As part of our 14th birthday celebrations, we've been sharing posts about Gumroad's journey. We also asked some of our long-time creators to share their stories.

Our next post in our Creator Spotlight series features Jimmy Xia (@jingsketch), a digital artist who created Procreate brushes initially for his own use that now serve over a million artists worldwide. His journey from developing personal digital tools to building a thriving resource business, all while pursuing a medical career in interventional radiology, demonstrates how passion projects on Gumroad can grow into impactful creative contributions that serve global communities of artists.

Hi, I’m Jimmy Xia, though online, most people know me as @jingsketch. I started out creating digital brushes for myself, and through a mix of passion and persistence, have had the wonderful opportunity of creating resources for the digital art community.

How I got started on Gumroad

As a digital artist of over 15 years, I had always considered Gumroad as the platform to distribute digital art resources like brushes, art files, and more. From the very beginning, I was inspired by artists like Kyle Webster, Alex “Zedig” Diboine, Nicholas Kole, and later Max Ulichney, creators who shared their resources generously with the community.

Growing up, I was an avid Photoshop user, spending countless hours optimizing my workspace, tools, and overall approach to digital painting. Eventually though, I started feeling a bit dissatisfied with how clunky the interface and painting experience had become. Around that time, I heard about a small painting app called Procreate, which was still in its infancy. I decided to give it a shot, and instantly fell in love with its fluid painting experience and how responsive everything felt to the touch. Even though it was still missing many features, I saw the potential and used it extensively for personal, non-commercial work.

Later, as a professional artist, I moved to Pasadena to work freelance. In the process, I ditched my traditional desktop-and-Wacom-tablet combo. It was a leap of faith, but I committed to using Procreate professionally. I’d been inspired by Nicholas Kole, who visited RISD as a guest artist for an illustration class I was auditing, and who spoke highly of Procreate even for client work. That really sold me.

The transition wasn’t easy at first. Many of the tools I relied on in Photoshop didn’t have direct equivalents in Procreate. The brush engine felt different, and I struggled to fully adapt my painting style. I downloaded a dozen or so brush sets online, but none of them quite clicked. Eventually, I realized I needed to build my own.

After weeks of tinkering, I finally put together what I felt was a solid working brush set. It was partly inspired by my Photoshop brushes at the time, a versatile, all-purpose kit I used for various freelance gigs. I shared the set on the Procreate forums and kept refining it over time.

And of course, I chose Gumroad as my main platform. I didn’t think much of it at the time, and definitely didn’t expect many people to download my brushes.

The Highs

One of the earliest moments that stuck with me was getting my first few “tips.” At the time, most of my content was free—I wasn’t even monitoring my Gumroad. But I’d occasionally check in and see that someone had tossed me a couple of bucks as a thank you. As a pretty budget-conscious student back then, those small tips were actually kind of a big deal. I realized that I was starting to make $10–$20 a day just from tips alone, which was enough to pay for meals. That was the first time I felt that I could dig deeper, that there was more underneath the surface of all of this.

From there, it became a slow and steady process of scaling things up. I started refining the brushes, organizing them better, creating updates, and figuring out how to get them into the hands of more people. It was—and still is—really satisfying to see them out in the wild, being used by artists all over the world. At this point, over a million artists use my resources, both paid and free, which is incredibly surreal to think about.

One of the coolest moments for me has been seeing my brushes pop up in illustration classes around the country—sometimes recommended by instructors, other times being discussed organically by students. I’ve also had the chance to interact with a ton of artists over the years, and getting to see what they’ve created using my tools is still one of the most rewarding parts of the whole journey.

People often tag @jingsketch on Instagram when they use my brushes. It means a lot to see how others are using the brushes in their own unique styles and workflows. Seeing how something I made plays even a small role in someone else’s creative process is one of the best feelings.

The Lows

Of course, not everything along the way was smooth. At one point, I decided to try something new and launched a critique service called Art Clinic. The idea was to give artists personalized feedback on their work, something I’ve always valued and enjoyed myself. But I quickly learned just how overwhelming the demand could be. There were way more submissions than I could handle on my own, and I found myself stretched thin trying to give each person the thoughtful, in-depth attention they deserved.

To keep things running, I ended up hiring help, other artists to help draft preliminary feedback and assist with going over the artwork. Even with the support, though, it didn’t feel quite right. I realized that what I really love is engaging directly with artists one-on-one, not managing a pipeline of critiques. And with the sheer number of people, that just wasn’t possible anymore.

Eventually, I made the tough decision to shut the service down. It actually lined up with another major transition in my life: starting my residency training in medicine. Letting go of the Art Clinic wasn’t easy. I had poured a lot into it, but in the end it was the right call.

Looking back, it taught me a lot about my limits, and about what kind of creative work truly energizes me. Just because something is in demand doesn’t mean it’s the right fit. I learned to value sustainability over scale—and to stay connected to the parts of this journey that actually bring me joy.

Where I’m headed next

Right now, I’m in the thick of completing my residency in interventional radiology and working toward becoming a capable, well-rounded physician. It’s been an intense journey, but also one that’s shown me how much overlap there can be between the worlds of medicine and art.

One of the things I’m most excited about is integrating art into my medical work—whether that’s illustrating procedures, breaking down anatomy visually, or creating resources that help explain complex techniques in a clear, intuitive way. There’s so much potential in using visuals to improve understanding, and I’d love to contribute to that space as I grow in my career.

At the same time, I still plan to keep developing my brush sets and supporting the creative community that’s grown around them. I want to keep the brushes lean and focused—only adding new tools when they genuinely serve a purpose, not just to pad the collection. It’s about quality over quantity, and making sure each brush still feels essential and easy to use.

In a way, I’m just getting started again but now with a clearer sense of what I want to build, who I want to help, and how art will always be a part of it.

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