Welcome to the world of artistic expression on social media! It can be a great place to share your art online, but figuring out new and creative art content ideas can be difficult! Especially when you could be working on your artwork instead!
There are a lot of great artists on social media. It’s a great place to show off your art and let your followers connect to you, the artist.
Photos of your finished pieces make great content – but what else can you post to engage your followers? Here are 30 art content ideas to inspire you!
Things to Consider
Not all content is created equal – think quality over quantity. Before you post, ask yourself these three questions.
Does it encourage engagement?
Social media platforms love engagement. The more people engage with your post, the more successful it will be. Think about how you will get people to like or comment. This can be as simple as asking questions in your captions or a strong call to action.
Examples:
Tag a friend who loves *relate it to your work*
What do you think?
What should I draw next?
Don’t forget to engage with your followers in the comment section! Not only does this create more engagement but your followers are more likely to stick around and comment in the future.
Does it provide value?
Providing value with your content will create loyal followers. What do they get from following your account?
Examples:
Educate: Share your process and how you make your art. Give tips & advice to other artists.
Entertain: Share the story behind your work or talk about what inspires you.
Does it connect with your audience?
You can do this by posting relatable content. Your account is about your art and you as an artist! Tap into your followers emotions with your captions and share a little bit about yourself.
Examples:
Share a quote from an artist or one your ideal follower would relate to.
Share a funny personal story.
Talk about the emotions you felt when creating a particular piece.
Art Content Ideas
If you’re feeling stuck, here are some content ideas!
Work in progress shots. Everyone loves to see the process, and it makes people appreciate the work you put into your art!
A photo of you at work. Showing the person behind the account can help connect you to your followers. If you’re camera shy, show your hands or take an over the shoulder shot.
A throwback Thursday post. This is a great way to reuse old content. Use a piece of content that got a lot of engagement previously.
User generated content. Has someone bought your work and shared a photo? Repost it!
A photo of you holding your work. People love to see the artist behind the art!
Lifestyle shots. Share images of your art in a lifestyle setting. Show people how it would look in their home or in a particular room. This works especially well if you sell your artwork.
Relatable art quotes. You can use Canva and create your own! This way you can put your handle/website on your design in case it gets shared.
An image of your work when you first started vs. now. Show your audience how you’ve developed as an artist.
Show some close ups of your recent work – show the details and the textures.
Share photos of your favourite art books, and explain why they are valuable resources.
Before and after posts. Don’t forget to take a photo when you first start your artwork! Before and after shots are a great way to show the work that goes into your art.
Share pages from your art journal, and explain how you use it to develop your ideas and skills.
Post photos of your favourite art supplies and tools, and how you use them in your work.
Participate in art challenges or hashtags that are popular on Instagram, such as #inktober or #sketchbookchallenge. This will also help new people find your work and attract more followers!
Share information about the history of art, and how it has influenced your work.
Create a carousel post on Instagram showing a selection of your best artwork. It’s a great way to showcase your skills and range as an artist. It also generates engagement as a user has to swipe to scroll through your post.
Invite your followers to participate in art challenges that you create, such as drawing a specific subject or style. You can create your own hashtag and encourage your audience to share it on their own profiles.
Instagram Reels & TikTok Ideas
Creating art content in video form is important for growing your social media accounts. Even if you don’t plan to be on TikTok, you should focus on Instagram Reels. Here are some ideas to get you started!
A tour of your art studio – behind the scenes posts are often popular with followers.
A time-lapse video of your work in progress.
Share photos and videos from art exhibitions, shows, or events that you attend or participate in. You can also advertise these events beforehand.
Present your work. You can make a whole series talking about different aspects of a single piece. What inspired you, the details etc.
Art tutorials. Teach your followers how to create different art styles, techniques, or projects.
Look at what’s trending on TikTok. How can you apply these trends to your work?
Instagram Stories Ideas
Instagram stories last 24 hours, and it’s where you can post art content you don’t want on your main feed. Instagram provides you with a range of stickers to help drive engagement, allowing you to create polls and interactive posts.
An image of where you’re working right at that moment.
Ask people to choose which piece of work they like best – use a poll sticker to drive engagement. For example do you prefer drawing 1 or drawing 2?
Ask the audience what you should draw/paint/make next. Use a sticker so people can send you ideas.
Post the results of your polls and questions as a separate post.
Ask people for artist questions – there’s a sticker for this too! Each question that you answer can be a separate post.
Share art memes. Sharing memes on Instagram Stories means they don’t take focus away from your art on your main feed.
Share your favorite artworks from other artists, and explain why they inspire you. I prefer Instagram Stories for this, as you can keep your main feed for your art only. It avoids any confusion for new followers who land on your profile.
Conclusion
Think of social media as another way to be creative. Give your followers a behind the scenes look at your work and make a connection so they keep engaging with your content!
Lindsey is the creator and writer behind The Caption Library. She’s worked in social media marketing since 2011 and has worked with a range of magazines, small businesses and bloggers. She enjoys being creative, whether it’s writing for her blogs or running her Etsy store!
