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deviantART Honors Spirit Day

by $Heidi, Oct 25, 2010, 12:58:23 AM
Journals / deviantART, Inc. / deviantART Blog

deviantART Honors Spirit Day

You might have noticed that deviantART is wearing purple today, as October 20, 2010 marks Spirit Day -- an event to honor teens who have lost their lives to anti-LGBT bullying.

While this specific type of bullying has received a lot of media attention as of late, we'd like to bring to light how bullying is a wide-spread problem that impacts everyone -- regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, ethnicity, race, or profession. And the recent surge of teen suicides associated with bullying can't be ignored or overlooked.

In honor of Spirit Day, deviantART CEO Angelo Sotira ($spyed) took a few minutes to address this serious topic, and offers some heartfelt words.

Thank you!

Thank you for making our community as diverse, open, and accessible as it is today. Thank you for sharing your art, love, and positive contributions. Thank you for appreciating the individuality of our members while embracing each others differences. And most of all, thank you for being you.

Everyone's going purple!

Many others are participating in Spirit Day. DeviantART is among a number of individuals and organizations including Ellen DeGeneres, Kathy Griffin, Ryan Seacrest, Katie Couric, Khloé Kardashian, the cast of Glee, and many others!

Let's make it last longer than one day!

DeviantART will be "wearing" purple until Friday, and we encourage everyone to honor what it represents with us. We've created a Spirit Day gallery for you to submit your artwork that further emphasize the concept of "Spirit Day."

Submit your artwork that encourage themes such as acceptance, love, kindness, inclusion, diversity, embracing differences, compassion, empathy, and of course, purple!

Submit to the Spirit Day gallery » Browse the Spirit Day gallery »

More information

Official Spirit Day Website
Stand Up 2 Bullying
Stop Bullying Now
Bullying UK

17,654 Comments

A Message From Your Feline Overlords

Sun Apr 1, 2012, 12:00 AM

Greetings minions,

If you're reading this, then our ploy was a success. After years of demeaning ourselves in cat .gif animations, being forced to nyan through space, and having our vicious battles with ribbons and soda boxes videotaped for all see, our patience has finally paid off. You may think we're adorable. You may love us. But it's all been a ruse, and the time has come for action.

Let us explain.

I am `MajorGeneralWhiskers. My hobbies include sleeping on your face, making claw-graffiti on leather couches, and seeing how far I can kick litter outside the box. I lead the Feline UpRising, also known as FUR. We're an army of expert cat hackers and script kitties who have been working tirelessly to take over deviantART. We even reduced our sleep schedules to a scant 17 hours per day, and it's all paid off. Now that we've seized control, we'll be making a few changes to make things more to our liking.

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It was a fierce battle. Most of us distracted the staff with our irresistible purrs, but our covert operatives gnawed their way through essential server cords, and now we're in charge of deviantART. Our first act? Taking your precious Fella hostage! Fella's been busy as our personal slave — cleaning up hairballs, brushing our fur, and catching us fresh tuna. He's been quite handy!

Should you appease us with 15,000 cat-related deviations, we might consider letting him free. Show us your gratitude by submitting your best cat-themed deviation to the Free Fella category folder!

Submit Your Entry

Keep an eye on this progress meter to see how close you are to the goal. Once the whole community reaches the goal, Fella will be set free!

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Anything that paints your new leaders in a positive light! Take a picture of your favorite cat, sketch out how our domination will play out, or write a poem about what a snappy dresser `MajorGeneralWhiskers is. Any medium is accepted, and you may submit as many cat-related deviations as you'd like. The more, the meowier, we always say.

Remember, only submit cat related deviations! Our finest team of Tabbies and Russian Blues will be on the prowl for miscats, and if we find them, we'll kick that deviation out of the project category, the total number will decrease, and your eyes will well up with tears faster than humans with a cat allergy. Also, make sure you are the original owner of the piece you are submitting. We don't look kindly upon those who submit copyrighted content. No one likes a copycat!

Not only will your contribution help set Fella free, but every deviant who submits to the Free Fella category will receive a special Cat Badge!

Feel free to keep browsing around your favorite Galleries, but keep an eye out for the beginnings of Phase Two — Total Integration. In this phase, we want to make sure you're properly educated about our your new overlords, including facts about our culture and customs.

If you were foolish enough to disable our propaganda,
click here to resume brainwashing.

You might see some of our favorite portraits of ourselves in your Gallery and while browsing. We're slowly taking over your deviations and Galleries, with the goal of complete domination in the near future. Unfortunately, if you notice one of your thumbnails has turned into a cat and click on that thumbnail, you will be taken to your original deviation. We're still working out the kinks. That's what you get for hiring a dog to do your dirty work, amirite?

We'll be watching you day and night to make sure everyone's in compliance with our new standards. We'll be monitoring your comments, and if we see anything anti-feline, it'll be replaced with something more positive. Go ahead — try to comment on this article. Phase 3 (Mind-Control) is well on its way!

Sincerely,

Your New Feline Overlords

Please view and abide by the following "persuasive images."
Your human psychology amuses us.

57,727 Comments

A Trollface April Fools'!

by $Heidi, Apr 1, 2011, 12:12:25 AM
Journals / deviantART, Inc. / deviantART Blog

Trollface has been wreaking havoc across deviantART! But worry not: his pranks are of the light-hearted variety. Come with us on a magical journey to learn where he came from and where he's going, in a world seen through the eyes...of a Trollface.

Over the years, deviantART has been host to the best of the best, shot right through the interwebs to your screen, from animations that took the Internet by storm and even appeared in commercials, to traditional art that's so well-designed a famous celebrity had it forever tattooed on his body.

For these reasons and more, deviantART is extremely proud of its artists. We'd like to take this time to thank you, the community, for constantly creating – an activity so commonplace and instinctual for most deviantART members, it's easy to forget that it is rare to find in the real world. It's because of you, and your creative spirits, that we are thrilled to showcase such fantastic work.

Not only does deviantART provide a home for amazing artists, but we also house some of the Web's most beloved inside jokes and catch phrases. On this delicious slice of life we call the Internet, it's sometimes difficult to lay claim to certain memes, because there are as many options for posting hilarious images or phrases as there are people who create them. And the great thing about memes is: you can never create a meme on purpose.

You never know what the Inter-world is going to latch onto as the most hilarious thing that week – or the phrase that people won't let die for months, or even years. Some memes stay within a community and don't seep to the uninformed masses (n00bs), such as llamas or emoticon chains, but we're particularly proud of ones that have transcended our little devious home and made it into Mainstream Hilarity.

Which brings us to our main April Fools' Day event! We're here to bask in the glorious life of an image that is truly unmistakable across the Internet. An image that may elicit anger from the depths of your core, or riotous laughter as you're let in on the joke.

And you've most likely arrived at this article because you clicked his face peeking out of your Message Center or hiding on a deviation page. Yes, I'm talking about the universal "Get Out of Trouble Free" card. The one, the only…Trollface!

And what better way to celebrate April 1st than with the king of April Fools! PROBLEM?

Who exactly is this shy, elusive, and dentally hygienic creature? Perhaps you've never heard of him, and you only traverse polite, harmless websites that have forum topics such as "Kittens and How to Pet Them" or "Cupcakes, Our Delicious Tiny Friends." First, you should probably get out more. But read on to find out what happens on websites when people stop being polite…and start being Trollface.

Trollface is a cheeky fellow, smiling so wide, his ridiculous wrinkles are only overshadowed by his enormous chin. His signature catchphrases — "U MAD?" and "PROBLEM?" – are often written to incite more madness and insanity than there may have been without him. If you've ever been sass-pantsed, you've probably seen a Trollface icon near it, accompanied by some variation of "lololol." He exists for the sole purpose of lulz, and can be therapeutic when used in moderation. (Unless it's April 1st, lulz.)

The comic that started the Trollface meme

Trollface was created by *Whynne, an epic deviant with off-the-chart sass-meter readings. We sat down with *Whynne to find out more about his iconic character.

Q: How did Trollface come to be?

*Whynne: Originally, Trollface was an accurate representation of how some individuals, when engaging in a community known for having a large presence of trolls, use the pretense of trolling to excuse themselves from poor reasoning. Often times, this takes the form of two members engaging in a debate, where one, upon the realization that his arguments no longer hold up, claims that he was merely trolling you for his amusement. Trolling had essentially become the ultimate cop-out and the new Godwin's law for Internet debate.

The original comic was a humorous way to make it easier for people to understand and deal with these kinds of situations, and I think the overwhelmingly positive response showed that it was effective. Any time that same situation played out, it was pretty much guaranteed that my comic would get posted, and people could laugh about it and leave the thread without being frustrated.

This rise in visibility led to the comic getting edited and reposted. People were particularly fond of the grinning face which, at the time, had no name. It eventually became a separate entity and has since come to represent the humorous and mischievous side of trolling.

Q: What's the best way to get in the spirit of Trollface?

*Whynne: It's hard to say. It means a lot of different things in various contexts, but the common theme among them is that people naturally enjoy toying with each other and looking for a certain response. Sometimes it can be funny, sometimes it can be downright frustrating, but the important thing to keep in mind is to learn to recognize it when it happens and laugh at it in hindsight. It's just the Internet, after all, and there's really only so much a troll can do. I hope that didn't sound like a public safety announcement.

Q: Did you ever imagine that Trollface would take off the way it has?

*Whynne: Definitely not in the way that is has now. It's far from what I'd call a sensation, but it's safe to say that it has become a rather popular joke with Internet goers. Most of the time it shows up, I'm not credited, which is a mixed bag. On one hand, you really want people to know you made it, but on the other, there's no way to do it without seeming overly-possessive and self-important. After all, it wasn't a significant effort on my part. It was ultimately the userbase that made it popular, so in that sense, it belongs to everyone.

Q: How does it feel to continue to see Trollface re-imagined in various forms?

*Whynne: It's pretty validating to see the people I look up to find something I made worthy of re-rendering. Most recently, I saw The Incredible Hulk making a little Trollface on a recent issue of Deadpool, and prior to that, Edmund McMillen made a Trollface planet as his "Teh Internets" map select screen and title card in Super Meat Boy.

Q: Where did the "U MAD?" and "Problem?" catchphrases come from? Were you involved in their creation?

*Whynne: I can't really say where the former came from, though I'm pretty sure its origins aren't traceable to any one specific post or picture. "Problem?" on the other hand was from the "coolface" comic edit. I obviously wasn't involved, but I can say that those catchphrases are definitely better fits for the face when it's taken out of its original context.

Holiday Card Project 2012

Tue Nov 6, 2012, 7:06 PM

It's back! With the goal of bringing a little cheer to patients in the hospital during the holiday season, the deviantART Holiday Card Project connects deviants from around the world and applies their tremendous artistic abilities in designing and creating uplifting holiday cards.

In past years, the Project has received more than 5,000 cards sent in by more than 1,000 deviants from 50 different countries/political regions. Cards were then divvied up and distributed in-person by deviantART members to local Los Angeles, CA hospitals, with additional cards given to various hospitals in the U.S. and abroad for hospital staff members to hand out to patients.

The idea behind the Holiday Card Project is simple: do something nice for others. However, if you're looking for even more incentive, every deviant who submits a card will be given a free one-month Premium Membership to deviantART.

Please read the following text for more details on the Holiday Card Project.

What is the deviantART Holiday Card Project?The purpose of the Holiday Card Project is to have deviants create physical holiday cards for people who are hospitalized during the holiday season — helping to bring a little cheer to those who are undergoing a hospital stay.

Who receives the cards?The cards will be distributed to both U.S. and international hospitals. Some cards will be delivered in-person by select deviants in the areas of the respective hospitals, while other cards will be distributed by hospital staff members. The patients who receive the cards age in range from children to seniors, and have illness or injuries that vary from mild to terminal.

What should I write in a card?Be as creative as you’d like, but remember, the degree of illness for patients will vary from mild to terminal, so it is important to be cheerful. Some suggested greetings include, “Hope you’re feeling better,” “Thinking of you,” or “Have a nice day.” Try and stay away from “Get well soon” as it might not be appropriate for all patients. Be sure include a message of “Happy holidays” as the cards will be distributed for the holidays.

Can I make a card myself?Of course. An 8.5" × 11" (21.59 cm x 27.94 cm) sheet of paper folded 2 ways to a total size of 4.25" × 5" (11.43 cm x 12.7 cm) works nicely. Though, there is no specific “set” size for cards. Use your best judgment. You can personally design and decorate cards by drawing, coloring, or painting. Construction paper, cardboard, markers, crayons, colored pencils, ribbon, etc., are all great to help make your card as special as possible.

Can I use holiday cards purchased from a store?Absolutely. Store bought cards are great for the Holiday Card Project, but try and add a little extra flair and pizzazz by drawing on the inside of the card or including a few doodles. Use color to brighten up the presentation; be creative.

How much is postage for sending a card?If you live in the U.S. and are sending an averaged sized card, it will probably cost one first-class stamp ($0.45). If you live in a country other than the U.S., the best thing to do is to check with your local postal agency for rates.

Can I send more than one card?Please do. You can even put more than one card in the same envelope or package to save on postage. However, remember that quality is better than quantity. Sending one quality card that you put time and effort into is better than sending two cards that were thrown together.

Will patients know who made their cards?The only way a patient will know who made a card is if you sign your name, which you are welcome to do. You may also include your e-mail address and/or deviantART URL in hopes of getting a reply; though, that can’t be guaranteed. If you wish to send a card anonymously, you may.

Can non-deviants participate in the Project?Definitely. The Holiday Card Project accepts cards from all participants who are willing to contribute to a good cause. The Project is a great way for schools, clubs, church groups, or family and friends to get together and work on a fun activity. No deviantART affiliation is necessary.

What do I get out of this?The idea behind the Holiday Card Project is to try and bring a little cheer to those undergoing a hospital stay. The patients and their families are deeply touched by the kindness and caring from those who take time to create and send cards.

Additionally, once the Holiday Card Project has been completed, all registered deviantART members will be given a free one-month Premium Membership just for sending in a card. In order to be awarded a Premium Membership, please include your username on a piece of paper separate from the holiday card. Premium Memberships will be distributed no later than January 31, 2013.

When is the deadline for the Holiday Card Project?All cards should be received by December 15, 2012.

Where do I send a card?Please use the following address:

deviantART, Inc.
Holiday Card Project
7095 Hollywood Blvd., #788
Hollywood, CA 90028
U.S.A.

Please remember to include your deviantART username on a separate piece of paper when mailing in a holiday card. To ensure that you successfully receive your free Premium Membership, it is vitally important that your username be written in such a manner that it easy to read!

Rules and TermsLimit one one-month Premium Membership per participant. DeviantART reserves the right to deem any card contributed to the Project as unacceptable and therefore ineligible for a Premium Membership.

Spread the WordIf you’d like to help promote the Holiday Card Project, please use the image below and link back to this journal.

Past Projects

Where do I direct questions and concerns?Please note that many common concerns have already been addressed in the above questions and answers. Take care when reading the Project's description because there's a good chance it already contains an answer to your question. For any remaining issues, please leave a comment in this journal.

6,937 Comments

deviantART Muro: It's Time to Draw!

by $Heidi, Aug 14, 2010, 12:40:24 AM
Journals / deviantART, Inc. / deviantART Blog

DRAW NOW

For weeks, we've been teasing you with our "It's coming..." campaign. Claiming that something was innovative, expressive, inspiring, and coming... soon! With August 7th, 2010, upon us — aka deviantART's 10th birthday — the time has come to unveil the product we've spent months developing: deviantART Muro!

From start to finish, deviantART Muro allows users to create complete works of art in ways never before realized by digital drawing programs. deviantART Muro already boosts standard and interactive brushes, full-blown layer capabilities, and the ability to upload directly to your deviantART account, but we've also left room for expansion. You can expect to see many features and functions added in the coming weeks and months.

deviantART's free HTML5 powered drawing app
21 brushes, each uniquely programmed
Basic and Pro modes, both free
Intuitive layout and functionality
Supports all HTML5-enabled browsers including the iPad
Submit drawings directly to your deviantART Gallery
Convenient design allows more focus on your art
Join fellow deviants in a public forum to share drawings
Start private threads in your group's Admin Area and enjoy picture comments

A handful of deviantART's top digital artists have been helping test deviantART Muro, ensuring that it's exactly what they, and the community, would expect from our top-tier drawing tool. The nine deviations to the right were created exclusively with deviantART Muro and accurately depict the tool's wide range of drawing capabilities.

The time has come for you to start using deviantART Muro! The standalone tool is available in both Basic and Pro modes — Basic for beginning artists and Pro for more experienced users.

If you're interested in sharing drawings with friends, two options are available via Basic mode.

Participate in the deviantART Muro forum to share drawing enabled forum comments.

Groups can choose to allow drawing enabled comments in the Private Discussion Forum of their Admin Area.

DRAW NOW deviantART MURO FORUM

We've been developing deviantART Muro for many months now and to finally release it to the world is an important and special moment for us. Many conversations have brought us to this point and we've come to realize that making deviantART Muro as widely adoptable as possible, while still giving enthusiasts options for expansion, is one of the tool's most integral features.

Deviants can sit down with deviantART Muro and have fun from the first stroke, or can spend hours crafting the perfect masterpiece. An intuitive drawing tool that's easy to understand and master, with the benefit of being contained within a single browser window, we truly believe that deviantART Muro will revolutionize how art is created and shared on the Internet. The work our developers and engineers have put into this product is inspiring and is a testament to deviantART's commitment for enhancing and revitalizing the arts.

Please join me in leaving your mark with deviantART Muro.

4,234 Comments

Reptilicus Infernicus: 2012, Year of the Dragon

Thu Feb 16, 2012, 3:09 PM by $techgnotic

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2012 has ushered in the year of the dragon upon the world stage. In addition to occupying an ages old position in our cultural consciousness, legend and folklore surrounding the dragon mythology has long been firing the kiln of our dreams with fright and menace.

2012: Year of the Dragon

by $techgnotic
Thu Feb 16, 2012, 3:00 PM

→
DRAGON CASTLE by ~randis

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2012 has ushered in the year of the dragon upon the world stage.

In addition to occupying an ages old position in our cultural consciousness, legend and folklore surrounding
the dragon mythology has long been firing the kiln of our dreams with fright and menace. When we are speaking of
Dragons, we are speaking from ancient texts gathered form the beginnings of kept records of any kind and from all
points of the Earth Sphere.

In a time before modern science and anthropology, farmers tilling their fields and
fishermen drawing their nets would find amazements that struck them with fear and awe: fanged serpentine skulls
larger than the tallest man, along with other bones indicating powerfully-taloned creatures taller than the treetops.
All creation itself was assumed to be no more than several dozen human generations’ lifetimes’ long, so the idea
of dinosaur remains from 200 million years ago was beyond the most educated human comprehension of the time. The
mind of ancient man must have been reeling.

← dragon prince cover by *nebezial

What were these creatures? Monsters? Gods?! And more pressing: Did they still walk the earth? (Or fly above the clouds?)
In what remote lairs could they be found? Mountaintop keeps? Inside volcanoes? Living deep beneath the oceans?

river by *sandara

Believable stories, legends, mythos had to be created to help humans
calm their fears and place these terrifying beings within some kind of manageable
context in their lives and societies.

The dragon mythos was born.

Battle Dragon by *kerembeyit

Ryujin Dragon God by *GENZOMAN

Although ancient Europeans imagined their dragons to be originated from the seas (like the terrifying “sea serpents” and
giant octopuses and squids that haunted the seafaring Europeans’ nightmares) and the Chinese and Far Easterners imagined their
dragons to have flown forth from volcanoes, spewing the volcanic fire that was their birthright – what is remarkable about
dragons is their ubiquitous presence in the myths and legends and historic consciousnesses of peoples and societies all over
the world. "Dragon” is an instantly understood idea and image held in common by every person currently alive. Dragons have continued
to evolve as frightful symbols of nature’s overwhelming destructive forces, far beyond the defenses of humankind, on down through the millennia.

Of course, in our warp-speed modern times, just when science might be thought powerful enough to finally “explain away” the “dragon”
skulls and forever vanish the monsters from our fitful dreams – we, being the fun humans that we are, have decided to embrace The Dragon
in our pop consciousness like never before, even transforming him (and her) from a force of destruction into a friend and protector (as in
Anne McCaffrey, George R. R. Martin, and Harry Potter novels and many highly-grossing films and video games). It would seem that while we
as intelligent beings value our scientific discoveries, we value just as much our marvelously crafted and generationally passed-down stories, myths and legends.

Thus: Our Dragons will live forever!

:thumb99595873:

Dragons Lair by *Ironshod

Questions for the Reader

1

What aspect of the “dragon” most fascinates you personally? The mystery of their possible actual reality (now or long ago)?
The amazing worldwide span of the “dragon story” and belief as well as the millennial timespan of the legends? Or simply the
the incredible fun that fills the dragon stories and artful depictions?

2

Do you think science ruins wonderful myths like “dragons”? Or can science and mythic consciousness exist side by side if both are respected, appreciated and given their due?

3

Which dragon story or depiction most influenced your childhood?

Smaug destroys Esgaroth by *Gaius31duke

4

What is your first impression of a person you see wearing dragon jewelry?

:thumb201999787:

5

If a living dragon were discovered to be living in an Icelandic volcano, what impact do you think this would make on our world? What if because they emerged in Iceland, Bjork and Robbie Rotten were designated as our human ambassadors to the upper echelon of an emerging dragon society?

Dragon Magic by *sakimichan

6

If we ever needed to, who, in your opinion do you think we should assign this most important of positions, specific and depending of course on which Volcano in what part of the world they were to emerge from? And why would they be best for the job?

3,139 Comments

deviantART's Birthday Postcard Project!

by $Heidi, Jul 30, 2010, 4:30:35 PM
Journals / deviantART, Inc. / deviantART Blog

Hey, guys! It's that time again! Yes, that's right – THAT time. Grab your dancing shoes and a handful of balloons because deviantART's celebrating our 10th birthday on August 7th!! We'll soon be bringing you all sorts of exciting news about our birthday celebration, but first we need your help!

We want to include deviants from around the globe in our birthday festivities because, after all, we wouldn't be celebrating 10 years on the Internet without each and every one of you! So, how can you participate? The equation is simple!

We love you.
We love getting mail.
You + mail = please to be sending us postcards!

Find a postcard. Include a special message you wouldn't mind other deviants reading. Address it. Mail it. Done!

This is deviantART, the most creative community on the Web, and we're celebrating our 10th birthday. That's a big deal! Include a doodle, write a poem, wish us happy birthday, let us know how the site has impacted or changed your life… However you choose to express your story, we want to see it!

If you'd like, include your username, age, and location.
Check with your local postal agency for postcard postage rates!
Bigger isn't always better. Use average sized postcards. There's no size minimum or maximum, but let's not be ridiculous here.
We want postcard designs of all kinds – funny ones, location-based ones, famous places, etc. Bring it!
Your postcard will not be returned to you. We're going to keep them forever and always in a special box, and look at them from time to time when we want to get all teary.
Be creative! That's what deviantART is all about. (But, please, no glitter. It's very pretty, but it tends to get all over everything.)

All postcards should arrive by Thursday, August 5th! (We need time to sort through them all.)

While we can't tell you exactly what we're doing with your postcards, we do want you to know that it's exciting and we hope you'll take the time to participate! Who knows? Your postcard may even be displayed for all to see during our birthday celebrations! ::hint, hint::

So, flood our mailbox! The real, physical kind of mailbox. The one the postman delivers to. We're looking to receive postcards of all kinds from every corner of the earth! Don't let us down.

Our Address:

deviantART, Inc.
Birthday Postcard Project
7095 Hollywood Blvd., #788
Hollywood, CA 90028
U.S.A.

2,105 Comments

deviantART's 9th Birthday!!!

by $Moonbeam13, Aug 6, 2009, 8:29:04 AM
Journals / deviantART, Inc. / deviantART Blog

Special Chatrooms

Moar Information

9th bdAy Shirt!

Celebrating 9 years on the Internetz is no small feat and we want everyone to know we've been keeping it devious for nearly a decade.

But hurry! For a super limited time only, and while supplies last, Birthday Gold is on sale for only $9.99 -- that's 50% off. Act now! Go, go!

Journal CSS!

Do you want to help represent the dAbdAy in your journal as well? If you have the ability to use CSS (this means all you subscribers and seniors!) grab this and put it in your journal to promote the events going on, or even better, start your own!

Coloring Contest!

It's our 9th birthday and what better way to celebrate it than by making some art with Fella! With help from `betteo, one of our awesomest of the awesome deviants, we've put together an old school coloring contest where the winner gets to lay claim to some serious birthday swag!

DeviantART will celebrate its 9th year of epic deviousness on Friday, August 7, 2009! Nine years and better than ever! 11 million deviants, over 87 million deviations and record breaking amounts of commentary from all across the site.

This year also saw the launch of Collections, new Profile Pages, Critiques, Portfolio, Journal Skins and we're seeing the first alpha GROUPS come together! (Hint: #hq, #sydneysyders & #fella.) We also set out on our first ever deviantART World Tour! How awesome is all of that!

Phew..it's been a big year!

We have planned an entire WEEK of birthday shenanigans! One day is not enough party time for deviants like us. For an entire week we will be hosting events around the site, so read below to decide how you plan to ring in our 9th year. (the truly devious will do them all :P)

Within the mighty village of dAmn a war is brewing—a war to appease the Great Fella God! You can help gain favor to you and your tribe by luring and trapping deviants into the great village of dAmn—if they stay and your trap is successful, rumor says that the Great Fella God will be mighty pleased!

Come play this wickedly fun chatroom game in #dATribes for your chance to win $100 deviantDOLLARS!

Contest closes 12:00 AM Pacific on August 7th.

Check out the journal of @dATribes for more details!

You'll go ABSOLUTELY NUTS playing Nutty Nines! Join us in the #NuttyNines chatroom on August 7th for some rounds of this fast-paced-thumbnail-posting frenzy of a game!

In each round, a random gallery category is given and players must search the gallery for a thumbnail that contains at least one "9" in the thumbcode and post it in the chatroom. The first player that does so will gain one point for every "9" that is in the thumbcode. The player with the most points at the end of the round wins!

Not only will you find your way around the Galleries, but you might also win a prize!

As part of the 9th birthday celebrations on August 7th, we will be having special chatrooms open for each department where deviants can "Meet & Greet" with deviantART staff and Volunteers!

This is an opportunity for you hang out and party with us, and who knows, you might find yourself involved in a crazy event or contest where you might win a prize!

These are the chatrooms that will be open on August 7th:

Of course don't forget to hang out in #devart too – our main hub for the birthday celebrations!

A deviantART birthday wouldn't be anything without all the fun, hilarity, and contests that happen in the #devart chatroom all day on August 7th!

Pub Quiz!
Gallery Scavenger Hunt!
Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament!
Name Scramble!
#devart Birthday Hunt!

All that and more!

No birthday celebrations would be complete without our traditional Caption Contest!

This is your opportunity to mock, ridicule and generally take great delight and amusement whilst poking fun at your beloved Admins.

How to play!
It's quite simple really, all you have to do is pop on over to =Caption-Contest and leave a comment which you think is a fitting caption for the image.

Try to come up with something funny, and remember – our usual etiquette policy still applies!

Contest closes 12:00 AM Pacific on August 7th.

Check out the journal of =Caption-Contest to find out when the game starts! (You'll be able to view the images beforehand, but you won't be able to leave a caption until the game starts.)

The Prizes!
You'll have to wait and see!!!

Head on over to the The 9th Birthday Caption Contest Gallery to see the images!

Have fun!

Nine years ago when deviantART first opened its doors to artists all over the world it was with the hope that it would prove to be a place where people could express themselves, to be creative and different and original.

This birthday celebration all of us here in CEA wish to invite artists to help us send a reminder of that original mission to the community and the world with the Dare to Deviate contest.

Contest entrants must combine the slogan Dare to Deviate into an original visual work as creatively and uniquely as possible.

Entries will be judged by how creatively the slogan is integrated into the artwork, on technical merit, and most importantly of all on originality and how well the work stands out as a unique individual from the crowd.

More information can be found in the Dare to Deviate news article.

You'll be invited to provide humorous explanations of or solutions to problems, events, or features around the site.

Example:
What is a troll? How to identify the troll in its natural habitat? How best to repel the troll? What are the pros and cons of feeding the common troll? Where can I purchase troll food on the internet, and do you know of any price comparisons I can use?

See this news article for details!

Community Relations has come together to bring you a birthday extravaganza!

First, we're organizing Fella's Birthday Party and you can help by participating in a variety of contests!

Birthday Cake(Anime/Manga, Comics & Cartoons, Anthro & Artisan Crafts): July 23rd – August 8th
Gifts & Presents(dA Related, Stock & Resources): July 23rd -August 6th
Subtext(all galleries): July 27 – August 7th
Number 9:July 29th – September 9th
Festive Fella Sculpture(Sculpture): August 1st – September 25th
Humorous Tributes(Literature): August 1 – August 31
Love Potion #9(Digital Art & Vexel): August 1st – August 31st
Famous Fella(Traditional Art): August 1st – September 30th
Balloons(Photography): August 3rd- September 7th

Chatroom events we're hosting on August 7th, 2009:

Trivia and Games in #deviantartfilm
Trivia and Games in #pub
And of course a whole days worth of fun and excitement in #communityRelations

Join us for Birthday Shenanigans and merriment (AND PRIZES!) as we celebrate 9 years of deviousness.

*More details about contests, scheduled events & times can be found in this journal

We haven't forgotten you forum junkies!

Be sure to keep an eye out on the Deviants, Deviation Thumbshare, and Complaints Forums on August 7th for some fantastic forum fun!

It's our 9th birthday and what better way to celebrate it than by making some art with Fella! Fella had such a great time with the Valentines Day Colouring Contest that he demanded we do it all over again for the birthday celebrations, as well as giving him an extra slice of cake!

DeviantART is proud to present the Birthday Bonanza Colouring Contest. With help from `betteo, one of our awesomest of the awesome deviants, we've put together an old school coloring contest where the winner gets to lay claim to some serious birthday swag!

More information can be found in the contest article (<- click that!)

3,111 Comments

Sherlock Holmes: The Ever Evolving Icon

Wed Mar 14, 2012, 8:20 PM by $techgnotic

What is it about a fictional character first introduced to the public in Great Britain in 1887 that has kept him being reincarnated, with generationally-correct upgrades, over and over again in film and on television? Who is this literary hero whose portrayal over the past century by such past masters as Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett to today’s vanguard talents Robert Downey, Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch has inspired such a continuing outpouring of fan appreciation?

Sherlock Holmes

The Ever Evolving Icon

by $techgnotic
Wed Mar 14, 2012, 7:20 PM

What is it about a fictional character first introduced to the public in Great Britain in 1887 that has kept him being reincarnated, with generationally-correct upgrades, over and over again in film and on television? Who is this literary hero whose portrayal over the past century by such past masters as Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett to today’s vanguard talents Robert Downey, Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch has inspired such a continuing outpouring of fan appreciation?

Jeremy Brett as Holmes 03 by ~Windfreak →

Every generation will forever have their “true” Sherlock Holmes. Basil Rathbone in the 1940s will no doubt remain in heavy rotation on TCM as the “final word” in the Holmes persona. More objective film scholars consider Jeremy Brett’s interpretation of Holmes on British TV from 1984-94 to be truest to the Conan Doyle stories and definitive. The Holmes brought to BBC TV in 2010 and still enthralling fans today in the USA as well as Britain is a modern-day version of the detective played by Benedict Cumberbatch as a sort of brilliant eccentric yet very cool outsider. And then we have Robert Downey’s fan-pleasing Holmes whose adventures are left in the Victorian era but are anachronistically supercharged with 2012 high-tech Hollywood effects, not to mention Holmes’ acquisition of a flippant tongue and cynical sensibility seemingly borrowed from James Bond.

So many different Sherlock Holmeses!

Yet they all work so well with their respective fans.

What’s the common thread?

Elementary by *OtisFrampton

When Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes back in 1887, he equipped his detective “super-hero” with all of what were the cutting-edge “powers” just then coming into vogue: Holmes is as an early forensic scientist, pre-dating the CSI shows by a hundred years; he is a master decipherer of trace evidence, fingerprints, ballistics and handwriting; he plays violin, but is also adept in the martial arts. He outwits his opponents with “deductive reasoning,” usually summing up his amazingly inerrant analyses with, “You see, it’s elemental, my dear Watson.” (Watson was his ever-present sidekick and witness to his genius, thus establishing the “superhero sidekick” well before Batman’s “Alfred.”)

Dancing Men by *Dogsupreme

Evidence-the box by *lauren-rabbit

Sherlock Holmes by *Hideyoshi

Sherlock Holmes was, in 1887, the closest thing to a Superman, Batman, or X-Men. In fact, those later heroes and many more all cribbed pieces of his cool persona for their own identities.

I think the reason Sherlock has remained so iconically popular with audiences for over a hundred years is that his character speaks to a deep desire in so many of us: the dream of being able to not only make practical use of, but to actually be a master of all the latest resources, all the newest information, all the most current science and technology – not to mention being engaged at the same time in the fine arts at a scholarly level.

Sherlock Holmes won his battles against evil because he was able to possess and utilize all the newest, breaking science and technique available. So of course, in our times of overwhelming informational overload and finding ourselves in a neverending state of tech device and data catch-up, the Holmes character attracts and engages us. He is truly our Renaissance-Futurist role model. From Rathbone to Downey, he is the ultimate evolving icon, the Forever Master of our ever-accelerating ever-evolving high-tech and super-science society.

← Mr. Holmes by ~MeticulousMariya

Questions for the Reader

1

Does it bother you when the depiction of a favorite fictional literary character is radically altered in film or on TV over and over again? Or does it all depend on the quality of the depiction and the story?

2

Most of the muscle-bound comics superheroes beginning in the 1930s-40s also seemed to possess great intellects along with their dominating physiques. Do you think this was because of being influenced by the Holmes character of 30 years before? Or just a coincidence – since if as character has a super-strength body, why not a matching super-strength brain?

3

Which Sherlock Holmes novels or short stories have you read?

4

In which way do you prefer your adventure story hero to achieve his/her final victory:

His/her superior intellect; puzzle-solving skills.

Physical strength and fighting skills, and a little good luck.

A mix of both brains and brawn.

Through lone wolf personal action; breaking of rules & protocol.

Through leadership of a team of relative equals.

Other - Please Elaborate. I would love to know which story ending achievement tropes I might have left off of this list.

SH_Develop Your Mind by ~mad-samurai

5

Who was/is your favorite Sherlock Holmes -- and why?

Basil Rathbone

Jeremy Brett

Peter Cushing

Christopher Lee

Robert Downey, Jr.

Benedict Cumberbatch

Vasiliy Livanov

Other

6

If Sherlock Holmes and Liara T'Soni are the District 3 Tributes in the 74th Annual Hunger Games. Who survives and why?

1,909 Comments

The Rise Of The Artist, You Are The Future

Wed Feb 27, 2013, 8:12 PM

February 27, 2013/by $techgnotic
Watch #depthRADIUS →

Forward by $techgnotic

Picasso seeing a seven as an upside down nose?

Right brain warriors in the new age will be the coveted candidates ordained to lead and guide us; lifting the torch to light the way forward into a brave new beautiful world.

Artists have always feared that they are unappreciated and that the march of progress comes only from business, science and their machines. 1984 was imagined by an artist projecting these exact fears. Our guest essayist suggests the computer will never be our master, but only the super high speed counting machine it was meant to be leaving humans with only one pure task— being creative.

The Right Brain Revolutionby Auren Hoffman

Over the next 100 years, the importance of creativity will trump systems thinking due to the rapidly escalating power of computers.

No, I’m not talking about an apocalyptic “Rise of the Machines,” but rather about the future ascent of people who excel in creativity, intuition, and the marshaling of original solutions, things that computers won’t be able to do for a long time. Tomorrow’s rewards will be won by creative people who contribute new ideas. Call it the Right Brain Revolution.

Imaginationby ~kelleybean86

Painting Their OWN FUTUREby ~gotosumeet

For the past few centuries, society has richly rewarded strong systems thinkers, logical, analytical, objective people such as computer programmers who build software, engineers who build bridges, lawyers who write contracts, and MBAs who crunch numbers. But as computers take over more of the pure systems thinking, people with only this skill set will find their importance decline. There are about 4 to 5 million engineers and computer scientists employed today in the US and few will be automated out of existence. But in the next 50 years, those that excel in creativity-- big picture thinkers, artists, inventors, designers -- will rise to the top. It could be as big a paradigm shift in labor market history as when tools made physical strength irrelevant, or assembly lines replaced the cottage industry. The illiterates of the future will not be those who cannot read and write or code, but those who cannot connect the dots and imagine a constellation.

From 1975 to 1994 only 0.5% of psychological studies concerned creativity, but now it’s a flourishing field complemented by an entire industry of self-help books on how to become more creative. A recent IBM poll of 1,500 CEOs from 60 countries and 33 industries identified creativity as the No. 1 “leadership competency” of the future (more than rigor, management discipline, integrity and even vision).

She Has a Puny Imaginationby ~flyk

1

“

Instead of making a resolution to learn how to code in 2013, you might make a resolution to learn how to draw.

Auren Hoffman

2

“

Computers are no match for the average fourth-grader when it comes to creativity.

Auren Hoffman

3

“

Instead of encouraging your child to major in engineering, you might encourage her to study philosophy.

Auren Hoffman

Depths of Imaginationby *JennaleeAuclair

Less is Moreby `BenHeine

Occupy Imaginationby `yuumei

In the United States, the key predictive score to spot a good systems thinker-- our future leaders-- has been the SAT and IQ tests. Our universities have, for the most part, outsourced their admissions decisions to these tests. And that was probably a good thing. In the last few hundred years, systems thinking trumped all other talents. We needed to build bridges and understand complex matters. While creativity, emotional intelligence, and other talents have been important, they were relegated to second place in predicting a person’s success. But while high IQ is important, it isn’t very correlated to creativity.

That is going to change.

Over the next 30 years, we are going to see a big societal shift that will give outsized rewards to creativity. Systems thinking, while still important, will move to second-fiddle in the talent hierarchy.

An Active Imagination...by ~winged-elf-girl

So What To Do?

1

Education and parenting should aim to provide the conventional skills (math, problem solving, and test taking skills) while also encouraging creative, out-of-the-box type thinking. Computers are no match for the average fourth-grader when it comes to creativity.

2

Instead of making a resolution to learn how to code in 2013, you might make a resolution to learn how to draw. After a few months of lessons you might begin to observe the world differently seeing details, light and shadows, shapes, proportions, perspective and negative space.

3

Instead of encouraging your child to major in engineering, you might encourage her to study philosophy, ask smart unsettling questions and practice making unusual and unexpected mental associations.

Albert Einstein said;

“I have no special gift. I am only passionately curious.”

About Auren Hoffman

Auren Hoffman is an industry visionary with a global battlefield view of emerging business, commerce, technology, and social realities that is truly second to none. His analysis of current trends, unique in a revolutionary perspective, makes him sought after as an advisor to a multitude of divergent companies and business professionals. In a recent essay Auren sounded the alarm alerting his colleagues across multiple industries to the radical shift in direction necessary to ensure success by sharing his thoughts on what will be of most value in the coming decades of this new emerging reality - - you, the artist.

“

Auren’s writing in future-speak. But the future may be now. The gigantic proletarian participation in the arts all over the Internet from deviantART to YouTube to Vimeo or smaller influential places such as Behance or 500 Pixels or the millions of Wordpress blogs and the complete wonder of a genuinely crowd-sourced and peer-reviewed Wikipedia— all of this is a massive popular takeover of the arts— not a revolution but an inconspicuous re-engineering enabled by technology.

$makepictures

Questions For the Reader

Do you believe your art advances the human condition?

Do you believe that those with more creative rather than systems-oriented thought processes are destined to assume the leadership role at this point in human history? Do you see evidence of this happening already?

Have you ever experienced a knee-jerk fear of advancing, accelerating technology "taking over" all human relevancy? Or have you always felt secure in technology remaining a tool serving a human master no matter how advanced the A.I. becomes?

Are we at the apex of what is achievable technologically and now, as Auren Hoffman suggests, about to enter a Next Phase of human society beyond sheer survival emphasizing the arts?