The business in one offer
Who it serves
Children's book and editorial illustrators who work digitally but want the look of gouache, plus hobbyists who follow them. They know what real paint does, notice fake-looking textures immediately, and will pay for brushes that save them hours of manual texturing per piece.
What to sell first
A set of 20 gouache-style brushes for Procreate, three paper textures, a printable swatch sheet showing each brush at light and heavy pressure, and a two-page install and settings guide. The license allows use in commercial artwork but not redistribution or resale of the brushes. Excluded: Photoshop or other app versions and custom brushes.
One medium and one app keep testing manageable and the product page clear. Illustrators can see from the swatch sheet whether the set fits their style before buying, which cuts refund requests and makes the license easy to read.
What could it cost to start?
This is an original example budget for the limited pilot described above. It is not a researched market average or a complete quote for every location.
| Item to price | Example allowance |
|---|---|
| Paper, gouache and scanner time for source textures | $150.00 |
| Test devices or borrowed iPad models for compatibility | $200.00 |
| Marketplace or shop setup and listing fees | $40.00 |
| Swatch sheet design and product images | $120.00 |
| Legal template for the brush license | $200.00 |
| Email list and file delivery tools, three months | $75.00 |
| Example total | $785.00 |
What this assumes—and excludes
Assumes you already own an iPad, a stylus and the drawing app, and that you paint traditionally. Excludes your time building brushes, paid ads and owner pay. Confirm current marketplace fees and app file formats, and have a lawyer or a trusted template review your license wording.
Collect actual supplier, insurance and local-authority information. Add a reserve for delays and unexpected costs; the example total is not a funding recommendation.
How the unit economics work
At an assumed $12.00 per brush set sale and $1.10 in direct costs, contribution is $10.90 before monthly fixed costs, owner pay and taxes. With 0.05 all-in working hours per unit, that is $218.00 per delivery hour before those deductions. These inputs illustrate the arithmetic; they do not establish a market price or expected earnings.
The example also allows $50.00 in monthly fixed costs. Include unpaid acquisition and administrative time when deciding whether the offer is worthwhile.
Try your own numbers
These are editable planning assumptions, not prices we have verified. Calculations stay in your browser.
Operating result = (price − direct cost) × units − monthly fixed costs. Before owner pay, taxes, financing and startup recovery. At these inputs, delivery requires 0.5 hours per month, plus any work not included in your per-unit estimate. Sales volume is a scenario, not a forecast.
How to find the first customers
Test a small offer before scaling traffic. Record the source of each enquiry, whether it fits the offer, and whether the buyer pays.
- Post short timelapse videos of a full illustration made only with the set, and say so clearly. Track which platform sends the most visits to the product page.
- Give the set free to six illustrators whose work fits the style and ask for honest feedback on texture and pressure. If they share their work, ask them to disclose they received the set free.
- Offer one free brush and paper texture to email subscribers who opt in, and send a follow-up with tips on using it before you mention the full set.
- List the set on one marketplace that allows digital goods and on your own site, and compare sales and support load after two months before adding another platform.
What to validate before spending more
- Test every brush on at least two iPad models and pencil generations, with light and heavy pressure. Adjust curves until the swatch sheet looks the same on each device.
- Read the marketplace's seller policy on digital items and intellectual property, and confirm your listing does not use another company's trademarks in a misleading way.
- Install the set on a clean device using only your guide. Every point where you hesitate is a likely support email, so rewrite that step.
- Check that all source textures are your own or properly licensed for use in a commercial product, and keep records of each source.
The operational catch
App updates can quietly change how brushes behave or break imports, and buyers will blame your set. Keep the original source files and settings notes for every brush, retest after each major app update, and tell buyers where to download updated files rather than letting old versions linger in their downloads folder.
A practical way to fund the first step
Use textures you already painted and a marketplace with no monthly fee, so the main cost is a few listing fees. Reinvest the first month of sales into license review and a second set in a related medium, such as watercolor.
Separate cash already available from money still to earn. Count only proceeds after direct expenses, and do not spend customer funds needed to fulfill their existing orders.
Questions before you start
Can buyers use the brushes for commercial work?
That depends on your license. Many brush sellers allow commercial artwork but forbid reselling or sharing the brushes. Write the terms in plain language and include them in the download and on the product page.
Can I put the app's name in my product title?
Describing compatibility, such as brushes for a named app, is common, but do not suggest the app maker endorses you. Avoid using their logo and read their brand guidelines if they publish any.
How many brushes should a set include?
Enough to cover the medium's main marks, such as flat wash, dry brush and edges. Buyers often prefer fewer, carefully tuned brushes over large sets with near-duplicates.
Source-backed checks
These references support the specific checks below. They do not endorse this business idea or substantiate the example prices, costs or demand.
Etsy's Seller Policy says items must be made, designed, handpicked or sourced by the seller, and items that violate Etsy's intellectual property policies are not allowed. Etsy: Seller Policy.
USPTO's trademark basics note that a name or logo you use to advertise your business might be a trademark, and explain how to protect it through federal registration. USPTO: Trademark basics.
Etsy's fee basics describe a per-listing fee and a transaction fee charged as a percentage of each sale. Etsy: Etsy Fee Basics.
- Seller PolicyEtsy · 2026-07-09 · Reference checked September 8, 2026
- Trademark basicsUSPTO · Reference checked September 8, 2026
- Etsy Fee BasicsEtsy · Reference checked September 8, 2026
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