How do you get ahead on deviantART?
I am actually asked this question a lot. And in reality, many artists with lots of watchers are asked this question fairly frequently by both old and new deviantART members. There are actually several different ways to get attention on deviantART, but not all those ways are good and most work best when combined together. Let's look at them all individually and then discuss "best practices."But what is "popular?"
Is being popular just a status symbol for you to make you happy? Is it an arbitrary number assigned to an inanimate object like a pageview? It is a silly symbol by your username that means virtually NOTHING to the majority of the deviantART community (and is meaningless to the rest of the internet)? There are artists out there who are called "popular" but who don't think they are popular. And there are artists out there who many wouldn't classify as "popular" but think they are the most popular thing since underwear! Popularity on any internet site, deviantART included, is just a random number, thought or state of being. So, before we begin to discuss best practices or their components, just take a moment to try and understand WHY you want or need to be popular and what you actually consider "popular" to be. There is no popularity contest going on, and if there is, how do you compete with people you don't know and who have very different skill sets and abilities than you? You just can't. With that said, it is possible to increase the attention you get (and by proxy justify your own thoughts on being popular). Just always keep in mind that there is always going to be someone else with more comments, more pageviews, more watchers, more favorites, etc. This isn't a competition. Do art because you enjoy it. Come to deviantART because you enjoy. And have fun!
The Good
These are the best ways to get noticed. They are generally positive and what this community is all about. Plus, they are all FREE. And guess what, you don't have to be a PREMIUM member to do them or have any fancy code or skins on your profile!CREATE ART
The best way (but not the easiest way) to get noticed right away is by having the skill to create jaw-dropping epic skin-melting perfect art that all people will love no matter what. You will be a celebrity overnight. But alas, even the best artists still have their critics and cannot possibly produce a work of art that all people will love. Not in this reality anyway, and the deviantART staff lost their portal to the dimension where this is a reality, so we are all just stuck with what we are actually capable of, submitting that, and hoping that our critics don't end up being overbearing trolls (and the portal was only available for premium members anyway lol)...
In all seriousness though (portals to other dimensions aside), submit your art! Good lord, this is an art site first and a social site second. Even if you only came here to appreciate art, you probably have at least one work you have done in the past that you are at least a little proud of that will get your username pulled for some searches by other deviants. So do upload that! If it isn't your best work or you aren't here to publish your work, just include that in the description. Just try to have at least one submitted deviation - that is how many of us find new artists... by searching certain key words for the art we like... And if you don't have any art submitted, you won't be found!
FAVORITE ART
This is so simple it pains me to see so few deviants using this! When you see art you like, CLICK FAVORITE! Many of us like to go and look at the profiles of the people who favorite our work. What easier or faster method to being noticed is there? Well, none... But don't just sit around and favorite everything... Actually favorite the stuff you like otherwise no one will take you seriously.
COMMENTS
It takes no time to reply to a comment and say thanks. It takes the same amount of time to leave a comment on a work of art to express your thoughts such as, "I love the colors you used on this," or "This is amazing! Great job," or even "How did you get that effect? I would love to learn how to do that!" Most artists will thoroughly appreciate such comments and respond. Many may also go to your profile to meet you by looking at your art and possibly even leaving a comment or two of their own.
JOURNALS
It takes no time to post a quickie journal about something art-related: What are you working on? What art did you recently finish and upload? Do you have a Facebook or Tumblr? Do you have unfinished ideas you want feedback on? Were you tagged mercilessly by another deviant and forced to answer a series of silly questions??? Give us something to read that is not a rant, please. When artists go to your profile to meet you, they don't just look at the art. Many also look at the person behind the art. And your journal can tell a LOT about you.
GROUPS
JOIN or WATCH groups!!! I cannot stress this enough. There is a group for EVERYTHING on deviantART. Do you want to help with charitable projects? Do you want to focus on a specific fandom or media type? Find some groups that cater to what you like or the type of art you submit to the site. If you are having a problem finding the right groups for you, ask around. Trust me, the groups exist. And once you find them, submit your art there. Participate in their activities when you can. Comment on their blogs. It will make a world of difference!
CONTESTS
YES CONTESTS!!! WOW, I am continuously appalled at the amount of deviants who refuse to join a contest because they are sure they "can't win." Well, guess what, if you don't enter, you won't win period. If you do enter and can't finish on time, no big deal. At least you tried... and in doing so, you will probably meet some awesome new people, discover awesome new groups, and get inspired by art you may never have seen otherwise. And contests are the BEST WAY to get points and gifts from people on deviantART. Sometimes, even if you don't win, there is a prize just for participating. That right there is a WIN-WIN.
DEVIATION DESCRIPTIONS
Please please please add a description to your deviations. Why? To put it bluntly, the rest of the world has no idea what you did, what you were thinking, if you completed your vision, etc. Even a simple description is better than no description... just a few lines telling your audience what it is, what it is about, and how you feel about it. Really, we WANT to know. Don't leave us hanging. Heck, you can even ask a question that will make your watchers think about the work and give them something to comment on. And guess what, the more comments you have on a deviation, the more "popular" it ends up becoming.
GIVE BACK!
Give a llama (they are free - yes basically pointless, but free and some of us actually collect them)
Create a journal feature of some art you like (again, free, and artists do appreciate that kind of positive exposure)
Offer to judge in a contest (or better yet, offer to give a prize - it's free - you don't always have to give points!)
Open art trades or requests (artists love to work together)
Give a gift art (is someone you watch having a birthday? make them a birthday art...)
CONGRATULATE WINNERS (even if you don't agree with the results...)
The Naughty
While these options will work to get you noticed, they won't necessarily make you popular... more like INFAMOUS. Generally, if you dabble or excel in any one of these, you will have more haters than fans... Be very careful with this list (you should really consider this list a tutorial on WHAT NOT TO DO on deviantART lol) because most of these come with serious consequences..."Steal" Art
Whoa, yeah, I said it. I put that thought there (note that the technical term for art theft is copyright infringement)... Submitting someone else's art as your own, even if you give them credit, will get you noticed (and for all the wrong reasons). This goes for official art like screencaps too... Other artists will notice what you have done and flock to that deviation to tell you to F*** OFF. Your comment count will go up fast, pageviews will go through the roof, and your poor message center will be overflowing (mostly with dArama, but overflowing nonetheless)...
With that said, here is some GOOD advice on this very bad point I just made... DON'T upload art that you didn't create yourself (for any reason). And don't, for the love of all things holy, upload a work where you used stock and not credit the artists who created that stock for you to use. While doing both of those will get you lots of attention, it won't make you popular in the good way. With a few exceptions, all the attention you get will be negative and you risk creating legal problems for yourself as well as having your deviantART account banned. If being popular is so important to you that you would rather be "popular" for two days and then be banned from the site instead of being a productive and well-liked member of the community, you should probably just leave now.
Tracing
Yep, I said this one too. I am going to that place... Tracing is a tool like any other used by many artists both old and new. Most artists have already or will eventually trace at some point in their life. Typically, tracing is used as a starting point for new artists and is slowly removed from their toolbox as their confidence and skill grows. With that said, tracing the work of other artist's without their permission will get you the same kind of negativity and dArama that "stealing" art will. Even tracing screenshots and other official art will have that effect. And tracing while claiming you don't trace will only increase this negative "popularity" you will receive.
Again, with that said, it is best practices to NOT EVER upload a traced work if you don't have permission to trace from the original. And if you do, at least come clean and state it is a trace. Tell us why you traced it, what (if anything) you learned from it, and for the love of all things holy, CREDIT YOUR SOURCES. Again, if it is more important for you to have two days of negative "popularity" than be a productive and well-liked member of the community, you should just go. Unlike the section above on "stealing" art, you probably won't get banned for tracing, but depending on how you handle the hate, you could be suspended and typically, as angry artists find their work traced, they will report it and your gallery will be emptied of its artistic contents (which begs the question, "What is the point in submitting work that will only get you hate when you know it will be taken down?").
Porn and Underage Models
Let me tell you something about porn and underage sexualized art... It isn't allowed. Period. You will, undoubtedly, get "popular" really fast though... due to hate mail, flames, trolling, etc. I say again, if it is more important to you to be "popular" for a couple days and then banned from the site than to be a productive and well-liked member of the community, just go now please. This right here is one quick way to get your account banned or have your whole gallery removed by the staff. And again, "What is the point in submitting work that will only get you hate when you know it will be taken down?"
Callouts and Rants
A callout journal is any journal that specifically names another person/group (either by name or by linking their art or profile - basically it makes them findable) in a negative way. No matter what your reasoning is, calling out another deviantART member or group for some slight against you is a bad idea. BUT, it will get you noticed... again though, like everything else in the 'Naughty' category, it will all be negative. What makes this so dangerous is not the hate you will get from it but the hate the user or group you called out will get... What you are essentially doing is enabling trolling even if you aren't doing the trolling yourself. Usually, these types of journals will get removed and you might get a warning or your account suspended for a few days. At worst, if you do it too many times or really cause problems for the person you are calling out, your account could be banned from the site.
A rant is a journal or comment that is exactly what it sounds like... a rant. You are pissed about something, you complain about it, and you are done with it. Deviants will notice this behavior. And while you won't really get any negative feedback on it or get in trouble with the staff, it will have the opposite effect you are hoping for... namely your pageviews will go up but your watchers will leave if you rant too much, new visiting deviants won't take you seriously and watch you (or leave any kind of feedback), and your reputation on deviantART will suffer. And with a poor reputation, you certainly won't become popular in the way you want.
Begging
Oh yes, this will get you noticed. It is a very undesirable thing though. If you constantly beg for stuff like points, art, llamas, features, etc, people WILL LEAVE YOU. At first, deviants may take pity on you and try to help. They may advertise what you need in a positive way which will get you more attention. But in the end, that well of selflessness you started out with will dry up and everyone will get sick of your begging. Deviants will unwatch you. Some will even post alerts in groups about you making it hard to join some groups and network. And in the end, we will avoid you like you are diseased. But yes, in the beginning, begging can get you new watchers and pageviews.
Being the STOOOPID Victim
I hate to see a tragedy. So does most everyone else. And many of us will help you in any way we can. HOWEVER, if you have a tragedy or disaster ever freaking month, we will all run screaming from you. And trust me, very few deviants are so stupid as to think that giving you a bunch of points will help you pay for your medical bills for you cancer treatments. We aren't stupid... and we will call you out on your stupidity. But that is the beauty of this "method" of becoming "popular." If you act stupid while trying to pretend to seriously need help, you will get lots of comments and pageviews. Just remember that in the end, your reputation will die with your lies and all those people who tried to help you will leave you worse off than you were before (just like they do with beggars).
Trolling
Oh yes, this will get you TONS of attention. Go be an ass to anyone you want, repeatedly harass and spam them, and you will very quickly become infamous with deviants flocking to your profile to express what kind of horrible douchebag you are. While you won't win any friends or watchers, your pageviews will skyrocket and so will your comment counts... until the deviantART staff IP ban you from the site and lock down your account.
The Best Practices
So that was quite a bit of information I just gave you... some really good advice and some really bad options. Either way, that is probably the most comprehensive list of ways to get noticed on deviantART there is (well, the most comprehensive list of SERIOUS thoughts on being popular on deviantART - lots of LULZ on this topic worth reading too because, honestly, you should do art because you enjoy it, not for some obscure popularity contest with people you don't even know...). But people wants what they wants, so what are the "best practices?"Creating, Submitting, Sharing and Commenting on Art
Yep, the #1 BEST PRACTICE is to create new art, submit it to deviantART, and then sharing it with some groups you are a member of. Make sure you respond to all your comments with some thank-yous, and then visit the profiles of some of your appreciators to fave and comment on their art. You are more likely to make a positive impact on artists who already have a huge following by doing this. And by making that positive impact, an artist with a huge following might feature you, request your art to one of their groups, give you tips and hints on how to improve, and more!
While this won't make you popular overnight, it will make you popular and well-liked over time. It will also make you respected within the community, and as time rolls on, you may be anonymously submitted to become a Senior Member or receive the Deviousness Award.
Working to Improve the Community or Yourself
Consider this the #2 best practice... and it is a biggie... Actually, I am a real-life example of this because this is how I got "popular" (Senior Member, Deviousness Award recipient, over 1700 watchers and well over 100 thousand pageviews as of this writing). Yes, my account is 4 years old at this time, but in 4 years, my art has improved dramatically from the feedback I have received by following the #1 option in best practices (above), and in the last two years, I focused most of my efforts within the community in such groups as deviantHEART and dAWishingWell ... and several charity groups for the American Cancer Society. Even with groups I haven't founded or been an admin in, I always try to give feedback when it is asked for like on the Site Update journals from hq. I also judge for, give prizes for or participate in several contests during the year (although I rarely win anything lol). All of this is helping to better me and helping to move the community forward, gets my name out there, and makes me more approachable as a community member (the more approachable you are, the more people you will have contact with which means more opportunity to shine!). And guess what, I follow the rules of this website as best as I can every single day.
Again, this won't make you popular overnight, but it will bring you respect and some very positive attention. However, this option is more time-consuming that the #1 best practice mentioned above and won't really get you any drastic results any faster. HOWEVER, if you combine both the #1 and #2 best practice, you may see positive results much quicker than just doing one or the other.
For my Art Appreciators... or those Naughty People looking to be Nice...
Don't do art? Have you created a bad reputation for yourself? Well, then this is for you! As a deviant who chooses to not submit art (no matter what the reason) or who is trying to change how they are seen on deviantART, the best option is to get to know your local deviantART search engine, meet the FAVORITE button, and figure out how to use those nifty emotes that show positivity and love... And then follow the below advice to help to get you noticed for the RIGHT reasons and possibly even repair a damaged reputation. This won't work overnight - you will have to do a a little every day, but over a few months, you should start to notice a real difference...
In all seriousness, to make a real impact without using art (or to change how the community views you - which may require deleting some content from your current account like journals and deviations...), you will need to be online and active at least once a week for an hour or two. You should really start by finding a couple of groups that deal with being positive such as deviantHEART and ProjectPositivity - not only will they help you stay on track, those groups are home to the exact kind of people you want to be associated with. Join those groups (or watch them if join requests aren't available). Visit the galleries of the groups you join and give positive comments and favorite some deviations you really like - after you have joined, as long as you don't unwatch their deviations, you can just look at what is being submitted from your message center (convenience cannot be overrated). You really want to be visible in these groups about once a week - if not to the admins, to the other members...
Check out what kinds of activities other deviants and any groups you join have and JOIN IN ON THE FUN (never unwatch their journals - you will miss out)! Offer llamas, features or even comments as prizes if you have that option - for any contest or giveaway that captures your attention! And always help spread the word about things that interest you like contests, groups, giveaways, art, etc in journal features - no CSS, no problem! It is just as easy for a non-premium member to create an amazing journal feature as it is for a premium member (and actually, not using a custom CSS journal has the benefit of not distracting the reader with additional and unnecessary pomp and flair).
No, this won't make you popular overnight or automatically change people's opinions of you... BUT it is a start, and with time it will work. And it will work because you will be viewed as a serious person who is kind and approachable, who is happy, who WANTS (cannot stress that enough) to be a member of the community as a whole, and who has respect not only for themselves but for those around them. That right there will bring people in. Leaving nice comments for them and favoriting some of their art will keep them around.
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