Anyone else think that D A is a bit stuck up?

[Drtooth]

And here I am drawing Muteking and Osomatsu-kun stuff.

 

[Vic Romano]

That makes sense though, Snowth. Maybe my art is just too all over the place for people to follow. The majority of my stuff is Muppet related, but my two Star Wars images get me some attention, and whenever I draw topless women, which I guess isn't enough.

I am happy for your 10k page views though, I think that's awesome!

BTW Drtooth, I love the new sig!

 

[D'Snowth]

And your wife actually allows you to do that?

But on a serious note, that could be Davo, but you know, sometimes you can hit little booms on dA when you least expect it; occasionally I'll still get favorites on some of my older, somewhat forgotten pics... truth be told, some of my pics are so popular and I have absolutely no clue why... two years ago I did a pic of Simon and Jeanette having a date at the movie theater that turned out ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE, and it's everywhere! People have favorited it like heck, it pops up in Google image searchs for people who saved it to Photobucket, I'll see it in fan-made MVs on YouTube... I just don't get it.

Sometimes it takes a while for people to find you, but I do wish more people would, because you've always been such a great artist, and your work is always completely awesome.

 

[ReneeLouvier]

Sadly, it seems like the only way to REALLY get hits is to do ...uh... fetish stuff.

I unfortunately know EXACTLY what you mean. As a "character study" once I posted a cleaned up sketch on DA for a friend, also just to "see what happened" with it.

Oh my goodness! That one single piece of art amassed over 1,880 views, and 64 favorites alone.

I don't think anything else has gotten more views or favorites of all of my work!

And no, in keeping with MC's family-friendly policy I will not be posting a link. If anyone wants to see my other work, however I will post a link to the home page of myself on DA.

ReneeLouvier DeviantART

 

[Kiki]

I have to strongly disagree with the idea that digital art is somehow inferior to traditional art. That's like saying Jackson Pollock doesn't really paint, he only throws stuff on a canvas. Trust me, if you can't draw with a pencil and paper, you can't draw with a Wacom tablet. If you're not familiar with the basic concept of light and shadow, a digital filter isn't going to work properly. It goes both ways too. Just because you have a copy of Photoshop CS4, doesn't mean you're a graphic designer either.

Digital art is its own medium. A watercolor painting is art just as a bronze sculpture is, but they're not the same medium. Does the computer "enhance" my art? That's like asking does an HB pencil enhance my sketch? It's a tool, a tool used to create, and not being able to afford digital tools is the same as not being able to afford painting supplies which are very expensive also.

Having said that, I'm on DA, I have a premium account, and I am in no way shape or form "popular". I've had my account for five years, and I can't tip the 10,000 views mark to save my life, and I've seen people with free accounts get double that in a year. That doesn't make me less of an artist, and while I certainly want the attention, DA is huge. People upload artwork every single second. It's easy to get lost, but it's an important site none the less. I've discovered some amazing artists that inspire me to no end. Some are very well known, others barely make a blip. The point is, just because they're barely seen, doesn't mean they're unappreciated.

You are so right, the amount of pageviews don't make you more or less of an artist, it annoys me that in a way DA has become a popularity contest. And I agree with you about all the points regarding digital art. I believe that traditional stuff gets overlooked, yes, but digital art is *so* broad, I'm sure lots of it gets ovelooked, it depends on context, subject matter, etc etc. I LOVE digital art personally, and when I have more time on my hands I'd love to get to know the basics, I think my style suits it.
What I find (I guess, moreso in "real life"), is that cartooning is overlooked. I'm not one to pin myself to a certain style, but the way I draw is most definately cartoony. You see stuff from when I was really little and my influences (Loony Tunes, Disney, Nicktoons) are evident (people still say that my characters remind them of something out of Animaniacs). I do believe that this style is very underrated, and I always get people asking me over and over "uh, can't you draw realistically?" "Um, no, not very well" "OH....". It doesn't get to me, but it can be a little annoying after a while. I'm proud to be a cartoonist. When you are attempting to draw "realistically" there are so many limitations. It looks great, sure, but I do wish people would aknowledge cartoonists more.

(Btw, I really dig your stuff Vic. )

And I even watch you. Great stuff.

Yeah, saying digital is better than/worse than traditional doesn't make sense. Some people do better with one or the other. me? I like the fact I can easily correct mistakes and change colors. I draw stuff by hand first and digitally color them. I don't know if that's gonna change when and if I get a Wacom, but I like the feel of a pencil to start.

Sadly, it seems like the only way to REALLY get hits is to do ...uh... fetish stuff. And I'm this close to saying "The Heck with it" and doing some. I always find the most...errr... interesting stuff by mistake.

But yeah... I think it's important for artists to have BOTH a DA account and an actual website. One can promote the other, and you can easily link both to each other, each helping both. I want to be a little more established, established enough so I can do my own stuff, before I get an independent web page.

That's very true, I'm actually considering that option myself. I've been trying to showcase my art as of late, actually. I'm only young, and I'm still learning like all artists, but lately I've been really inspired and motivated, I'm even considering displaying some of my art in a local gallery.I know that may sound a little self-indulgent, but I'm really determined to get it out there (yeah, as you can tell, I'm not one of those teenage girls who go on and on about how awful their artwork is and then put it on DA regardless ).

Lol! And I know exactly what you mean about the fetishy stuff. x333 Or manga, though it *reeeeally* cheeses me off when people say my style is manga. I like manga, but my art is clearly western-inspired. I'll shut up now, sorry. x3 Anyway, it's true, that stuff is pro'lly the most popular on DA. I've been invited for furry groups because of my anthro pics, fer goodness sake.

You upload some pretty sweet stuff, Dr Tooth.

 

[Kiki]

That makes sense though, Snowth. Maybe my art is just too all over the place for people to follow. The majority of my stuff is Muppet related, but my two Star Wars images get me some attention, and whenever I draw topless women, which I guess isn't enough.

I think it's great that you have a variety in your gallery. But at the same time, I love how Snowthy specifically focuses on a specific subject. For me personally, my gallery is very much all over the place and... "expect the unexpected", as in I will upload one picture very different to the other. I find that many people on DA will watch eachother because of similar intrests, or if they have similar styles (for example, my username is named after a song/album, so I think when people visit my DA page they expect specifically music-related stuff and that's it), but personally I'll upload a still life photo and then a drawing the next, it's very much all over the shop, my gallery. Sometimes I wish I stuck to drawings more, even.

I unfortunately know EXACTLY what you mean. As a "character study" once I posted a cleaned up sketch on DA for a friend, also just to "see what happened" with it.

Oh my goodness! That one single piece of art amassed over 1,880 views, and 64 favorites alone.

I don't think anything else has gotten more views or favorites of all of my work!

And no, in keeping with MC's family-friendly policy I will not be posting a link. If anyone wants to see my other work, however I will post a link to the home page of myself on DA.

ReneeLouvier DeviantART

Oh, for some reason I thought you were no longer on DA. Sorry about that. *Watches 'chu*

 

[D'Snowth]

Sadly, it seems like the only way to REALLY get hits is to do ...uh... fetish stuff.

I KNOOOOW! Gosh... I mean, years ago I did ONE INNOCENT pic of Jeanette tied to a chair, waiting for Simon to save her, and since then, I've gotten all kinds of requests from people with bondage fetishes wanting me to do more bondage art, but I always reject them.

Then one guy I follow regularly, he's got various feet-tickling pics in his gallery... as well as some popular female cartoon characters trapped in bubbles, which apparently is fetish as well... why, I don't know. :|

 

[Drtooth]

I KNOOOOW! Gosh... I mean, years ago I did ONE INNOCENT pic of Jeanette tied to a chair, waiting for Simon to save her, and since then, I've gotten all kinds of requests from people with bondage fetishes wanting me to do more bondage art, but I always reject them.

Then one guy I follow regularly, he's got various feet-tickling pics in his gallery... as well as some popular female cartoon characters trapped in bubbles, which apparently is fetish as well... why, I don't know. :|

Betchya haven't encountered the fat stuff yet, huh? I have to admit... some of those guys who do that are REALLY talented. Thankfully, I'm not going to submit anyone with that.

Anyway, seems I've hit a nice streak with This Sam the Eagle piece. Seems like I got several favorites a day since I posted it... and that was just 2 days ago.

 

[D'Snowth]

Betchya haven't encountered the fat stuff yet, huh?

Oh yeah... I think I've pretty much seen it all... bondage, feet tickling, floating bubbles, fat stuff, topless, groping, "light" sex, etc...

 

[Vic Romano]

And your wife actually allows you to do that?

My wife is very supportive, and believe it or not, there is a significant element of appreciating the human form as art, and not purely erotic. Keeping in mind this is a family forum, I won't go into specifics or details, but she encourages me.

ReneeLouvier DeviantART

How have I not been watching you? Added!