Posting Guidelines
“Good fences make good neighbors.”
(Robert Frost, ya’ll!)
Handmade Policy
We know that things are going to get a bit gray, as technology is really making defining things tricky in the art world. Soon your toaster will be able to paint you a mural.
We thought long and hard on this subject, over many a campfire and Batman marathon. What did we want handmade to mean to us? In the end, we believe we have a set of guidelines which honor the spirit of handmade.
We know many may take exception to some of our policies, and we welcome your feedback. Nothing is constant except change.
Because so many areas have their own issues, we attempted to group those that have larger similar issues together.
Vinyl Iron-on Art and Vinyl Cut Art in general
We love our Cricut! Who wouldn’t?!? It cuts, it draws, it gets you a soda! Well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.
For us in the art world, there was suddenly the ability to cut out and put vinyl words and pictures on, well, anything. Cups, mugs, signs, t-shirts, bedding- if it could be ironed on or hold a sticker- it flooded Art shows.
But is it handmade? SVG files are available for download all over the internet. So many of them violate copyright- but that’s a different soapbox for a different time. If someone buys a cup, buys a design (or simply steals someone’s idea they saw), and their machine cuts out the design- where is the handmade? Where is their creative inspiration?
Designing an image- an ORIGINAL image, of your own inspiration- is what art is about. It’s yours, you created it from your own inspiration and you own it. You may sell it in any format which pleases you.
Selling your original art as a downloadable file, like an SVG, is permitted. To us, this is no different than creating any other digital art and selling it on our site. You will need to agree to a small legal statement attesting that the image is your own creation. If someone calls us up one fine morning and proves to us otherwise, we’ll have to have a conversation with you and most likely suspend your account. Why? a) you lied to us and 2) you stole from a fellow artist. Let’s bring art integrity back. Just because you can easily steal it doesn’t mean you should.
If you designed the art that your hands are applying to an item, we have less trouble with these items. If you’re using someone else’s font, and someone else’s clip art, where is the original art?
In addition, your original work must be on a major portion of the item. If you’re putting an image that you created on a piece of purchased clothing, it must cover, proportionally, the majority of the main portion of the item. For example, printing on the upper front of a t-shirt would not qualify this item as handmade, unless the artist also made the garment. Then there is no requirement.
Using manufactured items as a base for your art
Oh goodness do we love a great re-imagined piece of- well- anything, really! Give us a good thrift store find, to which someone lovingly applied their art, and we’re super stoked! That lamp, re-imagined using a traditional art method, becomes a work of art on its own merit. We thought it a good idea to visit this area of artists that use one item- not of their own creation- as a base for their art.
We have a favorite booth at one of our regular conventions that we love to visit. This artist makes hats. Some of the hats are made starting with a wooden mold, textiles, and patience. Some of the hats skip this step and start with a base that is purchased from a manufacturer.
Clearly, the hats that are made by hand from inspiration to sale are welcome in our Artist’s Alley. But what of the hats that began with the manufactured base? They’ve been changed by the artist’s own hands and inspiration. In this particular case, the artist added permanent attachments to the hats, and the buyer would not have been attracted to the purchase without the artist’s own inspired work.
In that case, with the hats that began in a factory and ended as art, the change was so significant as to render the manufactured base without practical significance. It is now an original piece of art.
If that same artist instead sold those manufactured hats with the addition of a band around them to hold the adornments, which were sold separately, then the hat would be considered prohibited. This is not a significant transformation of the item.
If the adornment cannot be purchased without the base, then the base can be sold here with the handmade adornment. Again, the adornments in this case would have to be a complete work of the artist’s own hands, from base materials. They may not be items that are themselves manufactured. An example would be if the adornment was created by adding a ribbon and feathers to a completed centerpiece that was manufactured. It’s not the feathers or the ribbon that are the interest to the buyer, it’s the centerpiece. In this case, the piece would not be considered handmade.
The adornments that this artist created of their own inspiration, with their own hands, from beginning textiles, would of course be allowed as handmade.
Key chains, Mouse pads, Pins, Stickers, printed blankets, and the like
Wandering an artist’s alley a bit back, we came across the most delightful soul. They were selling acrylic key chains with an original image printed on the front of them. We asked them, “How long does it take to make one of your key chains?” Their response was surprising to us- “I call my manufacturer.”
This brings us to another topic- manufactured items designed/inspired by an artist’s image. Could this artist have made this in their home workshop? Absolutely. Artists do it all the time. But would this person have been able to create this item in their home- did they have the skill to do so? Is it fair to the artist that creates with their own hands an acrylic key chain to have to compete with those that simply made a phone call and outsourced that portion of the creation?
When it comes to this Artist’s Alley, those items that arrive ready for sale from a manufacturer are prohibited. We know you labored over the art and the design, but the end product wasn’t your handmade creation. The intention of Artist’s Alley is to bring forward a truly handmade market. We appreciate your understanding.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) GENERATED ART
AI Software allows someone to create original art based on entered text or images. It’s pretty easy to get a computer to make a great comic version of yourself!
How does that happen? Can the computer really create art?
Not really, is the answer. The computer uses your input and what the software can find to combine with it, and you have a new piece of art. Let’s pull that apart and just think about it from the viewpoint of the artist.
Art is everywhere. As a species we are so prolific when it comes to recording our experiences. We take great photos, draw amazing images- all uploaded for one reason or another. AI software searches, combines, and creates.
It creates using the art drawn by humans. We know artists use AI software to enhance their art, push it in a different direction, maybe even inspire their self to go further. This violates our handmade policy in that once the AI software is used, the art is no longer that of the original artist, and rather that of the software that generated it.
Currently, we support our artists and their original creations. We do not allow AI generated or AI enhanced art.
RESOLUTION
The shops on Artist’s Alley are all run by different people. They have their own return policies and shipping methods. They have all agreed to operate under the Terms and Conditions set forth by Artist’s Alley, and to operate in good faith with their store’s policies.
But you know what they say about the best laid plans. Sometimes things just go awry. If a transaction does not go as planned, the buyer and the Artist should work together to reach a resolution. If you cannot reach an agreeable resolution, please contact Artist’s Alley using the contact us form. We will attempt to work with both parties to reach a mutually agreeable outcome.
MODERATED SITE
A fair handmade market is not easily created, and we know some of you are reading through this and having the realization that your particular creation may not qualify as handmade on our site. We’re a new site, and we’re open to listening to your concerns. Please feel free to contact us.
All items are moderated, which means a human being will review all postings before each becomes live. This usually is a quick process, under 12 hours, but in times of high posting can take up to 24 hours. Moderating item postings is a way for us to help ensure that Artist’s Alley is a fair, safe, and handmade market, and we thank you for your patience.
For very obvious reasons, drop shipping is not allowed.
PROHIBITED ITEMS
Some things are just simply prohibited to be sold on Artist’s Alley. If you’re unsure, you can use the contact us form to submit your questions to us.
We’re a moderated site, and a handmade fandom marketplace. Prohibited items: Alcohol, tobacco products, drugs (herbal, medical, legal or illegal), Bio-hazardous items, Plants or plant matter, Hazardous materials, Combustible items, regulated or illegal items, or any item that violates any laws or shipping regulations.
ADULTS ONLY
You must be 18 to have a store on Artist’s Alley. If you’re younger than that and you’d like to have a store, work with your parent/guardian to open a store under their supervision and credentials. We were young when we started, too, so we understand the frustration. Things like entrepreneur-ships look great on resumes and college applications- use that in your pitch to your adult!
If you’re an emancipated minor, please use the contact us page and we’ll get in contact with you and let you know what you’ll need to send us to post on your own. We’ve been down that road, too, my friend. You’re not alone- and- Welcome home!
SPEAKING OF ADULTS ONLY….
Here’s the place where we let you know that this is a family market (think PG-14). Items that are 18+ by law are prohibited. Don’t panic….We’re cooking something up for you! Have a little patience and you’ll be happy you did!
COPYRIGHT & OWNERSHIP
Strange to have to say this on a site designed for Artists, by Artists, but…
YOU MUST OWN the right to post and sell the item you post for sale.
Copyright and Intellectual Property Laws were designed to help you, the Artist, retain the right to your original ideas and works. As Artists, we often have questions about derivative art, fan art, or so many other murky grey areas of these laws.
But, like we’ve said, we’re Artists, not lawyers. Luckily for us, there are many fine people out there that have provided great resources to help you along your copyright journey.
Here’s a link to that page! And again, a huge hug and thank you to the fine people that put that information out there for us!
GENDER NEUTRAL
Items designed to be used or worn by either gender, usually appealing to either gender equally. We offer Gender Neutral as a filter for many items, and we’ve tried to include more Gender Neutral friendly wording. For example, using “Fitted” for shirts instead of “Women’s.”
We encourage our Artists to help us identify items that are Gender Neutral, both by choosing that option in the products page and by including this in their description, as well. We encourage the use of wording that describes the fit of items. If you’ve made a shirt that is very fitted, simply point that out. It’ll help your customers love the items because they fit as expected, and it’ll save you the headaches of returns and exchanges.
LISTINGS DEFINITIONS
We’ve put together a fun list of the different basic shapes of tops and bottoms to help you in describing your item! Why gorillas? What’s life without whimsy?
HONESTY
The Artist’s Alley is one of our favorite places to visit at a con. The people there are warm, honest, and represent the very heart of a handmade marketplace. We have tried to recreate that feeling here, and greatly value honesty. Please represent yourself, your store, and your items accurately, both individually and collectively.
Any item that violates any of our Terms and Conditions or these guidelines is prohibited. And, of course, anything that violates any laws or statutes are prohibited. If you need any of these items clarified, please see our Terms and Conditions.
OUR COMMUNITY
We’re building an online community, and we’d like it to be enjoyable for all persons. We’ve written some Terms and Conditions, and have posted these Guidelines for all to read. That’s our part in this relationship. Your part is to abide by them and play nice.
If we see that you’re not clear on these guidelines by way of the items you are posting, we’ll take the item down and send you a softly worded, but to the point, email letting you know why the item was taken down. If we have to do it a second time, it’s clear you either just can’t figure out what handmade means, or you’re simply trying to hawk your manufactured wares and repro items in the wrong venue. Either way, upon review, your account will be terminated.
We’ll play by those same rules when it comes to reviews, pictures, posts and any other member submitted material. Keep it PG-14 or nicer, our friends. This isn’t a conversation anyone really wants to have to have with you. We shouldn’t have to say this, but this also applies to any member created materials that promote hate, violence, and/or discrimination.