There is a commercial need for artists but it will be better if you can be your own boss. Start by charging people money to do their portrait or a caricature. Delis and cafes often pay people to make pretty chalkboard signs with the day's menu or specials written on it. Contact a publisher and see if any authors are looking for an illustrator. Try sending cartoons relevant to current events to a newspaper and see if they like what they see and would like you to do it regularly. I don't know how courtroom artists get their jobs but that's another avenue to look into. Graphic design is a career you could look at. Get an old car (or fully faired motorbike) and paint a nice mural onto it and see if that gets you any attention. Every time you're at a job interview (for an arts job of course), arrive early and draw a picture of the receptionist while you are waiting (or something else in the office or its view out of a window). Buy some T-shirts and paint your own pictures on them and sell them. Some of these ideas may not be profitable but they can get you publicity which can lead to something profitable. Try to stay aware of what is really happening. Accept that you may have to do some 'boring' art jobs in order to make enough money to have time to do the 'fun but unprofitable' art jobs but keep reassessing what is really happening in your life so you don't end up being all work and no play. Remember that all the art you do is potential advertising for your services. Try selling art on the web. This is a start but I hope someone else can give you better advice. Good luck and let us know if you manage to turn your art into a career.

Just start churning out high quality art and send it off to as many people as possible that you know (and don't know) with a cover note that you want to start a career in art and would they know someone who could use your talents. Don't forget to sign and date all your artwork.

Take art classes. You can look for a mentor; an artist willing to help you. The best thing I think you can do right now is to take classes. If possible, find additional art classes outside of your school and learn all they can teach you. There is a lot to learn. In the classes you will find what careers in art are available, what you need to know to get there, what types of art are produced and how to produce them, how to market your art. I can't begin to tell you all of the things you can learn in a few art classes. All of it very important. If you love art and want to pursue it as a career, you will find a way. But the fastest and most sensible route is school. The information is organized and updated. To increase your ability to draw, just draw. A lot. Everything. All the time. You will learn by doing. You will develop your own style and find confidence in simply doing it. Enjoy the journey! It can be a very challenging and rewarding career.

Promote yourself on www.zoomspec.com. Offer freelancing there. Upload a portfolio demonstrating anything you have produced to date. Create a blog and be active in the forums - all of this will help you develop a following. You can upload video, audio and image files. Make your profile look as interesting as possible. Check out what others have done there. Members vote for good portfolios which is a good thing for your CV nd an excellent promotion tool if you get lots of 100% votes for your profile.