Platforms for sharing works of art and craft

Question

Recently, a question came up asking if requests for platforms to share works on is on-topic on our site. It is not (with the current exception of our Community Gallery).
But in order to help users who are asking after these platforms, they can be referred to this thread, where we can assemble a list of suitable online platforms to share handiwork and artworks.

This is not intended for promotion of those websites or services. However, (critical) personal experiences and recommendations are welcome, and, in addition to the intended audience and medium, an overview of strengths and weaknesses of the platform would indeed be very handy.

For a clean overview, let's try to have one platform per answer, so other users can comment, and useful information easily added to the body of the answer.

Answer 1

DeviantArt

• Link: https://www.deviantart.com/
• Description: "An American online art community featuring artwork, videography, photography, digital art, traditional art, literature, Flash, filmmaking, skins for applications, operating system customization utilities and others, along with downloadable resources such as tutorials and stock photography."
  (Source: Wikipedia)
• For: works of non-digital and/or traditional artists and digital artists
• Not so much for: handcrafted items
• Additional notes:
  • Free and paid subscription.
  • Anything uploaded can be commented upon by the audience, so this platform lends itself well for receiving feedback.
  • Artworks can be sold through the platform.
  • "DeviantART does not retain any ownership nor right to ownership of any artwork posted to deviantART" (source).

Answer 2

Instagram

• Link: https://www.instagram.com/
• Description: "An American photo and video sharing social networking service"
  (Source: Wikipedia)
• For: anything, really
• Additional notes:
  • Free subscription.
  • Great for garnering an audience and promoting your work.
  • Anything uploaded can be commented upon by the audience, but feedback tends to be one-sided and non-critical (in my experience); it is, after all, a social network.
  • "Instagram claims it does not take ownership of its users’ content. But the terms state that the user grants Instagram a “non-exclusive, fully paid and royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide license to use their content”. What this means is that Instagram has all the rights of the original owner of the content – aside from the fact that it is not an exclusive licence", and "Instagram can sub-licence your content. This means that it could licence a user’s photograph or video to any third party, for free, without seeking permission, giving any notice or offering any payment to the user. It could also take a user’s content and let another company use that photo in exchange for a fee – which Instagram keeps." (source).
    These caveats mostly seem risky for digital artists and photographers, though.

Answer 3

Etsy

• Link: https://www.etsy.com/
• Description: "an American e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies."
  (Source: Wikipedia)
• For: almost anything creative: "handmade or vintage items and craft supplies", including "jewelry, bags, clothing, home décor and furniture, toys, art, as well as craft supplies and tools."
• Additional notes:
  • Free subscription.
  • For selling one's handiwork.
  • Etsy receives a fee for every listing and every item sold (more information here).
  • Not for feedback, except perhaps for the reviews one might receive for sold items, and the amount of 'favourites' an object gets.

Answer 4

Tumblr

• Tumblr.com lets you post files, chat messages, quotes, links, photographs, videos, audio files (basically anything)
• It was Founded in 2007, it has 347.5 million users today. (Source:www.statista.com)
• It lets you pick from premium or free
• If you get to 50 followers, Tumblr can pay you, just like Instagram

Answer 5

Reddit

• Link: https://www.reddit.com/

• Links to useful subreddits:

  Subreddit	Description
  https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtCrit/	To ask for general art critique
  https://www.reddit.com/r/learnart/	"A free open art learning resource"
  https://www.reddit.com/r/Art/	General art posts, news, information
  https://www.reddit.com/r/arttools/	Feedback on any art-related tool
  https://www.reddit.com/r/learntodraw/	For learning how to draw
  https://www.reddit.com/r/Sculpture/	Anything sculpture
  https://www.reddit.com/r/knitting/	Anything knitting
  https://www.reddit.com/r/Embroidery/	Anything embroidery
  https://www.reddit.com/r/costuming/	Anything costumes
  https://www.reddit.com/r/cosplay/	Anything cosplay
  https://www.reddit.com/r/painting/	Feedback for paintings

• Description: "A social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website."
  (Source: Wikipedia)

• For: almost anything: "news, politics, science, movies, video games, music, books, sports, fitness, cooking, pets, and image-sharing"

• Additional notes:

  • Free and paid subscriptions.
  • Very good for feedback on your projects: find the right subreddit, post an image or more, and other users will be able to comment and vote.
  • Huge community, making finding support and feedback even for anything niche quite likely.
  • Concerning copyright:
    "You retain any ownership rights you have in Your Content, but you grant Reddit the following license to use that Content [..] When Your Content is created with or submitted to the Services, you grant us a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable, and sublicensable license to use, copy, modify, adapt, prepare derivative works of, distribute, store, perform, and display Your Content and any name, username, voice, or likeness provided in connection with Your Content in all media formats and channels now known or later developed anywhere in the world. This license includes the right for us to make Your Content available for syndication, broadcast, distribution, or publication by other companies, organizations, or individuals who partner with Reddit. You also agree that we may remove metadata associated with Your Content, and you irrevocably waive any claims and assertions of moral rights or attribution with respect to Your Content."
    (Source: redditinc.com)

Answer 6

Our very own Community Gallery!

• At the moment you can post anything there.
• If successful, it will be followed up with community galleries for different topics (e.g. for feedback or WIP projects).