deviantART

deviantART is a online community launched in 2000 showcasing various forms of user made artwork. Since the evolution of the internet, artists have more of an opportunity to showcase their work than ever. This site provides just that, exposure, support, scholarships, and networking internationally. Many similar websites these days often can accidentally create a negative and a discriminatory atmosphere but deviantART is a no tolerance website. Ideally the website’s primary goal was to provide members or “deviants” with a relatively unrestricted creative environment to thrive in while also enforcing a friendly environment. Originating to showcase digital artwork, the site has grown to much more than that and fast.

The website showcases over 11 million “deviations” or artworks and has over 1 million deviant members. It is able to earn revenue through subscriptions, small advertisements, and services it offers to it’s members such as printing. Because of the nature of the website, the front page houses very little text and very large dominating graphics, all deviations of the deviants which are in a display rotation weekly. The site is user friendly and very uncluttered, simulating a gallery you could find any where in the world. To the left of the page is the category list ranging from digital, to traditional, to fan art, and even journals, with many more in between. You can browse through popular art or new art incase you cant narrow down what it is that you are looking for. Nonmembers and members alike can commission pieces or buy existing showcased pieces.

Membership is free and for less than 5 dollars a month, members can subscribe in order to receive discounts on services, eliminate ads and pop ups, access to a message center and other features. For many members, showcasing their artwork on their own purchased website may not be an option, so having a devianART page allows students and artists to show off their work for free. Artists on deviantART also feed off of each other and depend on each other for honest, positive, and constructive criticism. Comments can be made by members on individual pieces of work and viewed by anyone. Because of the positive atmosphere of the site, many artists find that the constructive criticism they receive online is much more valuable than any criticism they find outside of the site. As a member or nonmember, deviantART is one of those websites you can browse for hours, getting happily lost in the endless tunnels of creativity. For nonmembers just looking to purchase or support, deviantART can inspire creativeness out of anyone.

As the site receives more members and more attention, they strive to bring the positive vibe of their online community to the outside world. Engaging artists and nonartists alike are now annually able to participate and form a real live community in California. The event is centers around gallery showings, seminars, instructional sessions, and business tips to inspiring artists.

Overall deviantART is the perfect online community for artists whether they seek criticism, feedback, exposure, to sell their work, to commission their work, or to even print their work. And the perfect online community for nonartists who seek inspiration, original artwork, employees, or who just want to zone out in a creative and visually stimulating website.