the mind engaged and the spirit inspired.
It’s also a great way to record special sights or moments that you want to remember during your travels! And it’s a very economical hobby: all you need is a piece of paper and a pencil.
About Drawing
Drawing is a catalyst that launches many careers like architects, designers, and tattoo artists. Even traditional artists can make money if they develop their sketching skills, get the right publicity, and make their work popular.
This skill is one of the most fundamental ways humans communicate, create, and understand the world around them. It allows for self-expression, problem-solving, and innovation across various fields, from art and design to science and engineering.
Drawing helps develop observation skills, spatial awareness, and creativity, which helps with learning and personal growth. Whether used for artistic creation, technical illustration, or simply for relaxation, drawing remains a valuable and irreplaceable skill in both personal and professional life.
There are many drawing styles, and I highly suggest trying several to see what works best for you!
NOTE: if drawing is the way you like to relax or pass the time and you have no interest in taking it further, that’s awesome! Just keep sketching and enjoy doing it. Not every hobby has to be a side hustle. Sometimes you WANT to keep a hobby to yourself because once you make it a business, it can become a job! So remember to always to do what’s best for you.
Let’s Talk About The Drawing Styles
If you are new to drawing, you will want to decide on a style and direction at some point.
Here are some of people’s most common drawing styles today. And these are true, whether drawing is your hobby or you eventually want to get a job!
1. Doodles
Doodling is a good place to start if you want to become an sketching artist.
You don’t need to worry about perfecting your drawings. Just doodle away and explore your style and method without restraint.
In other words, play!
Let your pencil dance across the page to your rhythm.
This form of drawing is a great way to manage stress and helps keep mental health in check. It’s also a way to kill time during boring meetings 🙂
For an example of doodle drawings, click here to see 20 different doodle artists.
2. Hyperrealism
If you aren’t a doodler, then you might like hyperrealism. This is the polar opposite of doodling, as these drawings are very realistic.
This drawing style takes a long time to perfect and can take years to get forms right. Many hyperrealism artists draw so well that you can’t tell whether it’s a photograph or a drawing!
This art style might be perfect if you love the attention to detail. It is wonderful because you can draw in this style as a hobby or even sell your work to people who collect hyperrealism art.
It can take decades to get to this level, but once you master this genre, you can sell your beautifully hyperrealistic art pieces for money.
To see some hyperrealism art, here are 40 amazing examples that will blow your mind!
3. Cartoons, Comics, and Manga
If you love manga, comics, or cartoons, you already know this art style. With this type of drawing, you eventually develop your recognizable style.
The downside is that it can take a long time to perfect the anatomy. But once you master the figure, you can easily bend it to your style.
Cartoonists purposefully use disproportionate or extreme features to create a unique style or look.
Consider the popular and lovable Peanuts characters Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, and others. Their heads are quite large in comparison with the rest of their bodies, but this masterful style made Charles Schultz famous.
4. Line Art
Line art is another extremely popular form of drawing. It is quite simplistic and uses only lines to portray an image.
Both Matisse and Picasso were known for their line art, in addition to their other painting styles. Another popular line artist was Keith Haring, who was also known for his graffiti-style work. You can see some examples of their sketchwork here.
Line art incorporates curved or straight lines, depending on your drawing. Many pieces in this style are minimalistic and yet elegant.
Some artists like to use colored lines, but others prefer plain black lines. It is similar to doodling but possesses a sophistication that puts this style a level or two above.
If you want to level up from doodling, I highly recommend going for this drawing style.
5. Architectural Drawing
If you have a technical brain but also like to draw, give architectural drawing a try!
This type of drawing is very specific and precise. It is less of a hobby as it is something that many people train to do at college – especially for the intricate renderings.
When drawing in this style, you might be sketching the exterior of a building with an ink pen and ruler that you enhance with watercolors. Or you might be sketching out floorplans for your own use or a client. Both require a keen sense of scale and measurements.
You can also learn to do architectural drawing for fun if you love the beauty of buildings or enjoy drawing their details.
The whole point of this style is to capture precise details while drawing the perspective into a schematic drawing. It is usually based on a perception and “brought to life” through detailed drawing. Architectural drawing is fun, but it is very intricate.
Check out this site to learn more about this style of drawing.
6. Geometric Drawings
If you don’t like drawing specific things and prefer shapes, then geometric drawing may be what you are looking for.
This style uses shapes to make a larger image. For example, if you were to use triangles and squares to create a drawing of a dog, that would be a geometric drawing.
This drawing style can be difficult, especially when drawing art pieces using multiple shapes.
Money-making ideas for geometric drawings include coloring books, Zentangle puzzles, tattoos, and more.
With programs like ProCreate and AI drawing platforms like DALL-E and Starry AI, you can churn geometric drawings out in seconds!
Here are some examples of geometric drawings to get you going.
7. Tattoos
Nearly every tattoo begins as a plain drawing. So, if you are a fan of tattoos, you may want to use your drawing skills to create tattoo art.
Tattoos are more popular than ever today, and there is a lot of money in this creative industry. Tattoo drawing is a great option if you want to use your talents for inking people.
You can show a tattoo artist a portfolio of your drawing ideas and ask if they’d consider allowing you to become an apprentice. Plus, laws and certification programs are required, depending on where you live. Some cities even have a tattoo apprenticeship program to help with this.
The best thing about this style is that there are a million different options. There is bound to be something for everyone, so if a little blood doesn’t scare you, consider getting into this lucrative field.
Here are some examples of famous tattoo artists based in the United States.
8. Typography
If you love the art of words, then this drawing style is perfect for you.
Typography’s main focus is letters and words that are then used to create art or are the art.
What makes typography an art form is how the words are drawn and presented. Typography also considers how the font is designed or used.
Some artists use the Kittl app to form their designs. Once they create an eye-catching font or phrase, they can print them on T-shirts and mugs or create print-on-demand prints.
Check out some of these examples of typography art that might inspire you to give it a try.
8. Stippling
This style of drawing was made popular way back in the Renaissance era. Stippling is done by using tiny dots to add dimension to the drawing.
For example, if something needs to be shaded, the dots will be closer together and fade out to create a blended shade effect.
This is a fun and interesting style of drawing that is bound to be perfect for someone with a lot of patience.
Here’s an excellent tutorial that shows you more about the art of stippling.
Is Drawing a Hobby You Can Make Money From?
10 Ideas For Making Money From Drawing
There are lots of ways people over 60 can turn their sketches and drawings into a profitable hobby, and here are 10 ideas for you:
- Sell Art Prints & Digital Downloads – Upload your sketches to platforms like Etsy or Redbubble as digital downloads or high-quality prints.
- Create and Sell Greeting Cards – Turn your artwork into greeting cards for special occasions and sell them online or at local craft fairs.
- Offer Custom Portraits or Pet Drawings – Provide personalized hand-drawn portraits of people, pets, or homes as commissions.
- Illustrate Books or Journals – Collaborate with authors who need illustrations for children’s books, poetry collections, or journals.
- Start an Art Blog or YouTube Channel – Share drawing tutorials, tips, and your creative process while monetizing through ads, affiliate marketing, or digital courses.
- Teach Art Classes or Workshops – Offer in-person or virtual drawing lessons for beginners, seniors, or children through local senior or community art centers, or libraries.
- Sell Coloring Pages or Books – Create detailed sketches that can be turned into adult coloring books and sell them as digital downloads or print-on-demand books.
- Design and Sell Stickers – Digitize your sketches and sell them as printable or physical stickers on Etsy or through print-on-demand services like Sticker Mule.
- License Your Art for Products – Partner with companies that license artwork for products like t-shirts, tote bags, mugs, and phone cases through platforms like Society6 or Spoonflower.
- Do Live Events – Provide quick sketches at local events, weddings, or farmer’s markets, where people can get a custom portrait drawn on the spot, or participate in a local Open Studios show or craft fair.
All of these ideas allow for flexibility, creativity, and passive income opportunities while making art a fulfilling and profitable pursuit. Just pick one or two and see which one works for you!
Final Thoughts on Is Drawing a Hobby?
So taking up drawing for a hobby is a quick and easy one to try for just about anyone. You can also see there are so many types of drawing, that you can see which one you like most and keep working at sharpening your skills!
As a side hustle, you can see how turning sketching and drawing can turn into a profitable hobby or enterprise, no matter what age you are. Thanks to the rise of online marketplaces and social media, you can start selling your artwork on platforms like Etsy or Saatchi Art. Or you can try creating art tutorials on YouTube to share your creativity while making a little extra income.
There are also craft fairs teaching community workshops to help monetize your artistic skills. The key is to find a niche that aligns with your interests and audience while keeping the process enjoyable.
Drawing is one of those skills that gets better over time, and it’s nearly free to start. So grab a pencil and a blank piece of paper, and start drawing today!
And remember – with consistency and passion, sketching can evolve from a simple hobby into a fulfilling and profitable venture.
