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

[D'Snowth]

Since this thread has been brought back up, there is one insignificant little quibble I have with dA... not really a big issue, certainly not something I begrudge or anything, but still a quibble nonetheless.

Requests.

Personally, I don't usually take requests, or commissions, unless I A) Know I have the extra free time to actually do them (especially since I'm still doing graphics and artwork on my old computer, which is quite a hassle), and B) Actually feel like doing them (like if I particularly like the idea of the request, or I find the request to be an interesting challenge of my skills).

My actual quibble with requests is when other artists open up a request or a commission line... and then they don't even do them. And if they do, they take forever to do so. I know I can't really say anything, I'm actually guilty of putting off one request I had for two years... but still, I just think if you're going to make the offer to your watchers to take requests for them, then you should follow through with the offer, and deliver, rather than just let the list of requests keep growing and growing and nothing gets done about it. Some artists actually catalog their request/commission list, and they'll have a different emotion that signifies the progress on each work (sketched, inked, colored, etc.), and in a number of cases, I see that those lists rarely, if ever, change, other than more requests are added to them, but little to no progress is being done on the ones that are already queued. That's why I rarely, if ever, put in for requests myself, because more than likely I'll never see them any and eventually forget about them altogether; likewise again, if I know I actually can get around to them, I'll open request or commission lines myself.

 

[Drtooth]

I don't do commissions or requests because I'm pretty eccentric. I need to be really inspired to draw something, which is why a good deal of my gallery is either parodies or nonsense, or even lines from other cartoons/movies. I kinda don't have the discipline to work on someone's specific vision. And often that vision includes something I'm no fan of.

 

[D'Snowth]

Eccentric? Dude, who do you think you're talking to, Only Sane Man?

 

[D'Snowth]

I'm rully flustered right now. I've been receiving a number of inquiries about commissions lately, that I went ahead and opened a new point commission line.

In all fairness, it has been a long time since I last opened one, so it IS about time I do a new one, I'll admit that; the problem is I STILL don't have a new version of Fireworks for my current computer (I had two different free trials at the beginning of the year, but now I'm all out of trial time), and have to do them on my old computer, whose behavior is totally unpredictable right now, I never know if it's going to cooperate or not... but it's still really short on space and memory, so no matter how simple or complex the deviation is going to be, it's going to take forever to do because it'll bog the whole machine down.

 

[Drtooth]

While this isn't something I'd normally post and something I'd normally avoid a dark spot about myself but.

If you follow me, you've probably seen me rant about some *&^% kid stealing my Mixel fan art (and yes, it should be my own fault for being a grown @%% man who gives those things the time of day period) and slapping it on a box and posting it on the Lego site.

Now, I really shouldn't be angry, disappointed, or take this as another thing just beating me down. This happens all the time after all. I should almost be flattered. The problem is...(takes deep breath).

Despite the fact that I racked up a massive amount of student debt I'll never pay off to the point where they no longer bother to call me several times a day demanding money like a bookie trying to go to art school and become a professional something to do with cartoons, the lack of any help from anyone has left me pretty much as a DA fan artist who really should do money commissions to at least feed the aforementioned Mixels habit but doesn't because I'm too eccentric and I need inspiration to draw something, so that's out of the question. The whole point of the page was for promotion, but fat freaking lot of good it did. I seriously considered moving to tumblr but didn't yet. I'm sure the theft problem is worse there, but I won't go there. Now, I tried talking to others, trying to get some notoriety and nothing stuck. Deep down, while I really don't want to admit it, I'm a very broken down depressed person who regrets nyyyyeeeeeeeverything in his life leading me to become extremely stymied when I make choices. This was the one bright (or relatively less crap brown colored) spot was I at least had some outlet for the thing I've tried to get to work since I was in grade school.

Now, what really bugs me about this happening is this. I've had my two Umineko (or however that's romanized) parody pieces posted on tumblr with a "look what I found on Deviant Art" without credit (but at least they had the decency to say "I found it" and not claim it as their own). I'm sure they got more hits and rebloggs than I got likes or views on them on DA. I was a little flattered by that, even happy even though I got some mention even without the recognition. Someone posted without any context or credit a Gumball piece on Gumball wiki in a response, I was kinda annoyed, but didn't do anything about it. But this was the last straw, and I wouldn't have minded but it's a freaking huge @%% straw!! And I wouldn't mind that I get no credit, I wouldn't mind that this happens all the time but...

I don't get any freaking views, barely that many favorites, and any freaking recognition on my own page, only to have the exact pieces everyone ignores otherwise get more views and likes than on its own page without any linking directly to my page or the original.

If I was a popular DA artist with over a million views, I'd say "steal away! Put it on a friggin T-shirt! Put it on a Japanese "Cuddle" pillow and do what you do with it." But I'm not. I re-he-HE-HEEEEALLY don't want to be the "everything I try is doomed to failure" guy, but.... you can finish that sentence. I'm not anywhere close to where I should be in life, even if I gave up drawing so much as a doodle on a notebook margin while doing taxes. I'd like at least a bone of credit if my stuff's going to be a much bigger hit on any site but mine. At least give me some sort of buzz. But I can't even manage to get that.

 

[D'Snowth]

I've had experiences in the past where my fan art would end up in a number of AMVs on YouTube, and all without my being asked or me giving permission to do so.

But in all honesty, I rarely visit dA anymore, and one of the reasons for that is hardly anybody else I watch or follow do either: I think as dA has been putting more emphasis on its premium (now "core") members and leaving fewer and fewer perks for just regular members (it doesn't help that they keep increasing the prices for their premium membership packages). I'd say 90% of the people I know and/or watch and follow on dA have migrated to other platforms - most notably tumblr.

Really, my art goes unnoticed a lot anymore as well, but as I've said many times before, I started out on dA as a Chipmunk fan artist, so most of my watchers are only interested in my Chipmunk fan art - anything else I do goes widely ignored (with some exceptions, such as Muppet and Arthur fan art). My activity has dwindled so much that the one time I did a new Chipmunk deviation recently - nobody looked at it. That actually took me by surprise, but I think it goes to show how little people have anything to do with dA anymoer these days/

 

[Drtooth]

I've had experiences in the past where my fan art would end up in a number of AMVs on YouTube, and all without my being asked or me giving permission to do so.

That I wouldn't quite mind as much, but this was submitted to the actual Lego site under their fan Mixel creations section. I've known other artists to have their art completely lifted and sold as bootlegged merchandise. By that much, I really shouldn't complain or say anything. But this just cut me. More on the fact that I have so little views and followers and especially favorites than that it did happen.

Really, my art goes unnoticed a lot anymore as well, but as I've said many times before, I started out on dA as a Chipmunk fan artist, so most of my watchers are only interested in my Chipmunk fan art - anything else I do goes widely ignored (with some exceptions, such as Muppet and Arthur fan art). My activity has dwindled so much that the one time I did a new Chipmunk deviation recently - nobody looked at it. That actually took me by surprise, but I think it goes to show how little people have anything to do with dA anymoer these days/

Being the guy who actually liked AOSTH Robotnik before he became a Meme, I actually regret drawing anything with the character, especially pertaining to that meme. Those still get more views and likes than anything that I actually care about. And then I still get some kid posting "PINGAS" in them. Pingas is done. Pingas is over. If I did a YTP about Pingas now, I'd get nothing but crap for it.