deviantART: A Web Site Review

The evolution of the internet has afforded artists an opportunity for exposure that was once primarily the domain of those fortunate enough to have gallery representation. Today, many artists, whether they are working digitally or with traditional media, use web sites as their primary means of displaying and selling their work. In addition to the commercial advantages afforded by the internet, the graphic nature of the both the computer interface and the web itself have opened up a whole new market to artists and designers.

Launched on August 7, 2000, by co-founders Angelo Sotira, Scott Jarkoff and Matt Stephens, deviantART is an international online art community devoted to providing its members a relatively unrestricted creative environment while simultaneously enforcing a non-flaming, non-ripping and non-discriminatory atmosphere. In the parlance of the site, artists are known as deviants and the works they create are deviations. As of this writing, the site is home to more than eleven million pieces of art and the community consists of over 1 million members worldwide. Sotira, a dot-com prodigy since his teens, currently runs deviantART full-time; the site earns revenue through the print services it offers to its members, a subscription program, and advertising.

As is befitting an online art community, the front page of deviantART is heavy on graphics and short on text. The menus provide some clues as to the wealth of material found within. There is a chat facility available to registered members, an events calendar and a large number of forums (posting is open only to registered members). Thumbnails on the front page point the visitor to the most recently submitted art works, recently submitted prints for sale, and the art work currently drawing the most traffic. In addition, members can use a feature called deviantWATCH, which enables one to follow the progress of favorite artists through a notification system that keeps the user informed of new art works, journal entries and other site-related activities.

A free login membership to the site allows one to submit art, comment on the submitted art of other members and participate in the forums. Services provided to artists include a prints service, which allows members to sell prints directly from the site, and discounted advertising. A paid subscription to the site (at $4.95 a month) buys freedom from banner ads and pop-ups, a message center, large gallery thumbnails, a visitor’s log on one’s own user page, special journal features, and other features.

Joe Tower, a digital artist who has been a member of DeviantART since May of 2004, saw the online community as a unique opportunity to share his work and get some critical feedback and support from fellow artists. When asked to describe the impact DeviantART has had on his development as an artist, Tower offered the following:

All of the feedback I have received has made me appreciate my work in a different light. I am already very critical of my work. The positive feedback has made me evolve and know that people understand what I am doing. To have people relate and identify to my work lets me know I am conveying the intent of the pieces. The messages are coming across. The negative feedback has forced me to overcome creative barriers and hone my skill. I take every negative criticism and try to think from their perspective. The negative helps as much as the positive. I feel I have been able to develop a "style" through my participation in the DeviantART community. Every user I have come across has added a little bit to my creative thought process.

Article Author: Lisa McKay

Lisa McKay is Blogcritics' Executive Editor. At BC she can usually be found hanging out in the film section. She recently started food blogging at Will Kill for Food.

In her spare time, she watches movies, listens to music, reads, and caters to the whims of two spoiled cats. …

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