Artists who work with oil paints, watercolors and canvases may seem rather old-fashioned with the increasing advancements of computer software designed specifically to draw and paint digitally.

Although there can be no replacement for the skill, purity and simplicity displayed in an oil-on-canvas painting, as compared to a digitally rendered one, the commercial value of artists has certainly declined with much of today's art work being created by their digital counterparts.

So how can 'old-school' artists start generating enough income to maintain their profession, without giving in to the pressure of turning to graphic software? It may seem somewhat ironical, but the Internet (in all its technological glory) could in fact prove a viable way for artists to boost their fortunes.

Artists who set up their own domains (using their own names, of course) and blogs will find that they have not only uncovered a great method of sharing their art with the world, but have opened themselves up to a myriad of wonderful opportunities. If you are an artist, here are 4 great reasons why you should immediately be investing in your own domain.

1. A World Wide Audience
Because artwork on canvas is significantly more difficult to pass around (as opposed to the ease of a JPEG file!), the people who get to view an artists work are often restricted to those who have visited the artists workshop or has had the artist send some copies of his work over.

With a website or a blog, however, an artist can easily take digital pictures of his work and put them on his blog, even commenting on the inspiration behind the painting and the techniques used. This would be akin to you - the artists - showing someone around a gallery your work!

But of course, the advantage of showing them around on a blog is that your viewers and fans of your work can access your website from all over the world, at any time, from any place with an Internet connection, leaving you to do what you do best - art.

2. Meet Other Artists And Build A Useful Network
It's always useful for artists to know other artists, as it invariably means that you create more opportunities for yourself and your career. For example, an artist you likes your art and has been invited to show his or her work in an exhibition may help to get your work displayed as well.

By having a presence on the Internet, you will meet a large number of other budding artists like yourself from all over the world, which may prove to be invaluable contacts in the future. You will also allow yourself to be found online by art gallery owners and managers, art collectors and other art aficionados, any of whom may play a role in advancing your career.

3. Sell Art Online
Of course, the most obvious commercial aspect of any website for an artist would be the selling of his or her artwork. Once you have set up your domain and blog, you can also arrange for an online merchant account, which will enable you to sell your art online to customers who will pay using their credit cards.

As an artist, this may not the most ideal way to sell your art work, but it can be an effective way for you to make money selling smaller art pieces, which you can then send to your customers anywhere in the world using a decent courier service. Just selling one piece of work a month can more than cover the cost of running and maintaining a blog!

4. Open To Commercial Opportunities
Aside from selling your work, a website or blog opens the artist up to other opportunities from which money can be made. For example, a frequent visitor to your website who enjoys your art may commission you to create an artwork for a decent fee. Or you may be invited to sell your art at an auction after an organizer of the event came across your website.

The opportunities are endless and mind-boggling, and with an open mind, any artist can take advantage of the vast untapped expanse of the Internet to give their career and finances a serious boost!