Instagram artist makes £1m in a year selling naked paintings

Instagram artist Sophie Tea has made a fortune in the last year selling paintings of naked bodies – and she says the key to turning your art hobby into a successful business is to take that first leap.

Glitter Tits is Sophie’s newest provocative collection that is set to launch on her website this weekend. And if you want to know what the paintings look like – the clue is in the name.

Each image is a colourful depiction of a woman’s breast – and each nipple is adorned with shimmering glitter. Because everyone wants their nipples to twinkle.

The Glitter Tits cost £550 each and customers can pay in interest-free instalments.

Each painting is glossed in a resin finish – and the millennial pink backdrops mean these pieces are perfect for making your bedroom much more Instagrammable.

And Sophie really does seem to have a knack for creating beautiful things with the naked human form.

Her recently launched Send Nudes campaign saw her receive more than 1,000 nude self-portrait images in a single night from followers offering to be real-life muses for her work.

It’s incredibly lucrative work. Sophie’s booming art business on Instagram turned over £1m last year.

We would literally coat any part of our bodies in glitter for that kind of money.

It’s no surprise that she’s raking it in – the largest of her Send Nudes range costs £6,400. Buyers can pay a £250 deposit and pay the rest in instalments.

Smaller, original abstract works cost between £150-£250.

So how did Sophie go about turning her hobby into such a successful business?

She says it’s just about taking that leap and getting started. Her words to artists are usually; ‘One day, or day one?’

She also advises that you don’t need to be represented by a gallery in order to become a successful artist.

The art world is changing, becoming less elitist with the use of social media, opening up original art to those who have not been exposed to it before.

Sophie was turned away by countless galleries when she got started. So instead, she launched her business on Instagram and has achieved success that would take most artists years to achieve.

The new collection is actually a nod towards the trend that helped make Sophie famous.

The artist went viral in 2016 posing topless covered in jewels and glitter, spurring the ever-popular glitter boobs trend.

‘I’m so excited to be launching Glitter Tits this Sunday,’ Sophie tells Metro.co.uk.

‘I’m always striving to make my art affordable so it’s really important that I release these lower-priced products and that they are available to purchase in monthly instalments. This is definitely my most fun and affordable collection so far.

‘Though I may never escape it, that glitter boobs photo helped me launch my career as an artist so I couldn’t resist bringing back that sparkle to my nude paintings.’

Glitter Tits launches on Sunday at 8 pm online and pieces can be purchased on a first-come-first-served basis.