I’m an artist who quit his corporate job two years ago after my artwork went viral on Reddit. I now earn more from painting! AMA

What is your favorite thing about that amazing friend who posted your lion artwork and thus started this whole journey? :)

He is rather fabulous and an incredible dancer. Plus all those internet points. (Note, cnostaw is said amazing friend). Edit: He noted I spelled his username wrong. I r bad friend.

Oh wow that painting was the first one I bought after I moved into my own apartment! Thanks for giving my apartment some life! https://i.imgur.com/iDlzo9D.jpg

Thank you for the support!

Your use of colour is simply outstanding and so vibrant. Its a breath of fresh air. Great talent and I wish you the best in your future.

Edit: my pleasure. I liked the Lion picture so much I just purchased a copy for my living room. Thank you :)

Thank you so much!

Just shelled out £70 for my new flat for this piece direct from your site. I’m going through a rough divorce right now and i hope seeing this beautiful mix of colours on such a powerful animal will help to give me strength, that some days is lacking.

Thank you, I believe this is what I needed.

Sorry thats its rough patch but thank you for the support and I hope it brings some happiness to your home!

Do you have a video of him dancing? The internet must see.

Does him being walked on a slave collar by Britney count? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gb7UypwOxI (SFW btw) Edit. SFWish

I can't fathom being able to just show anyone a video like this of my friend.

He's a paid performer already on a stage with thousands of people watching. What's embarrassing about it?

He wasnt paid! Dragged on stage and went with it haha

Holy crap that's awesome. Did he get pulled out of the audience for that?

Yup! He is a die hard fan.

I want to know the answer to this. It looks like the other dancers are issuing stage directions to him on the fly, and he's just embracing it.

I think they just told him dance and he went with it.

And now reddit famous

The best kind of famousss

Am I a bad person for being super jealous of your good fortune and talents?

I get massive envy as there are a lot of waaaay more talented people out there and I know I got lucky. But hopefully pushes you to do more?

I think I upvoted you once so am I responsible for your success? And am I entitled to a reward?

I upvoted this comment. Enjoy that sweet sweet Karma.

I deserve sweet karma too!

Upvoted.

Just read your journey.. Really fascinating, well done and wish you the best (P.S: Could I also get some sweet karma too?)

You get an upvote.

I have your achilles photo on my wall, I never knew this story and It makes it so much better! You are amazing! ----Upvote? :)

Yas

Did you ever have any moments where you thought "I need to go and get my job back"?

Not that job (not that they did not treat me well, I just was unfulfilled there). But yes, constantly dealing with self doubt, long term planning and asking myself whether its safer just to get a 9 to 5 again.

But as an add on...even when I'm horrifically busy and very behind on deadlines. Im still pretty happy doing art daily (and I always feel incredibly lucky) so it does push me to make things work because I don't want to go back haha.

I don't think there is a single artist living from his art solely, who isn't behind the deadlines, heh. It's unavoidable, creativity can't be put within strict timelines. Make sure to allow yourself some leeway in future projects to account for it, as best you can.

May your inspiration never leave you.

thank you!

I don't have a question, just wanted to say that I remember your artwork going viral, thinking that you had a shit ton of talent and wanting you to have financial success with your passion. I'm very happy to hear that you have.

Actually, I do have a question: how much for the matador painting? That piece looks dope af

PM me! Most originals are being sold through my gallery so also email [email protected] if interested. Edit: Spelling

Seems like you are doing this for the best of reasons, then. Enjoying the daily grind, while squirreling away when you can (re: long term planning).

Isn't that the fledgling artist's dream? For one day to not need "the job" to sustain your creative output?

You say luck, but talent and hard work are best buddies. In my experience with music, it is a ton of hard work to satisfy the brutal criticisms I have of my work.

My question: how do you know when you're done with unpaid works, i.e. your own creative works?

Its tough, sometimes something you love doesn't resonate with other people. Stuff I have found a little lacking has sometimes sold really well! I think its good to leave an artwork for a few days or longer and see it again with fresh eyes.

Have you thought of creating a Youtube channel for additional revenue?

Do some time lapse videos of a creation. Or tips/tricks on creating a piece.

Just something to create additional revenue.

Yeah I have one! Check it out at www.youtube.com/marcallanteart

So how much were you earning before and now after?

Just under six figures before. Just over now.

Wow. That's impressive. For other budding artists around here, where does the bulk of your artist money come from? Is it from selling original works at galleries? Or perhaps selling prints?

Prints all the way! Ive even noticed most galleries making a move towards limited edition prints as its often a more stable stream of sales. But its always special selling an original.

What do you sell an original for/how much is it to commission?

Between USD500 - 6000 depending on size.

Damn, that's actually quite cheap.

EDIT: I'm friends with a few bit of Nyc artists. Large paintings can go for 3-4K. I get that if you're not in the art scene that can be surprising, but people put weeks into a single painting and their lifetime creating their skill set.

Come buy some cheap art at www.marcallante.com :P

Just thought I'd let you know picture 5 on your full portfolio has a spelling error in the title. I imagine it should say "little steps" but it says "little steos". Fantastic art by the way!

Edit: to clarify, the error is in the title desplayed below on the mobile viewer.

Thanks for the spot!

Hey! Congrats on taking a big risk! I'm curious about this because my girlfriend is in a similar boat. She hates office jobs, but is too nervous to do something similar. Do you have any tips on branching out and putting yourself out there?

To be honest, I would not have given up the years of experience working for a big company. It taught me so many skills about how to run a business, to negotiate and set deadlines for myself that have proven invaluable. Creativity is obviously important but you need to balance it with some of the more logistic and administrative icky stuff that most people don't want to do. But there is nothing stopping her doing it part time now! I waited 5 years before I felt comfortable to jump ship as by that time I had a good idea of how well my art was selling etc.

My wife did something similar. Working on your passion as a side gig allows you to grow with less risk. It also gives you an idea of whether your market is there, and allows you to build momentum and get a running start before you quit. It takes a lot of work though.

A LOOOOOT OF WORK. But worth it!

If all the Disney princesses had a battle royale style fight to the death who would win?

I reckon Mulan and Pocahontas would be standing on the heap. Unless Jasmine gets to bring Rajah. Then shit would get real.

For the sake of this question, are we considering Leia to be a Disney princess? Because she's force sensitive with the reflexes to match, she can use a blaster quite effectively and, if the EU is taken as Canon, she's a Jedi in her own right.

OOOOOOoooh shiiiiiit

Tell me about the cat in the picture?

Waffles is the BEST. My SO and I got him from the rescue three months ago and he is now lord of the house.

Will Waffles get his own lion style painting?

More seriously though, awesome art - what percentage of originals sell and if you don't mind sharing do they make up the majority or minority of income for an artist like yourself?

Prints are the majority. I would say originals about 30%. They are more big ticket items so I see it as a nice bonus when I sell one.

Yeah but what about the painting of waffles

Soon.

The most important question: Where can we buy your artwork?

You can head to my website www.marcallante.com or through my social media handle @marcallanteart on fb, insta, etc. Im most active on www.instagram.com/marcallanteart

However a lot of the new stuff is not being released until my show on Nov 3! Pre-sales are happening with the gallery. You can email [email protected] if interested.

Edit: You can also pop an email to [email protected] and spelling.

maybe we kids over at r/losangeles can get a little crew to come over to your opening and celebrate with you.

Yes please! Come to the opening on Nov 3 would be great fun. PM me or send me an email at [email protected] and I can send you deets.

I'd love to swing by! I bought a print of the lion during your original reddit post and it's been above my desk ever since. Keep it up!

Thanks so much for the support!

Hey Marc, glad you’re doing well! I’ve got three of your prints in my house, including the one that started it all - Portrait if Hong Kong. Love em all!

Speaking of which, how long did it take you to paint portrait of Hong Kong?

Thanks for the support! About two weeks! Mainly because I had to redo it twice. I didnt like the first two versions haha.

What kind of training have you had, or are you self taught? Just checked out Instagram, man and I love your work.

I am self taught! Part of the enjoyment for me is learning new things and discovering techniques. I read a lot, watch youtube videos, attend workshops etc. I just started oils a few months ago and absolutely loving it now! Thanks so much!

what's your favourite episode of art attack?

Yes.

Hi! I follow your instagram and the progress pictures you post. Every now and then you post a semi-finished picture that seems quite perfect to me, but then there's always more that you post later and I'm always amazed at how much detail that can be refined. How do you determine whether a piece is finished or not? Do you ever get concerned about under/over-doing it? When's the exact moment you tell yourself it's time to stop?

Congrats on the show, and Waffles is darn cute :) p.s. speaking as a soon-to-be veterinarian ;)

Waffles approves of this post. Thank you for following me and yes! I have that problem evaluating my own work as well. I sometimes share early stuff with friends and get opinions. Sometimes ill do little side studies to see what works. But I think generally you get a good feeling of when something is done. But just in case I sometimes leave an artwork sitting for a week or so to see it again with fresh eyes.

How big is that cat? Can you put a banana next to him for scale? Thanks

He's a big boy. When Im done answering questions ill try get a photo for science. Edit: the final link at the top has him pancaked on a chair now if that counts.

I need this picture as well! Your art is amazing :)

Thank you! Should be available as one of my prints at www.society6.com/marcallante

What would be the best piece of advice you could give to an aspiring/struggling artist?

I think the most important thing for me in this whole process was not to neglect the boring admin and "back office" work. Its unfortunate but I think raw talent only goes so far... and as sad as it sounds, being able to brand and market yourself, learn the ins and outs of social media and how the art market sells is so important. When I was first starting out I picked out some emerging artists that were doing really well and I tried to figure out what they were doing to get their work good exposure and sales. So yes, paint, practice and constantly develop your art, but dont neglect that other aspect either.

Does your work ever get stolen or used without your permission? Have any interesting stories about this?

All the time. I have to send a bunch of cease and desists every so often or sick my gallery on them.

How do thefts get discovered? By chance? Or is there some kind of way to track where your work ends up?

Thankfully a lot of my social media followers are great at letting me know.

Thanks for the response! Theft is one of the biggest reasons I'm hesitant to post my work online, especially since I don't have much access to intellectual property protection. Do you have any tips for displaying your work online so as to make it harder for thieves, besides slathering watermarks all over everything?

I work with artist/ photographer specific websites that make it harder to copy. But to be honest, I think the more exposure I get, the more it will eventually find its way back to me so I try not to be too stressed about it.

I really, really want to learn to draw well. I just don't know where to start. Do you have any advice on where to start? Stories like yours are inspiring. Congratulations!

Practice! As shown in the link above, basically didnt stop since I was 2. And still learning.

How'd you go from front page to having showings in galleries? Did someone approach you?

I approached them! Leverage online presence into offline presence.

Could you explain how or who you approached, what was your pitch? You're so brace following your spirit like that. Thanks for the inspiration. I have a close friend whose artist and I've been telling them to do something similar but they have no idea where to start.

I think I explain it somewhere else but basically a lot of research. I got a lucky break, but then I used that lucky break for leverage to work with that momentum as much as possible.

How exactly did you use that as leverage. Like were you like hey look on Reddit I got this many views that could transfer into real time visits? Then the gallery said sure?

Well there were news articles, lots of consistent sales, an established audience. Its actually let me dictate terms a lot better over the years.

Where is your art for sale? The tigers done in the Hokusai style speak to me.

Check out my website www.marcallante.com or grab prints at www.society6.com/marcallante

I just noticed the Society6 website the other day and was considering buying from them. Do they pay the artists fairly?

Yup! They have been a huge part of my income as an artist. Love the site.

While you were working full time and selling art on the side how did you find time to actually work on your art? I think a lot of us are very emotionally drained after a long day at work. It seems you were able to continue in the evenings and on weekends. Any tips for pursuing a discipline after workin' for the man all day?

I thankfully had pretty good working hours so could get back around 6.30pm. It just kind of became a daily/ weekend ritual. I enjoyed it as well! Which made it less taxing. Edit Spelling

What's the best way you've found to you market your work and find clients? Amazing work my friend

When my art first went viral I had a HUGE jump on my social media pages and so I tried to keep the momentum going on my facebook and Instagram over the years. Unfortunately the algorithms facebook use now are absolutely brutal on organic exposure (basically I have to pay for my followers to see my work). But it is still crucially important to have a strong social presence to connect directly with clients. I also submit to art blogs, go to art events and try and be pro-active on and offline.

Your art is really great and catchy. Do you find other people stealing your stuff to put on mugs and shit themselves?

eta: See you've already answered this. =)

Alll the time

I can't believe you're the one who painted that lion! It literally brought back so many memories.

What's your advice for someone like me whose just beginning his corporate career (big pharma) but with a huge passion for cooking and cocktails?

Cook and make cocktails! Just because you have a job shouldnt mean you should give up doing stuff you love. When I was doing art part time it was a huge stress relief and outlet for loads of stuff going on in my life and I'm glad I didnt let the "hobby go".

Hey there!

Do you ever look at your art and get captured by how beautiful the work you make is? Is that an experience you can have as the creator of art like I have as an observer?

I just saw the rhino on your Instagram, and I am very picky about the art I like but man.. That blew me away, honestly, it would be the kind of art I would buy once I am fully done with my studies, absolutely stunning!

Thank you! Um, yes and no. I think I get very critical with myself sometimes. A recent artwork I had to redo three times as I just was not happy with it and I guess I wanted to push myself more and more but I had to eventually set it aside. When I looked at it with a bit more of a fresh perspective it was not as bad as I thought haha. But I am really proud of my recent work (Rhino included!) and I think what makes me happiest is knowing I am changing and developing and hopefully getting better.

Have you done any paintings of Waffles? He looks like a LOT of fun, also is he a noisy cat?

No not yet but he will be my muse soon enough. He is awesome but has just discovered meowing and likes to talk a lot.

My mom creates the most amazing art, I know that sounds cliche but really everyone who sees it is impressed and she uses a medium that's not well defined or very common. Any tips on how I could help her monetize her passion? She honestly doesn't care about money, she just likes making art that coincidentally is quite profound.

I answer this in another comment but basically for me it was doing a lot of research and finding my own niche markets. Thankfully people resonate quite well with what I am creating so hopefully that continues!

Is an art career sustainable long term? What about benefits(specifically retirement and group health insurance)? What about sole proprietorship taxes? What about when the market ineventably collapses again and art is a dead? Have you thought this through?

It's always a worry. I am really pragmatic person, I literally mapped out excel sheets with projected earnings, best worst case scenarios etc. I only made the transition to full time art when I new I could earn enough to both cover my expenses and save a bit regularly. But as you have mentioned, there is always a chance that everything goes tits up! I try and diversify what I am doing ie I do prints, commissions, corporate design work, teach workshops. Basically keeping myself busy. I have really enjoyed the teaching process when conducting workshops so my plan B would be to get a PGCE in teaching just as a side qualification so that I can keep doing what I love, but potentially have an exit strategy if things go really wrong.

Would you say that other people spreading your art (including professionals/people in the industry) a major factor in becoming successful?

Major factor! I think getting exposure for your art is absolutely key.

With latex, do you really need 2 coats -- or can you get by with 1?

I don't use latex? But I generally use at least three or four layers of watercolor/oil on my paintings.

Have you thought of starting a YouTube channel? For example doing art challenges or requests? Because I would subscribe

I have one! www.youtube.com/marcallanteart its a little sparse but has some old timelapses. Im planning to update it soon but things have been hectic with the show!

Are you a fan of Rick and Morty?

I very often have it on repeat in the background of my studio. Isn't that also a necessary requirement to be on reddit?

What was the process of getting your own solo exhibition?

I had worked with the gallery before in Hong Kong for two group shows so had a decent working relationship. While I generally prefer working directly with my clients, they had a spot open up in their LA gallery and I could not turn that down. But they had some requests, which is why my work shifted from watercolour to oils and mixed media. I really thankfull for their push as I'm super happy with the result.

Thanks for doing this. I too am self taught, have you found this to be a deterrent to your success, or if not, how have you used this to your advantage?

I get frustrated sometimes as I don't know how to do something that when you figure it out, was incredibly simple in hindsight. But thankfully there is so much you learn online that I can generally figure out most problems which is its own kind of reward.

So whats your favorite pokemon from each gen?

What's your team of 6?

If you started a gym, what type and team?

I picked up Milotic when that shit was HARD. Fishing for days. Fire gym all the way. Arcanine and Ninetails all over the shop.

Have you tried mixing mediums in unconventional ways? What was the result of doing so?

Yeah my currently artworks mix oil, watercolour and ink. This is a small preview of the 20 new pieces but you can check out the results! http://www.marcallante.com/album/exhibition-preview-nov-3?p=1

Are you Filipino by any chance?

Nope! Mum is Indonesian/Chinese and Dad is French/Swiss.

Hi Marc! Fellow artist here. Absolutely love your work, and you're one of the artists I truly admire who has pushed me to hone my talent, so thank you! How do you better market yourself beyond Facebook and Instagram, and what are some key resources that I'm not thinking of when trying to get my art seen and displayed?

Try submitting to art blogs, magazine and competitions. They all have established audiences that can broaden your own audience if you get through!

How often do you mess up a piece to the point where you need to toss it? Does that ever happen? Can you give a piece new life? What do you do if an idea doesn't work the first time? Try again with the same idea, or scrap it entirely?

Yup I toss a lot. With watercolour and ink, there is not really much you can do. With my oil paintings there is a little bit of leeway.

What are some ways someone could get better at art (drawing, painting type stuff)?

Lots and lots and lots of practice. No easy way out.

Let me start by saying congrats, and I'm very glad you've been so successful in the field you enjoy. As a young art student myself who is finishing up at a community college, I want to know what you recommend as a next step. I don't necessarily want to go to an expensive four year college but I dont know how else to find a solid job. Any advice?

I took a bit of an unconventional route so its hard for me to comment, but I would say don't neglect other business and admin skills you will need to succeed. I worked in a gallery selling art while I was in uni and it taught me a lot about the business side of things which helped in the long run. Also dont stop creating and putting yourself out there!

Where can I buy that tiger picture I saw on your instagram?

Do you have an online shop? What do you charge?

The original is sold already unfortunately but a limited edition print is available at http://marcallante.bigcartel.com/ or my other prints at www.society6.com/marcallante

When you say that you're self-taught, does that mean you didn't take (or they weren't offered) any art classes in middle or high school?

I did art in high school but the teaching style was basically, here is the art storage locker. Go wild.

This brings hope for all aspiring artists. I am a bit confused about the pics that got viral. Where you bad at that time or it's art? Would you advice other artist to do cooperate job, even if it's for experience?

Personally I was in a pretty dark place. The corporate job was absolutely necessary for security and that place in time. Eventually I was too unhappy to continue though and glad I made the switch.

Are you okay?

Yes thanks.

Hi, nice work and congratulations on your success. Can i ask would you say your perception of reality is different from your peers? For example do you think in pictures/visuals ?

I am a very visual learner, but I could not say whether its different from friends and peers!

Hello, and congrats on all the success. How has your life/lifestyle changed after quitting your job? Did you ever think that it wouldn't work out in the beginning after you had quit?

Yes, constant existential angst about why and how this has all happened and whether I deserve it. But I am happer than I have ever been and I think I thrive in a more flexible environment. Im still on edge about long term whether I can make it work, but Im happy to keep on pushing at the moment!

Beautiful artwork! Who or which artists inspire you?

I love Turner, Blake and Tremblay. Contemporary artist, Andrew Salgado and Pete Ross are among my favs!

If I went back in time and told you that you would become internet famous, should you believe it?

I think I would just shit myself about the internet in general haha

Do you know if any of your work has inspired any tattoos? Your coloring and style in a few, especially Achilles, is begging to be made into a water color style tattoo

So many tattoos. I dont mind at all, its quite an honor that someone would put my stuff permanently on them!

What type of hours do you work normally?

Self-discipline is one of the most important things when you are working for yourself otherwise you can go a bit off the rails. I love my video games and can be a pro-procrastinator but I try and keep regular work hours i.e. 9 – 5/6pm so I don’t goof off as much and can enjoy the weekends with friends. I like painting during daylight hours and usually in the early evening I work on marketing, social media and catching up on emails etc. Of course some days I can be super lazy and just sod off everything and binge tv shows, and other days I’m working 12+ hours straight in the studio.

I love your water colors! I have 2 of your posters in my room. I always wonder how long/ how many try's does it take to get a watercolor painting to be perfect in your mind? I love the watercolor bird and I'm always curious how long that one took.

My work takes one to two weeks? Sometimes more for the larger ones. That one was quite big and while I was still doing part time so probably around 3 weeks.