FIVE YEARS ON DEVIANTART – MY ARTWORK REVIEW
(LATE JANUARY COMMISSION INFO AT BOTTOM!!!)
This year marks my fifth full year on DA, so to celebrate, I’m reviewing everything I’ve drawn and posted here since I first signed up. I have mixed emotions about my gallery, so let’s get ‘em all out. First I’ll go over how I feel about each year. Since I’ve been organizing my artwork folders on my computer since back in high school, I still organize them by school years (September-August) rather than traditional years. Now that that’s clarified, here’s the rundown.
2012-2013
The past year. I started off strong, drawing some of the best stuff in my gallery in fall of 2012, but come 2013 most of my work has been very disappointing for me. I don’t know, it’s a combo of not feeling the spark I did in previous years and just not putting as much into the drawings, as well as just plain suckage. While I’ve still drawn a handful of pictures I like a lot, some just seem to come out decent at best. My “Hyrule’s Most Heinous” series and caricature pieces have been letting me down severely. Hopefully I’ll get out of this art slump soon and start producing good shit again.
2011-2012
Probably my best year for artwork. I posted a lot of my favorite pieces at this time. The Nintendo Villains picture, Gaming Bookmarks series and the caricatures from this year remain some of my favorite works, among others. I would still use mostly work from this year in a showcase of my best stuff.
2010-2011
I certainly improved, but this is when production of art began a gradual slow-down that would only get worse with time, and this is the year that I drew pretty much nothing but softcore porn. The summer prior I had uploaded my first internet-posted “mature” piece, and with the over-the-top positive feedback, it went to my head and I drew a handful a month. They’re all pretty much the same generic concept – just a different character with my sexy-mod body, but I learned that any smut would beat-out any regular picture regardless of quality. After this year the bulk of my fans just wanted to see these drawings and didn’t give a damn about my other stuff and it’s stayed quite like that since, even though I barely post artwork like that anymore. I damn the day I uploaded “mature” art to the internet.
2009-2010
This was when I first started posting art on DA. I went into it just posting all my old work from 2007-then, all drawings of my original characters. Between 06-09 I made a lot of comics and characters and was drawing barely anything besides them up to that point. I didn’t post all of my creations up as I thought it would be too many, so I posted what were my favorites at the time. Coincidentally, I had drawn those characters so much by then that I finally had my fill of them at that point, hence the sudden absence of original characters. By 2010 I was putting up my first internet-posted fanart pieces, and began coloring digitally. Most of my drawings were pretty ugly at this time, but it was a good progressive period where I really began experimenting with drawing things I’d never drawn before. Oh yeah, and of course I began getting more fans once I started drawing fan art. I really would like to create my own stuff again, as I always have ideas brewing in my head, but I can never find the time or dedication to do anything like that these days. Hopefully soon…
Now, time for a brief sum-up of each individual drawing I’ve posted on DA. I’ll list them from newest to oldest. My descriptions for each can only be brief, as this entry would be longer than a Webster’s dictionary if I had to write an in-depth opinion on each of the hundreds of pieces I’ve done. The ratings will all be relevant, meaning when I say a picture gets a perfect score, I’m saying a perfect score for my work and potential, not in comparison to anybody else’s work. I will rate them from 1-5 (one being the lowest, and 5 being the best), though if it truly breaks the boundaries of suckage, let’s give it the big ol’ zero it deserves.
PICTURE DATE RANKING
Tron Bonne – On another Misadventure November 2013 5 – I love it. Probably my best of 2013
Creature from the Black Lagoon October 2013 4 – Best in the series
The Wolf Man October 2013 3 – Decent
Dracula October 2013 2 – Decent coloring but awkward design
Frankenstein October 2013 2 – Slightly boring & awkward/ could be more extreme
Skadi September 2013 4 – I like it a lot, not much going on, though
Barbara n’ the Good Guys September 2013 3 – Looks good but unoriginal as hell
HMH – Volvagia September 2013 3 – Decent
HMH – Shadow Beast August 2013 3 – Decent
HMH – Gohma August 2013 2 – Looks OK but lacks detail and substance
HMH – Dodongo August 2013 4 – Better than most HMH
HMH – Wizzrobe August 2013 3 – Decent
HMH – Dead Hand July 2013 1 – Bad coloring, pose and detail – It sucks
HMH – Gyorg July 2013 3 – Decent
Mean Girls July 2013 2 – There’s an awkward mix of levels of cartoony among the girls
HMH – Manhandla July 2013 4 – Better and more original than most HMH
Hot Fi July 2013 2 – It’s just my generic curvy mod on Fi
HMH – Gerudo Tribe June 2013 3 – Decent but a little sloppy
HMH – Poe June 2013 3 – Decent
HMH – Moblin May 2013 3 – Pretty good but a little noticeably rushed
HMH – Lizalfos May 2013 4 – Pretty good
HMH – Octorok May 2013 3 –Decent
Princess Shroob May 2013 4 – Usual perv-mod, sexier than usual, though
Jonathan Jones May 2013 5 – I like the way everything came out here
Geno May 2013 4 – Pretty good, could be more extreme, though
Valentina May 2013 4 – Pretty good, I like the coloring in the BG
Booster May 2013 4 – Pretty good, but the BG is pretty sloppy
Croco May 2013 4 – Pretty good
Leah March 2013 4 – Pretty Good
Grobyc February 2013 3 – Decent
Harle February 2013 3 – Decent
Skelly February 2013 4 – Pretty Good
NeoFio February 2013 4 – Pretty Good
Pudgy Bunny February 2013 4 – I like it
Han & Chewie February 2013 3 – Decent though the toon-ness seems forced
Kid January 2013 3 – Decent
Rugrats December 2012 4 – Pretty good, looks appealing
Skops the Scorpion November 2012 5 – I love it
The Eeevil Mr. Dark November 2012 4 – Would be great if the arms weren’t awkward
Wreck-It Ralph November 2012 5 – Pretty good except the rushed text
NTMW – Tex Hex November 2012 5 – Exactly as I pictured it
Nosferatu October 2012 4 – Pretty good
Mario & Luigi – Partners in Time October 2012 5 – Came out better than I planned
Mario & Luigi – Superstar Saga October 2012 5 – Awesome except the empty BG areas
The People of Bluffington July 2012 4 – Fun
Aaah! Real Monsters July 2012 3 – Awkwardly positioned and sloppy lines
Super Mario Bros. 3 Bookmark July 2012 5 – Best Koopalings picture I’ve done yet
Super Mario Bookmark July 2012 4 – Mostly good except some minor details
Donkey Kong Country 2 Bookmark July 2012 5 – I love it
Bonk’s Adventure Bookmark July 2012 4 – Sort of awkward placement
Mega Man Bookmark April 2012 5 – Love the designs and coloring job
Panel de Pon Bookmark April 2012 5 – Love the way the designs came out
Clash of the Titans for bascalot666 April 2012 4 – Pretty damn good for a request
Mother 3 Bookmark March 2012 3 – Awkward spacing and not too interesting
Earthbound Bookmark March 2012 4 – Pretty good
Wind Waker Bookmark March 2012 3 – Most designs are rather boring
Pretty Little Pannels March 2012 3 – A little sloppy but overall it looks decent
Skyward Sword Bookmark March 2012 5 – They all came out how I wanted them to
John Goodman March 2012 5 – I love the way this one came out
Ayla March 2012 3 – Pretty decent
PBS Kids Support – Sesame Street February 2012 4 – Pretty good
The Dark Side of Clay Fighter 2 February 2012 3 – Nice perspective but crappy line work
PBS Kids Support – Super Why! February 2012 4 – Pretty good
Necra February 2012 3 – Drawn her a lot, only a decent one
I Pity the Fool February 2012 4 – Pretty decent
Bill Cosby February 2012 0 – Worst drawing in my gallery. Came out so baD
I’ll Be Back February 2012 5 – Came out well
Mean Green Mother from Outer Space February 2012 5 – Nice coloring and line work
Bill Murray February 2012 4 – Pretty decent
Edith Up February 2012 5 – Came out just how I planned
Betilla and the Nymphs Series February 2012 2 – Some are decent. The Voodoo Mama one sucks
Betilla and the Bodacious Nymphs February 2012 3 – Ok, Kinda ugly lines, though, and simple colors
T. Hawk January 2012 2 – Came out rather awkward
Bruce Lee January 2012 4 – Pretty decent
Nintendo Villains January 2012 5 – Best picture I’ve ever drawn
The Wet Bandits November 2011 4 – Pretty good
Wyrm November 2011 3 – A little awkward but still decent
Mona’s Wedgie October 2011 2 – Rushed and it shows
Weird Al Yankovic October 2011 3 – The BG pictures could have been better
Earthworm Jim October 2011 4 – Would be 5 if PWHN didn’t mess up the flow of the picture
PH – Boom-Boom September 2011 4 – Pretty good
PH – Bullet Bill September 2011 4 – One of the better ones
PH – Blaarg September 2011 4 – One of the best in the series
PH – Ptooie September 2011 3 – It’s OK
PH – Beezo September 2011 3 – It’s OK
PH – Sumo Bros. September 2011 4 – Pretty good
PH – Albatoss and Bob-omb September 2011 3 – It’s OK
PH – Buzzy Beetle September 2011 3 – Not the best
PH – Wiggler September 2011 4 – One of my favorites in the series
PH – Bloober September 2011 4 – Pretty good
PH – Shoe Goomba September 2011 4 – Pretty good
PH – Rex September 2011 4 – One of my favorites in the series
PH – The Bros. September 2011 3 – It’s OK. Sledge is the best one
PH – Koopa Troopas September 2011 3 – It’s OK
PH – Pidget September 2011 4 – One of the more interesting pictures
PH – Magikoopa September 2011 3 – It’s OK
PH – Rocky Wrench September 2011 4 – Pretty good
PH – Thwomp September 2011 5 – Best in the Plumber Haters series
PH – Birdo September 2011 3 – It’s OK
PH – Chargin‘ Chuck September 2011 4 – Pretty Good
PH – Tweeter September 2011 4 – Pretty good
PH – Dino Rhino September 2011 3 – It’s OK
PH – Dry Bones September 2011 3 – It’s OK
PH – Lakitu September 2011 3 – It’s OK
Horny Dixie August 2011 4 – Came out well but pretty ridiculous
Lil’ Head Hunters August 2011 2 – Decent drawing but shitty BG, quality and too much eemptiness
Stripe’s Mob July 2011 2- Good concept but could have been better
Molly Ringwald July 2011 3 – Not too bad but not too great
Rumble in the Doom Ship July 2011 4 – Pretty good for its time
Bucky O’Hare July 2011 2 – Nothing Special
Darkwing Duck July 2011 4 – Pretty good for its time
Warrior Warts June 2011 2 – So-so
Double Trouble June 2011 2 – Decent
Bobbing for Bubbles June 2011 3 – OK
Mac Attack June 2011 3 – OK
The Blue Bomber June 2011 2 – Decent
Born on the Bayou June 2011 3 – OK
Numskull June 2011 3 – OK
The Ninja Dragon June 2011 2 – Decent
Eat Garlic, Evil Doers June 2011 3 – OK
TOGA! TOGA! June 2011 3 – OK
Brinstar Babe June 2011 3 – OK
Eat Up Those Power Pills June 2011 2 – Decent
Excuuuse Me, Princess June 2011 3 – OK
Hooked on the Brothers June 2011 3 – Pretty good
Ninja Gaiden III May 2011 4 – Very good for its time
Smurfalicious May 2011 4 – Usual sexy-mod, OK
Medli April 2011 2 – I will never get why this picture’s so popular
Darunia and the Gorons April 2011 3 – Decent drawings but shitty quality and BG
Nabooru and Her Gerudos April 2011 3 – Average
Malon’s Massive Milk Jugs April 2011 3 – Average
Ruto’s Big Blue Booty April 2011 3 – Average
Zelda, Super Sexy Princess April 2011 3 – Average
The Dark Queen March 2011 3 – Average
The Adventures of Lolo March 2011 4 – One of the better ones from that time
Paul Bunyan March 2011 4 – Best one from that winter
Contra March 2011 2 – Could have been better
GI Jill February 2011 4 – I drew her a lot years ago. Average
Yoshi and Oogtar February 2011 3 – Average
Ninja Gaiden II February 2011 2 – Shitty background and decent characters
The Koopa Kids February 2011 4 – Big upgrade from the year before
Hot Brat Ashley 3 February 2011 4 – Best of that series
Melodia from Silver Hawks January 2011 2 – Could have been better
Doki-Doki Panic – Mama January 2011 3 – OK
Doki-Doki Panic – Lina January 2011 4 – Pretty good
Doki-Doki Panic – Lina & Mama January 2011 3 – OK
Mega Man X2 Bosses January 2011 4 – Pretty good for its time
DKC2 Collab Art December 2010 3 – Pretty OK
Sexy Mona Poses December 2010 4 – Pretty damn good for its time
Hot Brat Ashley 2 December 2010 3 – OK but bad lines and quality with very cheesy text
Hot Brat Ashley December 2010 3 – We get it
Santa’s Little Helpers December 2010 3 – Not the best but decent
Suzie Q October 2010 5 – Drew her a lot, this is the best one I did of her
Firestarter – Charlie’s Power October 2010 5 – Best pic of 2010-2011. I still like this one
Donkey Kong October 2010 4 – Pretty damn good for its time
Free Zone vs. Randal Flagg October 2010 4 – Very good for the time but bad placement
Nadine Cross October 2010 2 – Nothing to write home about
The Dancing Spectres September 2010 1 – It looks pretty ass-tastic
By the Power of Greyskull September 2010 3 – Pretty decent. I need to do more MOTU art
NYA! It’s Bowyer September 2010 2 – NYA! It’s shit.
Sexy Mona 2 September 2010 3 – OK
Sexy Mona 1 September 2010 4 – Very good for its time
The WarioWare Crew August 2010 3 – Decent but too empty and badly placed
Clayfighter August 2010 3 – The drawings are decent but the presentation and placement sucks
Kim-Wu July 2010 4 – Finished this then but I know I posted it later
The X-Men July 2010 3 – Another “lots of characters standing around” pictures
Mega Man X Bosses July 2010 4 – Best of these big character pictures
The Neutrinos June 2010 2 – Cool concept but ugly artwork
Succubus June 2010 1 – Sloppy and awkwardly designed
Koranot June 2010 4 – Best drawing of that summer
Gaibon June 2010 2 – Not so great picture and a cluttered mess
Duckie June 2010 2 – Sloppy and another cluttered mess
Carrie White June 2010 1 – It really sucks
Slogra June 2010 2 – See “Gaibon” description
The Neverhood May 2010 4 – surprisingly good for its time
Lydia Deetz May 2010 1 – Sloppy and boring
Nintendo Ladies May 2010 2 – Mostly recycled older drawings and bad layout
The Golden Girls May 2010 4 – Pretty good for its time
Dixie Kong May 2010 2 – Nothing special with a shitty background
Snake Rattle n Roll May 2010 2 – Cool concept but pretty ugly
Castlevania May 2010 3 – Ugly lines and coloring but decent
Little Mac vs. Mike Tyson May 2010 3 – Decent foreground, shitty background
Young Love – Ness and Paula May 2010 2 – It sucks
Bonk & Za May 2010 2 – Sort of decent but not too great
Link Saves Hyrule May 2010 2 – Sort of decent
Bubble Bobble May 2010 3 – Average
TMNT Bad Guys May 2010 3 – Mediocre drawings slapped on a bad BG
Channel 6 News Team April 2010 3 – Pretty OK for its time
Freddy & Jayson April 2010 4 – Possibly the best thing that month
Space Sucks April 2010 4 – Also possibly the best thing that month
Mona Lisa April 2010 3 – Not too bad
The 80s April 2010 2 – Could have been much better
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles April 2010 3 – A little awkward but decent
Mondo Gecko April 2010 3 – Not too bad
Wily Kit & Wily Kat April 2010 2 – Sloppy
Rocksteady & Bebop April 2010 3 – Not too bad
Stupid – Main Cast March 2010 4 – Pretty damn good for back then
Witch Doctor March 2010 2 – Not very great but not terrible
Spinthra – Boss Monsters March 2010 3 – Mostly pretty good
Spinthra – Main Cast March 2010 2 – I’ve drawn Spinthra so much, these are only OK
RTR – Pippy March 2010 2 – Nothing special
RTR – Tony March 2010 2 – Not a particularly amazing one of him
RTR – Dave March 2010 3 – Decent one of him
RTR – Clarissa March 2010 4 – Pretty good one of her
RTR – Rick March 2010 3 – Drawn him a lot, only an average one
Mr. Funnyman – The Pin Pals March 2010 2 – Not the best ones of them
Mr. Funnyman – The Funnymen March 2010 4 – Adventurer’s the best drawing here
Stupid – Other Beasts March 2010 4 – Pretty good
Stupid – Other That Things March 2010 3 – Average
Stupid – The Beasts March 2010 3 – Decent drawings of them
Stupid – The That Things March 2010 3 – Pretty OK
Jordan Cochran February 2010 1 – It sucks
The Koopalings February 2010 1 – It sucks ass
Rocky January 2010 5 – Very good
MC Hammer & Vanilla Ice January 2010 5 – Very good
Jack Nicholson January 2010 5 – Very good
War of the Food Mascots January 2010 2 – Funny concept but shitty artwork
Herb and Rex January 2010 2 – Nothing special
Super Mario Bros. December 2009 1 – Shitty BG and pretty shitty FG
Ninja Gaiden December 2009 2 – Decent concept but sloppy as all hell
Nintendo Villains 2009 December 2009 2 – Best not remembered
The Grinch December 2009 2 – Decent drawing but bad quality and shitty BG
Karen December 2009 2 – Nothing special
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer December 2009 2 – Also nothing special
Rick the Raptor – Main Cast November 2009 3 – Pretty good for the time
Horror Classics October 2009 3 – Pretty good for back then
Me October 2009 3 – Not too bad. That is what I looked like then
Kar-In September 2009 2 – Not too great
Lost Vikings September 2009 3 – Not too bad for back then
The Legend of Zelda 2008 3 – Pretty good for back then
Jess 2008 2 – Badly drawn but it sort of resembles her
McGangsters 2008 2 – Funny but badly drawn
Razaar and Tokka 2008 3 – Pretty OK for back then
Redhead 2008 3 – Pretty decent
Rockin’ 2008 3 – Pretty Decent
Random Girl 2008 4 – Very good for its time
Spinthra – The Weird Sisters 2008 2 – Decent for its time
Spinthra – Hell Hound 2008 2 – Decent for its time
Spinthra – Grendel 2008 3 – Decent for its time
Spinthra – Headless Horseman 2008 1 – Awkwardly drawn
Spinthra – Cyclops 2008 2 – Decent for its time
Spinthra – Charybdis 2008 2 – Decent for its time
Spinthra – Dragon 2008 2 – Decent for its time
Spinthra – Minotaur 2008 2 – Decent for its time
Spinthra – Manticore and Wyvern 2008 2 – Decent for its time
Spinthra – Medusa 2008 3 – Decent for its time
Spinthra – Duke 2008 2 – Decent for its time
Spinthra – Temptress Form 2008 3 – Still pretty good
Spinthra (all character pictures of her) 2008 2 – Decent pictures but ugly lines/color
Spinthra Poses 2008 3 – Good for its time
The Curses of Spinthra 2008 3 – Good for its time but the sky coloring sucks
Rick the Raptor – Clarissa in White 2008 3 – Pretty good for its time
Rick the Raptor – Pippy 2008 2 – Decent for its time
Rick the Raptor – Cave People 2008 2 – Decent for its time
Rick the Raptor – Tony 2008 2 – Decent for its time
Rick the Raptor – Dave 2008 2 – Decent for its time
Rick the Raptor – Clarissa 2008 2 – Decent for its time
Rick the Raptor – Rick 2008 2 – Decent for its time
MFM – 4 – Fossil Feud 2008 4 – Damn good for its time
MFM – 3 – Grime Time 2008 5 – Really damn good for its time
MFM – 2 – Oh, Canada 2008 5 – Really damn good for its time
MFM – 1 – The Intro 2008 4 – Damn good for its time
Mr. Funnyman (all shorts) 2007 4 – Not drawn very well but great humor
Mr. Funnyman Episode 1 (all pages) 2007 4 – Drawings are bad but I still love the jokes
MFM – Fossil Fuel 2007 2 – Decent for its time
MFM – Slime Disease 2007 3 – Decent for its time
MFM – Mooseler 2007 2 – Decent for its time
MFM – Electro Gator 2007 2 – Decent for its time
MFM – Bush Gardens 2007 2 – Decent for its time
MFM – Pin Head 2007 2 – Decent for what it is
MFM – Mr. Funnyman and Adventurer 2007 2 – Decent for its time
Stupid – That Thing Concert 2008 2 – Decent for its time
Stupid – Scarlet Poses 2007 2 – Decent for its time
Stupid – Scarlet 2007 2 – Decent for its time
Stupid – Bears Guy Poses 2007 2 – Decent for its time
Stupid – Bears Guy 2007 2 – Decent for its time
Stupid – Horns Guy Poses 2007 2 – Decent for its time
Stupid – Horns Guy 2007 2 – Decent for its time
Stupid – Lasher Poses 2007 2 – Decent for its time
Stupid – Lasher 2007 2 – Decent for its time
Stupid – Dopey Poses 2007 2 – Decent for its time
Stupid – Dopey 2007 2 – Decent for its time
Stupid – Weirdo Poses 2007 2 – Decent for its time
Stupid – Weirdo 2007 2 – Decent for its time
Stupid – Stupid Poses 2007 2 – Decent for its time
Stupid – Stupid 2007 2 – Decent for its time
PICTURES REMOVED FROM DA
There were a handful of pictures (all pin-ups from ‘10-‘11 of course) that were removed by deviant complaints. Some of these pictures were up no longer than a day before reported as offensive, but I might as well rate them anyway. At the time I got really mad they were removed due to the abundance of similar pictures by other artists and really bizarre and unsettling pictures one can find while browsing DA, but in retrospect I don’t give much of a damn as it was just porn and it can all be found on my “Mature Toon Blog” anyway. There’s already more than enough of that riffraff in my gallery.
PICTURE DATE OPINION
Ashley Owns You October 2011 4 – Pretty good. Don’t get why only 1 of these was offensive…
Penny the Cutie October 2011 4 – It actually came out pretty good
Horny Dixie 2 August 2011 3 – Not as good as the other one and pretty ridiculous
Tetra’s Pirate Booty May 2011 4 – Pretty silly but it came out pretty damn good
Saria the Kokiri Cutie April 2011 4 – The quality’s bad but I thought it was the best in the OoT series
I think that’s all of them. Maybe I’m forgetting some…?
And now that I’ve summed up my review of my own artwork, let me sum up my thoughts and feelings toward Deviantart, the website, and the DA community. To start, Deviantart is a great idea – a place for aspiring artists to get noticed or see how audiences will respond to their work. Unfortunately, there are many flaws in the site that pretty much leave it almost nothing at all like how it was intended to be. First and foremost, as a little bit of advice to any new faces here at DA, this is not a good place to see how the world will perceive your work as DA mostly seems to pull in a select few types of people, most of which includes Pokemon/Mario/Zelda/Nintendo fans, Sonic fans, furries, fans of Cartoon Network/Disney Channel/Nickelodeon, people who look for nothing but pin-ups and softcore porn, and people who are into oddball cartoon fetishes. Now don’t get defensive, I’m not attacking or judging any of you. I don’t do that. I am, however, pointing out that typically works that do not feature any of the previously mentioned subject matter will not get anywhere near as much attention as those that do, whereas on other sites or when showing your artwork to people in person, you will find that many of those ignored works on DA will become big hits. Fan art reigns supreme on DA, and more specifically fan art of popular cartoon shows and video games. This works for me I guess, since after drawing almost nothing but my original characters from 2006-2009, I got so bored of drawing them I entered a phase of drawing almost only fan art and I haven’t recovered yet. As for original characters go, they will generally be totally ignored, even by most of one’s dedicated watchers. The only chance original characters really have of becoming popular on DA is if it’s a hot chick who has no story at all besides being sexy, or a “fan OC”, which is anything from fake Mario princesses or Yoshies, Sonic OCs, alterations of existing cartoon characters, etc. which, sorry to offend you if it applies, I do not consider original characters at all, just merely an alteration of somebody else’s character due to the artist either staying in their safety zone or just being uncontrollably obsessed with their fandom. So, yeah, that’s the way the cookie crumbles when it comes to favorites and page views.
So, for most users, DA is more just a fan site where fans go to collect artwork about the game/show/movie/etc. they love. Other site related aspects also support this observation such as “deviant stamps”, which are created to litter a page with things you like or believe for all to see. This fan-club aspect really takes the credibility away from it being an art appreciation site. Click any fan art as it is and you will see most comments being about the media that the subject matter is from rather than critiques, compliments or criticism of the actual drawing and how it was done. Most users seem to not have a real interest in or knowledge of art themselves on this site and just browse it to see different people draw their favorite characters. A pretty good example of how most users on DA are more fans than artists or critics is when you see that common “critique” on a fanart piece saying “it doesn’t look like the original character” or “the color here is wrong”. This implies that these people think artists only draw things in an attempt to exactly recreate the original. If all artists were drawing fanart just to duplicate the official work, why even bother looking at fanart then? That’s a beef I have with many popular fanartists on DA – they draw the pictures looking exactly like the original with no stylization, originality or personality at all. The most interesting fan art works are the very original and unique takes on the character that you wouldn’t see anybody else draw. If I wanted to see the official style I’d Google the official artwork. Real, honest and truly understanding critiques are few and far between. Most critiques left by DA users you see really boil down to “I like it” or “I hate it”. There’s rarely an actual awareness of skill, understanding of the style, lines, coloring, design, layout, or any other artistic aspects that somebody who truly understands the field would look for. Rather it’s usually just “This is amazing. I love it!”, “This is ugly. I hate it”, or “This is good but in the official work the eyes are blue…” and so on. So, yeah, beginners don’t expect valid critiques good or bad of your work.
There are handfuls of ways DA has attempted to let artist’s work reach audiences which I feel are good ideas. Daily Deviations is a good feature, limiting users to only be accepted once in a span of months to help promote great artists on DA. I usually discover some amazing artists through this feature, and since everybody sees it at the bottom of their pages, it really helps the work get noticed. My Nintendo Villains piece was featured years ago and it brought swarms of new fans to my page. The “Most Popular” section, seen when first logging in, is not as reliable for finding truly great artists and underappreciated work. A select handful of artists, most of which specialize in drawing practically the same thing over and over every day, are always featured there with their new work, as they are the most popular users on DA. This page usually features cute photos of animals, drawings of colorful-furred and haired dogs and ponies, chibi stuff, softcore porn, pokemon, sonic the hedgehog OCs, photo manipulations and “pixel art” consisting of smiley faces and bouncing shapes. While you still will find a handful of good works there every day, most of what is featured there is silly or generic nonsense that accumulates far more favorites than it deserves. Scroll down a bit or go to page two and you will notice drastic decreases in skill, and an increase in porn. Deviant Groups are a good idea, although usually catering to the “collecting pictures of your fandom” aspect. Nonetheless, groups are a good way not only to get your own art noticed by those who would probably like it, but also a good way to see good artists you would otherwise never find. Being an admin at a Nintendo group (though none of us have had much time for it this past year) I have discovered plenty of great artists with diverse and interesting styles. The initial sight of your fandom done in a unique way you find interesting is usually enough to pull one into your whole gallery, so in that way, the fan art aspect can be quite good. The “More Like This” feature they added in this past year, however, I am not a fan of. While I do like DA’s attempts to show other artist’s work, an artist’s deviation is there to be admired or observed on its own. The user clicked that thumbnail to view that picture, not to view other works by other artists. It also ties into the fandom aspect saying “if you like this picture because Mario happens to be in it, then like every other picture of Mario”. Also, with the many bizarre drawings and perverted fetishes that people post frequently on DA, there’s a very good chance that things that could easily offend viewers which other users drew could pop up on your own deviation, making you look bad (you get some very strange pictures in this section coming up sometimes). This feature more or less takes away from the observing aspect of DA and turns it into something more like Google Image Search or Tumblr.
Before jumping into what I like about this community, let me mention the final, and possibly most annoying, flaw in DA. A problem I, myself, and many other DA users I have known come by is fans that seem to be convinced that you are drawing your work for them. They constantly throw suggestions and requests your way even when you state you are not taking any, they constantly harass you when you are not drawing artwork of the things they like, and they constantly ask you “when are you going to draw ‘this’ again?”. I have seen this escalate to authentic stalker status before with a friend of mine. Many of these artists will also comment on your pictures saying “I wish you drew ‘so and so’ doing this, or looking more like that”, or “I hope you draw ‘this’”. These people come off more like spoiled brats who honestly can’t grasp the concept of somebody drawing a picture without them, whoever the hell they may be, in mind, which is funny since usually the artist doesn’t even know them. These same kinds of people seem to love telling artists that their work “offends them”. I had somebody tell me a Mario and Luigi drawing I did offended them. Seriously, if you get offended by Mario and Luigi, you’re insane, and also, I really don’t give a damn if some nameless nobody I will never meet happened to get offended by a drawing I did, so don’t bother telling me. It’s not going to make me apologize for drawing a damn picture. It just comes down to more of DA’s users just being selfish brats who expect the world to be made to their liking. There is plenty of strange and offensive material on DA. If you don’t like it, simply don’t click it. The site does give you fair warning with a thumbnail, after all.
Now for the good stuff. DA has definitely done its job in getting my artwork exposed to some audiences. I’ve gotten the usual expected response by users on DA, the praise and fans, and I won’t lie, it makes us all feel a little good to be praised. I’ve gotten my share of bashing and trolling, though sadly it’s pretty much always just blind, biased and senseless anger as opposed to useful or respectable criticism (most DA praise or criticism is extremely biased). I’ve even seen many people sharing my artwork with others via other sites such as Tumblr and Facebook. So, yeah, it did what I joined DA for. It helped get my artwork out there in the world. Aside from getting my artwork noticed and establishing a fan base for it, it also got me acquainted with other artists and fans who have become trusted critics and good conversationalists. Through Deviantart I have also discovered many artists whose work I enjoy and interest/inspire me.
For my many years I have been on DA I have, much to my delight, accumulated a not-too-shabby number of fans. However, comments views and favorites help me realize that most of these fans, rather than honestly admiring or being interested in my style, are more so fans of certain things I draw or have drawn. While there certainly isn’t anything wrong with that, everyone is entitled to like what he or she likes, it is a bit disappointing that there are few people who genuinely like the same kind of wacky and bizarre art I like to draw, but more so there are just lots of people who really like certain video games I’ve happened to draw art for, or, mostly, people who just like the way I draw “sexy” women. I’ve been trying to keep my DA page mostly PG (or more like PG13) in the past couple of years to be friendlier to all audiences and keep my page viewable for most age groups, though I suppose my constant swearing and overall creepy or off-putting art kind of helps destroy that family-friendly aspect a bit.
So, yeah, there is a lot that isn’t too great here on DA, but it’s still a fun page to update and check up on frequently, and I have built a pretty large community of fans here, so I’d say my joining DA five years ago was for the best, and I’m glad I did. Stay tuned for more artwork and open commission slots come late January! And thanks to all the fans and watchers who have supported me and my artwork over the years. If not for you guys I probably wouldn’t draw half as much as I do. You guys rock.
COMMISSIONS – STARTING JANUARY 2014!!!!!!!!!!
As for the commissions, here’s how they will be done – After I announce I am open for commissions and say how many slots are free, I will accept the first requests of that matching number. Let’s say, hypothetically, I announce there are 10 open commission spaces. Then the very first ten people to contact me will get those spots. If one cannot pay then that space will free up and be given to the next person in line, or in this case, the 11th person who contacted me. Shortly after all the slots are filled, I will put out a journal saying that the spots have been filled and commissions are temporarily closed. As I said, I will DEFINITELY be open for commissions in late January.
All commissions will cost $30.00 (or the equivalent to 30 US dollars in your country of residence). You may ask for whatever you like, whether it is a lone character, a group, a scene, fan art, original characters, general ideas, or whatever. It will be in full color. While I will not make too many rules or restrictions, please understand beforehand that there are things I will turn down your request for. There are certain things I just don’t want to draw, don’t want my name attached to or just plain really don’t like, but rather than try to make a list of those few things and scare people away, let me just leave it at a warning in advance so nobody gets too let down if I refuse a commission. Also don’t let this scare you, I will draw almost anything you’d like, this is just in case something is suggested that I decide I will not want to draw.
No special cases can be made. It doesn’t matter how long you may have been asking about commissions or how much you like my art, if you don’t claim a slot before all the others are filled, you do not get a drawing. It’s not fair to anyone else if special cases are made as it just automatically deducts the chance of a viewer getting a commission. Simply put – everyone, regardless of who you are, must claim a slot when they open the same way everybody else does.
As of now, only one commission is allowed per person. If business is scarce, then I will allow up to three commissions per person, but it all depends on how well I do.
Finally, when you receive your commissioned work, please do not post it as a deviation on your DA page. When I did commissions in the past many users did that. Deviantart is a place to show off your own artwork. Even if I am given credit in the description, it is not your artwork and therefore I will have it reported and removed from your gallery. If you’d like to post it, use Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, or any like sites so your friends can see, but try to always give me credit, and let others know where to go to ask for commissions, as it will get me more business and I appreciate that. If I like a commission I’ve done enough or think it came out exceptionally well then I will post it in my own gallery with creative rights going to you with a link to your page. However, I may not be posting all commissions on my DA account. If I did not post your picture, please don’t take it personally, and please keep in mind that you are still free to post the image on other websites if you desire.
