artist's list

list of everything for art (software & services) which i have personally use(d) (except for the last section).

this list is focused more on learning, having fun, drawing for yourself, and connecting with others, but includes some work-related things, too.

soul1472
soul1472List by soul1472, last updated 
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  1. places

    online places to keep and show your creations. info about servers and laws are either from websites TOS, or found by me using Flagbox add-on.

  2. Cara icon
     Like

    art focused.

    good alternative to ArtStation for "professional" portfolios, i don't feel like it's a comfortable place for hobbyists and sketches.

    servers/laws: USA age verification: no anti-genAI: yes

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    Online / Web - Explore. 2025-06-04
    Online / Web - Developer's portfolio page, Photography album. 2025-06-04.
    Online / Web - Sample Post. (Vertical view to show comments) 2025-06-04
    +7
    Online / Web - Jobs Board. 2025-06-04
  3. art focused.

    optional CSS customization and privacy settings. very good moderating and tagging system, working report system and a cool old DeviantArt feeling.

    servers/laws: USA age verification (UK): yes anti-genAI: yes

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
    Sheezy.Art screenshot 1
  4. Itaku icon
     Like

    art focused, slightly more into furry.

    comfortable and chill place. UI is confusing sometimes (as for 2025), but i still like it.

    servers/laws: Finland (EU) age verification: no anti-genAI: yes

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    Itaku screenshot 1
  5. creativity focused.

    old as heck (in a good way) website with Art Portal, Writing Forum, Audio Portal to publish these kinds of creations. also flash, animations in video format, and HTML5 games. huge plus for having community forums!

    servers/laws: Canada age verification (UK): yes, but by credit card or account's age anti-genAI: yes

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Adobe Flash Player
    new design of Homepage
    old design of Homepage
  6. Toyhouse icon
     Like

    OC & worldbuilding art focused.

    has privacy & watermark settings: for example, you can make your art to be visible with watermark for guests, and leave full version for logged-in users.

    optional HTML editor for pages, which means (almost) endless fun with OC profiles.

    needs invite to create an account.

    servers/laws: Australia/USA age verification: no anti-genAI: yes, but only for adopts

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
    Toyhouse screenshot 1
  7. general blogging platform, not strictly art focused.

    it feels like a mix of good parts of Dreamwidth and Tumblr. while it's not a social gallery website, there are plenty art & creativity communities (groups), so i decided to include it here.

    servers/laws: USA age verification: no anti-genAI: yes

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    Pillowfort screenshot 1
  8. fun

    because having fun is important!

  9. Pinterest icon
     Like

    unfortunately, this is a good place to make character boards and to find references. i do not recommend using it for publishing, but rather for finding inspiration.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Android Wear
    • Kindle Fire
    Main Page as of Out. 2011
    Pinterest screenshot 1
    Pinterest screenshot 2
    +3
    Pinterest screenshot 3
  10. a little art game! you could even draw from your phone. or with your mouse. or with touchpad. it doesn't matter. helped with artblock once :)

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    Draw - use simple tools to draw a phrase. Each player gets 10 minutes.
    Describe - interpret other player's drawings.
    Laugh! View the completed game.
  11. DrawPile icon
     Like

    to draw online with someone on the same canvas.

    it feels like a small hangout place for fellow artists to have fun drawing together.

    it has what i need: graphic tablet support, pressure sensitivity (or draw with your mouse like a real man!), layers, canvas, even smol chat.

    android app is buggy (as for 2025 version at least), but desktop is cool!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • F-Droid
    • Flathub
    DrawPile screenshot 1
    DrawPile screenshot 1
    old screenshot
  12. software

    tools to create

  13. Krita icon
     Like

    seriousness level: medium

    could be used to deal with artblock.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android Tablet
    • KDE Plasma
    • Epic Games Store
    • PortableApps.com
    • F-Droid
    • Steam
    • AppImage
    Main Window
    Startup page with news
    Brush editor
    +3
    Gamut Mask editor
  14. seriousness level: high

    should be avoided during artblock.

    i'm begging you, do not buy a subscription. wait for one-time purchase sale (often on Christmas!)

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Samsung Galaxy Store
    Customizable workspace
    Simple UI mode
    Blank Canvas
    +9
    Tool editing dialog
  15. BeeRef icon
     Like

    to squeeze all of those Important 999 references into my small laptop screen.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    BeeRef screenshot 1
  16. discontinued / no longer in use

    R.I.P.

  17. refern. icon
     Like

    best pinterest alternative ever made. o7

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
    refern. screenshot 1
    refern. screenshot 1
    refern. screenshot 2
    +1
    refern. screenshot 3
  18. Pinry icon
     Like

    it's not dead, you can still self-host it, but there are no public instances anymore :(

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Docker
    Pinry is an open-source alternative to Pinterest, written in Python with the Django Framework
  19. others' recommendations

    services i haven't tried personally, but i know some of my fellow artists use them. feedback is always welcome!

  20. art focused.

    drawing-streaming service.

    feedback from ladylibido user (Pillowfort): "While this is primarily a streaming service, they do offer a gallery and it functions enough like an art gallery to be included here. They offer tagging for search but no tag filtering that I can find. They have folders which can be restricted to your Picarto followers or subscribers which if that's something you use is a boon. They have a small amount of image stacks, only permitting 4 additional images per any entry, and no more than I can see. Though it can be a bit awkward to navigate and link to. (it's worth noting that they also offer commission listing and purchasing on their site)"

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
    Picarto.TV screenshot 1
  21. ocbin icon
     Like

    OC & worldbuilding art focused.

    also ToyHouse alternative, still in beta. custom HTML characters templates. user must be at least 18 years old to register.

    invite system: either from one of the existing users, or through OCbin's Discord sever (you should have at least one original character to show).

    according to their Discord info, maximum amount of OCs profiles is restricted to 20 (as for 2025).

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
    Register Page [June 2024]
    Homepage
    Character Page

additional note: the most comfortable way to host, archive and share my art online is personal websites. i didn't list any hosts, because it's your choice, but i recommend Neocities, Nekoweb and leprd :)


also, bunnie created very detailed list with anti-AI art communities, you might find it useful ^_^

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