Creating and running your own community
A community on ArtHelper is a space you create for a specific group of artists — a critique circle, a watercolor club, a class you teach, a regional collective. You decide who can join, who can post, and what the space is about. This guide walks you through creating one and running it day-to-day.
Three kinds of community
Before you create one, decide what kind you want. You can change this later, but it’s easier to pick the right one up front.
Public — anyone can find it, anyone can join, anyone can read posts. Best for open-theme groups like “Plein air painters” or “Pastel artists.”
Restricted — anyone can find and read it, but only members can post. Good for teaching spaces where you want a wide audience but tight control over content.
Private — invitation-only. People must request to join, and you approve each one. Best for critique circles, classes, and small groups.
How to create a community
Go to arthelper.com/community and click All Communities.
Click the Create Community button at the top of the page.
Pick a category — this helps people find your community when they’re browsing.
Pick the community type: Public, Restricted, or Private.
Give your community a name. Keep it short and clear — “Cold Wax Painters” reads better than “The Official Cold Wax Painters Discussion Group.”
Choose a URL. This is the web address people will use to find your community. It must be unique. You’ll see a green check when an address is available.
Write a short description — a sentence or two about who the community is for and what people will find there.
Click Create Community.
Your community goes live right away, and you’re the owner.
Before you launch, write the first post yourself — a welcome and a clear ask (“introduce yourself in the comments”). New members feel much more comfortable joining a community that already has activity in it.
Adding a banner and avatar
A community with a banner image and an avatar looks far more inviting than one without. You can add both from the Settings page.
Open your community and click Community Settings.
Scroll to the Community Media section.
Upload an avatar — a square image, usually a logo or a single piece of artwork.
Upload a banner — a wide image that runs across the top of the page.
Click Save Changes.
Inviting people to join
Open your community and click Community Settings.
Find the Members section and click to invite someone.
Enter the artist’s ArtHelper name or email address.
They’ll get a notification with a link to join. For private communities, accepting the invite adds them as a member right away.
You can also share your community’s URL directly — anyone with the link can find a public or restricted community.
Running the community day-to-day
As the owner you have two extra tools that regular members don’t see: Community Settings and Moderation Tools.
Community Settings — change the name, description, banner, category, and rules. Decide whether new posts need your approval before they go live.
Moderation Tools — see all members, change someone’s role, remove someone, or approve pending posts. You can also make another member a moderator so they can help you run the space.
Both pages are linked from your community’s main page, but only show up if you’re the owner or a moderator.
Making someone a moderator
Open Community Settings and find the Members section.
Find the member you want to promote and change their role to Moderator.
They’ll get access to Moderation Tools right away. They can approve posts, remove content, and manage members — but only the owner can delete the community itself.
Common questions
Can I change a community from Public to Private later?
Yes. Open Community Settings and change the type. Existing members stay; new joiners will follow the new rules.
What if someone posts something inappropriate?
Go to Moderation Tools. You can remove a post, remove the member, or both. For repeat issues, you can also report the member to ArtHelper support.
How many people can be in a community?
There’s no fixed limit. Communities work well from a handful of close friends up to thousands of members.
Can I delete my community?
Yes. Only the owner can delete a community, and it’s permanent. If you’re not sure, archive it by setting it to Private and stopping new invites first — you can always re-open it later.