My profile picture

Terms of Service

This is my portfolio, so I'm taking this seriously.

The artwork on my website is issued under Creative Commons License CC BY-NC 4.0, which states that my work can be shared in any medium or format so long as I am credited for the original work. Furthermore, this means that my work cannot be used commercially. I will discuss my terms on this page, so please read carefully.

Distribution of My Work/Where to Find Me

All my socials can be found on My Carrd. I do not have pages on Deviantart, Wattpad, etc. If you see an account with the Arrowarchive name under any of those platforms, they are not me unless I say otherwise. There is another way to figure out imposters as well:

  • All my accounts have the same profile picture- If any account bears the name but does not have my picture, then it is not me. If they are using my profile picture, then report it to me immediately. It is a drawing I had commissioned, and it can only be used by me (the artist is credited in the website's FAQ).

Redistribution/Sharing my Work

  1. Reposting my art on other platforms is forbidden under all circumstances- Asking permission and saying that you will give credit will not change my mind. Reposting art takes attention away from the original artist, and even if credit is provided, few people will support the artist. It's an unfortunate truth, and if you want to support me, it is best that you support me directly. This means following me on Twitter and spreading the word about this page.
  2. If my art is posted under an account that isn't my own, report it to me immediately. Even if credit is given, the art was posted without my consent and I will issue a takedown on the picture. While I encourage that people inform me of reposting, I do not condone harassing or threatening the person in question until they take it down. Inform me privately of the issue, and I will resolve it peacefully.
  3. Removing my watermark is not permitted- Watermarks are a form of protection for an artist. I'm discreet with my watermarks, but removing them and advertising the work as your own is strictly forbidden. If this does occur, let me know immediately. I'm less tolerant of people who remove watermarks, and I will be less forgiving when discussing the subject.
  4. Quote-Retweeting my work is prohibited- This is specific to Twitter users. Quote-Retweeting creates a post under the sharer's account that prevents likes, comments, and constructive criticism from reaching the artist. While QRT's are a nuisance, retweets are greatly appreciated, as they share my work and ensure that I will receive any feedback on the piece. My only exception to the QRT rule is if I am participating in an art tag and I tag other people. In that context only, I am fine with it.
  5. Creating NFTs (Non-fungible tokens) of my work is strictly forbidden. I have strong opinions of cryptocurrency; I find it harmful in more ways than one, and anyone who tries to do so with my art will be be blocked and reported for art theft. This sounds harsh, but this is because it goes against my commercial use policy (stated below) and the Creative Commons License. I despise cryptocurrency and want no part in it, so please respect my opinion. NFTs including my art or modified versions of it should be reported to me immediately so they can be dealt with accordingly.

Non-Commercial Use Policy

Creative Commons states that others cannot use my work for commercial purposes. This means that others are not allowed to use my work unless a compromise is reached. With that said, I have one exception to this rule: commissions. My stance on commissions is that despite paying an artist to draw something, the work counts as non-commercial. It would be commercial use if the artist was selling prints my commission for profit, which I disagree with. Everything I commission is intended for personal use, so commissioning a drawing of an original character is granting permission to draw them so long as it is used non-commercially. With that said, I have one rule for the artists:

  • If my commission includes an original character and the artist wants to share it online, I must be asked about it and credited for the initial design. I appreciate that artists I've commissioned do this already, but I'm mentioning this so others understand my thoughts on it. The artist DOES NOT need to ask permission to share my commission if the characters are not my own, but if they are, I appreciate knowing in advance.

Additional Thoughts and Other Policies

  • A rule of thumb when sharing my art is that I always share my art to Twitter before posting it here. My reason for this is because of file management. I draw from my iPad and upload the images to my computer, so my posting order is the result of serendipity.
  • I'll always post an update before my website undergoes maintenance- These updates will come in the form of Twitter posts, so that is the best way to know about my website. Similarly, if there is an issue with it (such as an error 404 when redirecting to an image), let me know and I will troubleshoot the issue. I appreciate feedback regardless of the medium, so don't hesitate to reach out to me if there is a problem!
  • I will not post Work-in-Progress (WIP) images to this website- This is a regular occurrence outside of GitHub. I do not post WIPs unless I want a critique, so it is impractical to post them here, where there is no way to provide feedback (unless I learn how to add comments) and keep them up when I finish the image.
  • If you have any other questions, please check my FAQ- I will update these pages if necessary, and any unanswered questions on this page will be may be answered there.

Conclusion

If you have read to this point, then I appreciate your effort. I never saw myself writing a Terms of Service page, so if it is unorganized, confusing, or slightly overwhelming, then I know how you feel. Sharing art online is a double-edged sword; more people will see it, but there is a higher risk of it being stolen or traced. This license and ToS is insurance, to protect my work from a worst-case scenario.

To the artists I commission and everyone who supports my work, don't let this intimidate you- Just know that I'm taking initiative with protecting my art, so reach out to me if you have any questions. The world of copyright is confusing, especially in this day and age, so as long as you read the rules and respect my terms, then there is nothing you should worry about. Thank you for your time, and I hope you enjoy what I have on display here at The Arrowarchive!

Sincerely,

Rachel (Arrow)