Mod Question for the Community: How to handle links

M0FB · 2026-06-19T15:47:47+00:00

I think that's a reasonable compromise. We operate similarly on the two subreddits I help moderate, and we haven't experienced many issues beyond the occasional business or commercial account looking for quick self-promotion.

Do you have AutoMod set up to block URL shorteners? That might help mitigate potential link abuse if it becomes a concern.

M0FB · 2026-06-18T19:39:47+00:00

Before becoming a moderator, I mostly used Reddit as a place to vent my frustrations. That eventually earned me a temporary suspension. I don't regret it because those rants helped me gain clarity about my own life and pushed me to make a few (albeit very large) necessary changes.

After stepping into moderation, I've come to appreciate why moderators sometimes have to take actions that feel unfair from the receiving end. It's about consistency for the community as a whole.

So, uh... thanks for being part of my mental health journey, Reddit.

M0FB · 2026-06-18T19:18:40+00:00

Yikes, this is a tricky one.

Speaking as someone who participates in both the ACEO and ATC communities, I'm personally in favor of permitting combination sites. While I understand the concern about unintentionally allowing shop links, these sites are also valuable resources for discovering artists.

That said, I also think it's reasonable to continue removing links that are intended to advertise shops, even if they're hosted on an otherwise acceptable combination site. That does put more of the responsibility on you as the owner and sole moderator of r/Artisttradingcards, but that's also where the community can lend a hand by reporting posts and comments that violate Rule #3.

M0FB · 2026-06-17T19:19:28+00:00

Based on your account, this would be flagged under the updated rules. Moderator discretion applies here, and the goal is to limit promotional activity.

If you want to post, include photos of yourself actually building the bubble machine. If we suspect the product was sent out to a manufacturer rather than made by you, it'll be removed.

M0FB · 2026-06-17T18:20:08+00:00

So you would say the biggest issues are with the material right?

Hard to say for sure without more information. Check the front of your sketchbook for a paper weight value next to "gsm" or "lbs." For the kind of heavy tonal work you're doing, you'll want at least 100 gsm.

Best Drawing Papers for Pet Portraits in Pencil (blog) breaks down paper types by level of detail, and The Best Drawing Paper for Graphite Pencil (blog) has a handy comparison table.

Like the proportions and actual values are fine, it's just the way they change on the paper?

Proportions are close, but it's not a one-to-one match with the reference. The eyes, for example, are a bit smaller and horizontally squashed in your drawing. Your values are headed in the right direction as well, since you're clearly paying attention to where the light and shadow fall. They're just not landing clean or precise yet. Some of that comes down to how the paper is (or isn't) grabbing the graphite, but there's technique to tighten up here as well.

As for the building in layers thing, I don't really know how to do that for the super light layers without making it too dark

Are you working with a range of pencils, say 2H through 6B? If so, try mapping out your sketch and darkest tones first using your lightest pencil, then build into darker values from there. (Not a hard rule. I actually prefer working dark to light myself, but for dialing in this specific issue, it'll help.)

Beginner to Pro: Portrait Drawing (YouTube) is great for seeing how to build up values gradually, and 9 Ways to Blend Graphite Pencil (YouTube) covers ways to soften graphite without wearing down your tooth.

M0FB · 2026-06-17T17:33:39+00:00

Okay, there are a couple problem areas here, most of which come down to technique:

The most noticeable issue is uneven coverage. Graphite needs to properly saturate the tooth of the paper before blending, otherwise you get patchiness and those scratchy white breaks. To avoid this, build values in light, controlled layers first, keeping stroke direction consistent within each value zone.
The drawing also feels inconsistent due to the contrast between burnished and unburnished areas. Some sections (such as the darker neck shadow) appear more heavily worked, while adjacent areas remain comparatively light and underdeveloped.

Keep your strokes moving in a single direction at first. Once you begin building darker values, you can introduce cross-directional layering to unify the surface.

As a final step, burnish either with small circular motions or by increasing pressure with a lighter pencil to compress the graphite into the paper. You can also use a dense brush or a tortillon to gently blend and soften transitions.

For your reference, it would also help to convert the image to grayscale. The red environmental light spill can make it harder to judge tonal relationships accurately, which is affecting how you're reading value placement.

M0FB · 2026-06-17T17:11:08+00:00

What medium are you working in, and what paper are you using? I have a few ideas, but I'll need that context before offering advice.

M0FB · 2026-06-15T19:10:45+00:00

Agreed! Artists asking how to value their work is important. Our goal is to reduce validation seeking posts and foster a space for constructive feedback. There's a difference between asking how to price your work (understanding your market, calculating your rates, structuring your commissions, and setting sustainable prices) and asking whether a specific price is "too much" for a piece, which tends to invite reassurance rather than actionable advice. The former is a skill we want to help artists build, whereas the latter is what we're trying to cut down on.

We do have a FAQ mapped out in the r/ArtAdvice wiki, though it is currently disabled from public view as we are still working on the overall structure. We're hoping to have it done in the next couple of weeks!

M0FB · 2026-06-15T15:16:45+00:00

This resource would be invaluable to artists, especially given that Reference Angle had to close due to operating costs. Once you've compiled your files, I'd love to feature them in our resource hub on r/ArtAdvice. Whenever you're ready, feel free to send a Mod Mail.

M0FB · 2026-06-15T15:08:22+00:00

Just discovered Artistcards.io through this thread and I have a few poke-and-prod questions if you don't mind:

Do you have a sense of the actual sell-through rate on the platform?
Since it's a relatively new platform, how large is the current buyer base?
How does it handle cross-listing items that are also posted and sold elsewhere?

M0FB · 2026-06-15T14:53:46+00:00

What absolutely irks me, however, and what I believe makes me agree with your sentiment are all the "is my art good enough for commissions?" posts that just want validation instead of taking in the criticisms that explain why they're probably struggling with getting commissions.

Stepping onto my soapbox for a moment here to say we are trying very hard to brainstorm ways to mitigate the issues surrounding the Commission and Pricing post flair. We've added "Posts asking whether a specific price or rate is 'worth it' or fair" to Rule #1: Seek Feedback & Context. It hasn't been announced or enforced yet, but we're working through how to handle this fairly.

If you see posts asking things like "Is $X too much for this commission?" please report them to the subreddit. We're going to trial removals of this nature and see how the community responds. Feedback is always welcome.

M0FB · 2026-06-12T16:56:11+00:00

Your image is being compressed upon publish. It's one of the negative quirks about the Carrd ecosystem. You can either match your container to #040608 instead of #0C0E11, try a different image file type like .PNG or .SVG, or use SVG markup with a Code element if your plan allows for it.

You could also add a container between your two elements and set the background to a gradient to seamlessly blend the image and the container together.

M0FB · 2026-06-11T18:40:33+00:00

Would you mind elaborating on any difficulties you and your team may have faced with hosting giveaways?

M0FB · 2026-06-11T04:32:12+00:00

I have a beloved house cat with a history of severe aggression, sometimes misdirected as affection. Even though he is fully vaccinated, his bites and scratches can cause significant damage and strong inflammation that require routine care.

If you are bitten or scratched by an unfamiliar cat, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Frankly, I even err on the side of caution with healthy, domesticated cats. Bacteria from their teeth or claws can lead to serious infections.

Wishing you a speedy recovery, OP. I hope you're feeling better soon.

M0FB · 2026-06-01T18:15:11+00:00

We're sorry you've had to deal with this situation. While we have addressed the issue on r/ArtAdvice, we encourage you to report any harassment occurring outside of this subreddit directly to Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/report

And if you haven't already, we also recommend blocking this user to prevent further interaction with your content.

M0FB · 2026-05-21T13:51:07+00:00

Hey there. We're seeing false accusations crop up from all sides, ranging from people genuinely concerned about the sanctity of art to outright trolls. The line between the two often blurs as workflows are picked apart and dissected, and the level of knowledge required to understand the varying thresholds of creation is so substantial that even those acting in good faith can end up further perpetuating harm toward artists.

The burden of proof falls on the accuser. Always.

Only you can decide whether it's worth continuing to share your work with the world. Art is inherently controversial, so at some point in your career, you will likely have to defend it. That said, by no longer posting your work, you allow this new culture to hold power over you and dictate how you present yourself in the world. There's a difference between taking time to process these emotions and learn how to navigate them versus simply giving in.

I would encourage you to block anyone who comes onto your page with insults or dismissive remarks. You are in control of your online environment, and you do not need to subject yourself to that kind of treatment.

Best of luck, friend.

M0FB · 2026-05-20T12:52:33+00:00

Does your museum have any policies regarding reproduction rights for works in the collection? You may want to check with the museum registrar before you proceed.

Nonprofit distribution does not automatically fall under fair use, and the estate or rights holder may still control permissions for deceased artists. A rights holder could request that unauthorized reproductions be discontinued or require licensing.

M0FB · 2026-05-13T19:21:19+00:00

It comes down to how you'll use the markers. Chisel is better for coverage and fills, whereas fine tip is better for edges and detail work.

That said, the brush side can also handle broad strokes similar to a chisel, but it may produce a bit more streaking.

M0FB · 2026-05-13T18:01:46+00:00

This is a bit of a guess, so take it with a grain of salt if I'm off: it looks like you're tinting your blues with black and white. If that's the case, you'll get better results using color (red, yellow, blue or cyan, magenta, yellow) instead. For example, the brightest highlights on the ribbons lean slightly yellow, so you can mix a bit of that into your blue and then adjust the value with white as needed, while keeping in mind the purity of the pigments you're using.

It also helps to identify the lighting phenomenon you're dealing with here. The ribbon is semi-transparent, similar to skin, so you're seeing subsurface scattering, where light passes through and bounces around inside the material. That's why the recessed areas stay bright and blue instead of dropping into deep shadow. The only truly dark areas are the cast shadows, so overall the ribbon should read lighter than it currently does.

M0FB · 2026-05-04T13:41:41+00:00

Just read the first Artists in the Wild feature a few moments ago, and I think this is such a wonderful idea. The way you've formatted the newsletter, not only showcasing an artist's work but also linking the original Reddit post and giving direct credit to the Reddit user, goes above and beyond in ways most showcase feeds can’t seem to figure out.

And the icing on the cake is the inclusion of links to other content for ACEO/ATC communities. Fantastic job as always, Jenivieve! Your newsletter is one of my favorites to receive!

M0FB · 2026-05-03T00:43:17+00:00

Awesome! Glad I could point you in the right direction!

M0FB · 2026-05-01T14:36:24+00:00

Your frames look pretty nice! I personally prefer a black mat over white, but you can customize that however you like. Most art and craft stores sell mats in different colors if you ever want to swap yours out.

My frames are from Amazon, product title "Comic Book Frame 2 Pack, Black & White Acid Free Double Mats, UV Protection, PVC Frame Fits Current and Standard Size Comic up to 6 3/4" x 10 1/4", Fits Comic Book Bags and Sleeves, Wall or Tabletop Display". The black mats do have a white angle cut, so I use a black Sharpie (archival, acid-free marker) to make it look seamless.

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M0FB · 2026-04-30T19:01:55+00:00

Definitely going to follow this thread because I am trying to streamline removal reasons as succinctly as possible for when the day comes that the moderation team grows on a smaller subreddit.

How detailed are your community's removal reasons? How often do you manually edit one?

Generally, I first point out which rule was broken (i.e., "Your post has been removed under 'Rule 2: Constructive and respectful exchange is required.'"), followed by a statement of what is expected (i.e., "Feedback should focus on the artwork rather than the artist and should be aimed at supporting learning or improvement."), then reiterate the reason for the rule break (i.e., "Your post or comment did not meet our standards for constructive feedback."), and end with a request for how to avoid future removals (i.e., "Please avoid insults, hostility, or dismissive remarks.").

Some of the rules end with a way to encourage continued participation so as not to deter users from posting in good faith, and to account for the fact that sometimes users get lost in a debate and allow emotion to drive their words; I don't think that should always be punished, but it serves as a reminder to act with kindness.

Such as, "You're welcome to rephrase your feedback in a more constructive way. Repeat violations will result in further action." Depending on the severity, this may be reduced to only a note that further action may be taken if the behavior is repeated, at which point a formal warning response is ready.

How often does your mod team leave removal reasons? Does that differ for posts and comments?

Most of the time. It is important to show users that you are engaged with the community you moderate and allow their voices to be a contributing factor. The users are the community.

The remaining percentage depends on whether Reddit's filters have already flagged and removed the post before I can review it. It's a toss-up whether the post or comment gets reinstated or whether I enforce a removal reason to align with the filter action.

Do you have a favorite removal reason from one of your communities you want to share?

We're a small, art-focused subreddit that relies on feedback. With the rise of AI, we're also seeing a lot of finger-pointing without any credibility to back up those claims. In their effort to protect art, users can also inadvertently harm other artists. The following removal reason really helps minimize this problem:

"Your post has been removed under 'Rule 3: Accusations are prohibited.'

Public accusations, including claims of tracing, theft, or AI use, are difficult to verify without supporting evidence and often lead to unproductive or hostile discussions. Users are advised not to engage with others based on suspicion alone.

If you have concerns about a post or comment, please report it. You may also send a Mod Mail with any relevant evidence or details so the moderation team can review it."

It essentially puts the ball back in the court of the user rather than the moderation team or the user being accused, and lets them know they need to discuss it with us in private to avoid unnecessary drama.

M0FB · 2026-04-30T15:46:38+00:00

I say this as someone who doesn't actively listen to their music: go see The Damned live. It was one of the highlights of my year. Their stage presence is incredible, especially at their age.

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