Carolinian

Issue date: 10/3/06 Section: Life

Media Credit: WWW.DEVIANTART.COM This painting of Jimi Hendrix, done by sophomore UNCG student Katie Tyler, is just one example of student artwork that can be found at deviantART.com.

DeviantART.com allows a variety of artists to post their work on a global network for creative communication. Once a user has joined the site and has set up a profile, a variety of options become available. One of the primary benefits of deviantART.com is that it allows artists to submit their creative work on a public domain. "Deviants" are composed of a wide range of artists, ranging from photographers, writers, designers, developers, iconists, skinners, 2- and 3-D artists.

"It's a really awesome site for alternative artists wanting to get their artwork seen," said Rachel Burgess, a design major at UNCG. "The work is copyrighted. People can buy prints of your artwork, if you have that option available for the public. They also have periodic art events. My friend went to one of them, they are festivals with art and music."

DeviantART.com perfectly combines the features found in most social sites as well providing an artistic component. Users not only have the option to stay in touch with others online, but are also able to generate advice from other artists.

Cyndi Jones, a senior at UNCG said, "I checked out the website because I saw the link on my friends AIM. It's a neat site, it's basically a blog for art. People can post their artistic works, but not all of it is necessarily good."

Bloggers have the opportunity to post online journal entries, allowing people to establish international relations with fellow artists who, prior to deviantART.com, could not communicate or share artistic insight with one another. Rather than a student or independent artist relying on in-class critiques or the biased opinions of friends, this site allows the reception of world-wide feedback on a mass scale. DeviantART print accounts are available for users for $24.95, allowing professional quality prints of creative work. The prints are eligible to be sold in over 16 countries. It provides an ideal situation for individuals who want to generate extra money as well as spread their name within a global community.

In instances where third parties abuse an artist's work, deviantART.com does not hold itself liable. Before posting a piece of work, the site requires that the user agree with the following terms: "Artists will not hold deviantART responsible or liable for such unauthorized use..." Any claims of artwork misuse, such as plagiarism, have to be dealt with independently. Like with most social sites, users must be cautious before providing certain material to the public.


Tech Junkie is a recurring feature exploring the wonders of the Web and technology.

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