redbubble.com

mightmous (Enthusiast)

The best use of this site is Other.

Comments: RedBubble is a terrible site. They have no customer service. Admin never gets back to you. On the forums members are bullied off by the "RedBubble Mafia" - God forbid you actually give some one a critique other than "lovely". Most of the work on Redbubble is horrible out of focus family snaps. This is definitely NOT and art site.

fair dinkum (Enthusiast)

The best use of this site is Other.

Comments: I've been a member and an active user of Redbubble for nearly three years, during that time I've seen it evolve and move with the times. There is an active community of photographic artists, fine artists and writers who interact with and inspire each other. The management and administrative team encourage and promote this community. The site does all the work in terms of manufacturing and supplying the various products that are offered for sale with the member's artwork. A base price is set and artists have full control over profit margins they wish to set. The products offered are guaranteed to be of high quality. membership is free, there is no third party advertising, and artists retain copyright of their works. Groups on the site offer the opportunity for members to meet, communicate and share their work with artists having similar interests or tastes. Many groups hold challenges and those who have a competitive bent will find such challenges a great way to gain further exposure for their work, and often Redbubble provides gift vouchers for winners of challenges. There are groups for artists and writers of all levels and those wishing to develop their skills will find ample guidance and encouragement. Many Redbubble members have gone on to win accolades in various prestigious competitions and award programs. I would like it if there were a way for writers to self publish on the site however even without this facility Redbubble functions really well as a totally free site for writers to share their work, receive feedback, and enjoy the company and encouragement of other writers. Like any community, what you get out of the site will likely reflect the time and effort you put into it, if you are prepared to view and comment on the work of others you will certainly find that reciprocated. I've made many good friends through membership of this site, in the real world as well as the online one.

happybubbler (Enthusiast)

The best use of this site is Entertainment.

Comments: I love the fact that we can sell our prints/cards/calendars/tees and mobile phone covers just by uploading the files to this site. We can also set the margin, and the files are recoverable at any time if we have a hard drive failure! THAT'S a huge bonus, and all this for free!!! I also love the fact that we can leave all the printing, postage and handling to them, and all we have to do is go out and network to bring people to our work. I dislike it when the site is being updated and I can't access it!!! Tips and recommendations? Upload your original work, go and say hi to others who have work you admire, share your links on twitter and facebook, and enjoy the ride. There are so many talented artists on the site, you'll be kept busy just checking out their work!

julielangford (Casual Visitor)

The best use of this site is Other.

Comments: Redbubble was once great, for all the right reasons. But unfortunately, that is not the case nowadays. It died, about 8 months ago, when it's ethos changed and its morals and ethics became questionable. It no longer promotes real art IMO, even though there is plenty of great art to see on the site [which is buried under the rubbish that gets promoted over the top of it].

notimpressed (Casual Visitor)

The best use of this site is Other.

Comments: The best art is on the featured pages but when I search for something specific I am assaulted with blurry snapshots or t-shirts and I often get many pictures that aren't even related to my search.

Facebook User (Enthusiast)

The best use of this site is Other.

Comments: Why was my first comment removed?? It seems like there is great censorship here. Everything that I have written is true and can be backed up with documentation. Redbubble keeps on promoting that they are an "Artist Community" when in fact all they care about are selling slogan tees. There is no art involved in putting a slogan onto a tee. The CEO refused to remove "Pro Nazi" tees that promoted hate and violence. It was only after the ADC stepped in that he removed them. The account is still on Redbubble which could imply that they are still selling the tees under the counter. Redbubble made a great deal of money off the tees. Then lets not forget the baby line with the serial killers on it. So many great talented artists have left Redbubble. Now all you see are tasteless shots members butts, not even artistically done. Another reason why I left Redbubble is the price of their prints. They are so over priced. I brought a tee from Redbubble and one from another company. Firstly my other companies tee has lasted longer and it was cheaper. Many of the artists don't use safe filters for their work so if you are browsing at work it can be very embarrassing. There is a great difference between artistic nudes and pornographic work. Don't even look at the copyright violations on their tees. Their reporting system doesn't work. For example if I see a picture of an "icon" on a tee I can't report it, only the "Icon" company can report it. So there are thousands of copyright violations. I used to love Redbubble but the last 8 months I have seen the site crash and burn. Artists are not getting paid, cheques are bouncing. They blew their bubble to big and now it has popped. If you are looking for tacky over priced slogan tees then Redbubble is the site for you. But if you are looking for great art then I suggest you try other online art sites. There are many other great art sites, and if art isn't your thing then there are cheaper tee sites.

Facebook User (Power Visitor)

The best use of this site is Other.

Comments: RedBubble used to have all the features a great "artist community site" needed. In the past year or so this aspect of the site has deteriorated significantly with many of the more serious artists leaving the site and being replaced by drop and go Tee designers with extremely varying taste in "slogans and graphics". Warning - much of this should have a child-safe filter. Unfortunately RedBubble allows it's filters to be removed from any image at any time - even by non-members - and the standards of work to be found on the site has shifted dramatically from "better quality photography and art" to the more "crass and wanting to shock" style of clothing designs. I have now left as this site no longer meets my requirements.

rb oldie says:

The best use of this site is Entertainment.

Comments: I used RedBubble for about two years and enjoyed the community aspect and the ease of navigation. Then late last year, in their wisdom and for unexplained reasons, RedBubble changed the site and made it harder to navigate and got rid of some of the best community aspects. Many members complained bitterly but they were ignored. RedBubble has gone from great to bad in one site redesign.

artgirl66 (Power Visitor)

The best use of this site is Other.

Comments: Although Red Bubble started out as an epiphany for me, I am bitterly disappointed at how the experience has turned out. This site hosts art that, in my opinion and many other members, is antisemitic and racist - it's just morally wrong and makes me sick to my stomach. The CEO has defended the right of freedom of expression in art - fair enough - but no one is allowed the freedom of speech to object to it and are effectively gagged according to their 'play nice' policy. I have therefore removed my work from sale from this site (big deal, I don't really sell anyway, but it's the principle). I will keep my account (for now - you see this is the type of dissidence I believe gets you suspended or banned from red bubble) but only as a social site in order to still see the work created by the many artists I do hold in high esteem. As the site gets larger, I am finding that the community element becomes more and more fractured. I remind myself it is only a run of the mill POD site after all and there are plenty of other great art sites out there if you just take the time to look.

newbeltane (Enthusiast)

The best use of this site is Other.

Comments: If you want to connect with other photographers and artists RedBubble is just what you've been searching for, with its lively community, many shared interest groups and opportunities to market and sell your images. You can even start up your own group if none of the many existing groups don't cover the area you are interested in. Receive appraisals from fellow members and enter competitions and challenges. If you are selling your work you can set your own commission and let RedBubble take care of the printing, shipping and financial side of things, which they do in a very professional manner. Membership is free and there are no costs involved, so its a good way to earn some cash from your artwork.