Holidays are Here ~ And News, Of Course

DevNews 


Where did the year go? Wasn't is just New Year's Eve??? And now, yet another New Year's is just weeks away. Time flies when you're having fun!

Happy Holidays from DevNews and the entire staff!



        

November Deviousness! Ry-Spirit

Celebrating Deviousness - November 2015
In Recognition of Exemplary Membership and an Outstanding Spirit of helpfulness and mentoring within the DeviantArt community.
Introducing Ry-Spirit
:iconRy-Spirit:
My name Ry/Ry-Spirit. I was born in Hong Kong and moved to Australia when I was 8. It was tough moving to a whole new country in a new school not knowing anyone or a single word of English. It wasn't like I didn't want to make friends but I just didn't know how to start. But something helped with that.... art! It helped me break my shyness as well as giving me the confidence to keep pushing forward. I remember this one time, I had to leave in the middle of class to do something, the next day my friend who was in the class said the teacher (Mr Newton) told the whole class after I left, he said 'Ry, remember that name, he will be a famous artist one day.' That comment really stuck with me and motivated me to become a better artist.
Throughout the

    

NEWS: HQ, Hot Topics and Community Relations:

Beta Launch: Notes SearchOne of the most highly requested features is now here: the ability to search notes! Notes search allows you to do things like:
Find all notes you’ve sent to a specific deviant
Find all notes from a deviant that contain a keyword
Search for a keyword within a custom folder
Find all unread notes that contain a keyword
Search your drafts
To search your notes, simply enter a keyword in the search box. You can also use the advanced search dropdown to filter your search results.
During the initial launch, only the past year of your notes will be searchable.
Try it out!
Beta Testers, we need your help in testing notes search! Try searches you normally would, and then try some really advanced searches.
Search using advanced operators
Search within custom folders
Search to and from specific deviants
Try searching, and then editing your queries
Try browsing results and selecting notes
Visit Your Notes   Beta Preview of Watch 2.0
This preview is available to a small group of new deviants, as well as Core Members who were Beta Testers as of November 11th.  We will continue to add deviants to the preview group in the coming days and weeks.
The heart of the DeviantArt experience is based on viewing and interacting with the art and activity from the deviants and groups you watch. Today, we’re providing an early preview into Watch 2.0 — where we’ve taken the activities deviants do most and built an experience geared toward exactly those actions.
Please keep in mind that this is an early Beta Preview. You are likely to encounter bugs and functions that are still being worked on.  
Turn on Watch 2.0


(You can turn it off at anytime.)

Focusing on Art and Discovery
Watch is a feed that aggregates activity (like deviations, journals, collecti   Holiday Headquarters 2015!Find the perfect gift for the art lover on your list with DeviantArt’s Holiday HQ!

Welcome to Holiday Headquarters

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SHIRTS ARE HERE
DeviantArt T-Shirts
For the super deviant on your list — and that may be you! — we're running a limited-series of DeviantArt-branded shirts. These high quality shirts are available in Men's, Women's, and Youth sizes and are sold through Amazon for quick, nearly worldwide, delivery.
Buy on Amazon
CORE MEMBERS   Suicide and Self-harm Prevention
Are you going through a difficult time?
If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm and are in immediate danger, seek help as soon as possible by calling a local emergency telephone number, a suicide prevention hotline, or by going to the nearest emergency room. At DeviantArt, we care deeply about our community – aiming to provide all our members with a safe and fun environment to create and grow.  However, we do not have trained medical professionals who can respond directly to life-threatening emergencies.  Please use the following resources if you are concerned about the safety of a DeviantArt member – including yourself.  
Resources for getting help.
Suicide, self-harm, and crisis prevention hotlines provide help to those in need – often acting as the first point of contact for individuals who are seeking help, support, and    The Good Dinosaur Fan Art Contest Winners
Contest PageTrailerView EntriesOfficial Rules13+ U.S. Only
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Winners Announcement
DeviantArt and Disney/Pixar invited you to draw the loyal and lovable characters of The Good Dinosaur, and the winners are in! Our panel of judges selected the best and brightest entries, highlighting the pieces that captured Ar   Capturing ChangeFour Deviants get game changing cameras from Sony for a collaborative assignment: Show us how your cities have changed from the past, for the present and into the future!
Product Info →
FE 28 mm F2
Product Info →
Miguel Santos
:iconmiguel-santos: Miguel-Santos
São Joaquim, Brazil
The most experience photographer of the group, Miguel has been a photographer for over 15 years, starting with a film camera and then moving to digital five years later. With the goal of featuring the past, present, and future of Brazil in this project, he traveled to smaller and lesser-known cities to capture the beauty and the chaos with   Halo 5: Guardians Fan Art ContestCheck out the brilliant winners from the halo 5 Fan Art Contest on deviantart!
View WinnersView EntriesOfficial Rules
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13+, Australia Only

In Halo 5: Guardians, the Spartan Locke hunts for the legendary Master Chief across three brand new worlds.
Who will prevail?
Choose your allegiance by creating an original artwork as a portrait of either Master Chief or Locke. You may include other beings from the Halo universe as you create your depiction, whether it’s the highly intelligent Prometheans or the horrific Flood!

   Pimps and Whoas - November 24, 2015
News from the Team
 Beta Preview of Watch 2.0
 Celebrating Deviousness - November 2015
 Holiday Card Project 2015!
 Introducing Sketch This: Daily Drawing Challenges
 Suicide and Self-harm Prevention
    Holiday Card Project 2015!
The DeviantArt #HolidayCardProject is back for its 9th year!  With the goal of bringing a bit of holiday cheer to patients in the hospital during the holiday season, the Holiday Card Project connects artists from around the world, applying their tremendous artistic abilities to designing and creating uplifting holiday cards.
In the past few years, this project has received more than 5,000 cards sent in by more than 2,000 deviants from 60 different countries/political regions. Cards are then divvied up and distributed by DeviantArt members to local Los Angeles hospitals, with additional cards given to various hospitals in the U.S. and abroad for DeviantArt volunteers and 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 sends i   Thank You Aeirmid
Please join me in extending a wealth of heartfelt gratitude toward Aeirmid for her years of dedication to the DeviantArt community as a Community Volunteer.  Over her 3 years on the team, she's represented both the Digital Art and Photomanipulation communities while heading numerous projects and hosting crazy Halloween events  Despite her high-level of activity on DeviantArt she also managed to complete her Ph.D!  She is inspiring and talented and I'm personally hopeful she users her new found time to create some new art




Thank you Aeirmid    Thank You Pica-ae!
Please join me in thanking pica-ae for her long-time commitment to the DeviantArt Community as a member of the volunteer team. pica-ae helped to represent the typography and Design and Interface communities over several years. She's been a volunteer more than once, she's one of our resident glitter queens and if you're really lucky, she may say 'squirrel' for you
Thank you Anne for being awesome!
  



   Thank You PirateLotus-Stock
Please join me in recognizing PirateLotus-Stock for her amazing contributions during her time as a Community Volunteer.
Thank you PirateLotus-Stock !


   Thank you Elandria
Please join me in sending massive amounts of gratitude to Elandria for being an outstanding volunteer during her term.  Lanny has been a member of the DeviantArt community for over a decade and spent the last 3 years as a Community Volunteer, representing the Stock and Resources community.  As you can see from her gallery, she's well-versed on the topic and has provided countless amounts of stock photos which have served as inspiration for a plethora of DeviantArt artists. She's also getting married soon, so take a moment to congratulate her!
Thank you Lanny!



   Welcome OfOneSoul
Please join me in welcoming OfOneSoul to the Community Volunteer team where she will be helping to represent the Traditional Art community! Many of you already know her from her incredible collections and Daily Deviation suggestions but if you don't take a moment to go say hello    Thank you STelari
Please join me in thanking STelari for her time and dedication to the Traditional Art community, during her time as a Community Volunteer
Thank you STelari


   Thank you jenthestrawberry
Please join me in thanking jempavia for the time she dedicated to being a Community Volunteer, representing the Traditional Art community




Thank you jempavia    Thank You Agaave
Please join me in thanking Agaave for her time and dedication during her term as a Community Volunteer representing the Traditional Art community



Thank you Agaave!    Welcome Oughter and Pixlphantasy
Please join me in welcoming PixlPhantasy and Oughter to the Community Volunteer team!
PixlPhantasy - Anthro



Oughter - Chats and Forums
 

Take a moment to go say hello!   Thank you SingingFlamesThank you 

Please join me in thanking SingingFlames for her time and efforts during her term as a Community Volunteer, representing the Fan Fiction and Literature communities!




Thank you SingingFlames, we love you!    Welcome ErikShoemaker and Cassy-Blue
Please join me in welcoming two new faces to the Community Volunteer team
ErikShoemaker - Photomanipulation



Cassy-Blue - Stock and Resources



Take a minute to go say hi!   Thank You namenotrequired
Please join me in thanking namenotrequired for his dedication and awesomeness during his time as a member of the Volunteer team.  At one point, Bart was even a Marketing intern! He's been around for some time and spent a lot of that time promoting the awesomeness of this community
He even met his love here

So take a moment and say a heartfelt thank you and good luck to namenotrequired !!!
We love you!



<da:thumb id="570391903"/>   Challenges Around DeviantArt: November FeatureContests, projects and challenges around deviantART to inspire your creations and to give you the opportunity to win some goodies!
30 Day Monster Challenge hosted by Walkthrough-RookieMedium: Digital Art/Traditional Art > Drawing/Painting Deadline: November 15th
More information...
Your Happy Place Contest hosted by WeirdAndLovelyMedium: Any Medium Deadline: November 20th
More information...
M/A Repeating Contest: November 2015! hosted by MARepeatingContestsMedium: Anime and MangaDeadline: November 30th
More information...
Dreams and Nightmares Contest, Part II hosted by Madmen-AsylumMedium: LiteratureDeadline: November 30th
More information...
A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS PRESENT - CONTEST hosted by Wesley-SouzaMedium: Any Visual MediumDeadline: Decemb   Teach Me, Senpai! Vol. 10- The Human Body Hello!  After a month off, sorry welcome to the tenth edition of 'Teach Me, Senpai!' here at fella. If you're unfamiliar with what this is, it's essentially a monthly feature of tutorials, made by deviants, explaining individual tasks, which then come together into one whole project. This month, we'll be studying the human body (a.k.a. anatomy)! 
Proportions

Torso

Arms/Hands
Tutorial- Proportionate Arms by ThirdPotatoArms and Hands Tutorial by SnigomHands Voice over tutorial and workshop by sakimichan
Legs/Feet
AS Drawing the Legs by CGCookieMuscles of legs. Sides by reinisgailitis   DisneyDreamers Secret Santa 2015! ONE MORE DAY!
   @Muro ThanksgivingCommunity Week
Hello, again
The last Muro Project was all about making someone's day brighter and sharing a positive sense of community, and everyone who participated did such an amazing job!
We were so happy and encouraged to see that, and so, we now bring you a second Muro Project for Thanksgiving week
The aim is to appreciate and express thanks for what has made you happy this past year  
To participate, all you have to do is:
Use Muro to draw what you are thankful for - or just happy about - during this past year of your DA journeyPost the drawing and tag two of your friends to invite them to do the sameLeave a link to your drawing in the comments below
And that's all there is to it
You can post as many drawings as you want till
November 28, 2015
On the following day:
All drawings created as a part of the project wil   Happy Medium: Watercolors/InkCommunity Week
Welcome to OfOneSoul's first issue of...
:iconhplz::iconaplz::iconp-plz::iconp-plz::iconyplz:        :iconmplz::iconeplz::icondplz::iconiplz::iconu-plz::iconmplz:
Woah, calm down everybody...
- I know you're all excited, but this article is serious business.
As part of projecteducate's Community Week, your friendly, neighborhood Onesy will be providing an educational feature of Traditional Art. You may be asking yourself...
- What is "Happy Medium"?
Happy Medium is an educational feature that focuses on the how's, what's, and who's of two traditional mediums combined. Such as: watercolor/ink, acrylic/oils, pencil/charcoal, etc. These features will include interviews with seasoned artis   Meet the Fractal Community #22Community Week
Hello and welcome to the 22nd edition of Meet the Fractal Community, a series of interviews to highlight our beloved fractalists!
Today, let's have a chat with BoxTail
:iconboxtail:
Hello BoxTail! How are you today?
:iconboxtail:
Hey there, I'm fine, just lazy enough not to clean my glasses.
Can you introduce yourself?
:iconboxtail:
Dude living in southern Finland, known as BoxTail or Jan. I've been on DeviantArt for 5 years, but started to be active 3 years ago when I discovered fractal art. As a fractalist, I mostly do structured fractals but enjoy other techniques as well.
How did you discover Fractal Art?
:iconboxtail:
I discovered fractal art and thought of it as being a chaotic mess. At the time I was working to get a college media diploma and wanted to represent the internet through visual art. Some googling happened to take me to DeviantArt and discovered this odd Apophysis program. I downloaded Apophysis and   How to Make an Easy Perspective Grid on PhotoshopHello. Are you struggling with perspective and/or making a perspective grid? Well today, I am going to teach you how to make an EASY perspective grid in Adobe Photoshop CS6.  
This can work on any Adobe Photoshop Software. And I am also not sure if this'll work with other programs just to clarify.
Open (if you have Photoshop) Photoshop

2. Make any size document you want. 
3. Draw a nice straight line in the middle of the canvas or wherever you want it. That'll act as your horizon line!
Horizon Line: The Horizon Line (in Perspective) is the level at where your eyes are focusing. For example

As you can see with this photo, the middle area of the photo is the Horizon Line and you cannot see anything else past it. It's where your eye level is at currently as the clouds above is basically the Worm's Eye View while looking at the road below you is a se   Fractal Art Week: Wrap-UpFractal Art
The second Fractal Art Week of 2015 is over! I'd like to thank all the people who contributed and helped to make this week happen, you're awesome!
And thanks to all the readers, too...I dearly hope you enjoyed it and I hope to see you next time!
October26November1
Fractal Art Week
26th Monday
AM: Intro by C-91
PM: Meet the Fractal Community #20 by C-91
27th Tuesday
AM: Chaotica Basics by tatasz
28th Wednesday
PM: Understanding 3D Fractals by LukasFractalizator
29th Thursd   Starter PackFractal Art
Hello!
Sometimes, it's hard to get in touch with a field of art and try it yourself. If you don't know how to start and what you need, it's even worse! But don't worry: it's easier than it seems.
While heavenriver already explained how to "behave" if you want to be a fractal artist, I will give you an insight on what to use and when.
What kind of tools do I need to make a fractal?
Let's see the most common!
You need...a fractal software!
Sounds obvious, but yeah...you need a specific kind of software to make fractals! There are many out there, some famous, some obscure. Literally, there's the right fractal program for each of us! Some of the most used are:
Mandelbulb3DUltra FractalApophysis 7xChaotica   PE: Community Week Wrap-upCommunity Week
Welcome to the Community Week!
For those of you that may not know yet, a Community Week is a chance for everyone in the community to bring to light their favorite subject, art, project or any other topic that you consider important but may get overlooked in other ways. If you're interested in participating in the next Community Weeks, then please read the Guidelines.
October19October25
Community Week
19th Monday
AM: Intro by cinyu
PM: Muro Project by AlexanderPaupoff
20th Tuesday
AM: The Void in the Art by Pascua-Tanya
21th Wednesday
AM:   An Interview with Rick! Community Week
Meet Rick, a photographer from Germany who creates tiny little worlds full of magic and wonder. Rick goes on adventures into worlds of nature to find the magic in detail, the land of moss and fairies. You can find Rick on DeviantArt as Rick-TinyWorlds or on his website Tinyworlds.org. In this interview, find out what inspires him and so much more...



The Bio...
My name is Rick Hoppmann and I love the forest. I photograph tiny, magical worlds and create atmospheric games. At the moment I'm living in Leipzig, Germany, where you also can see my current exhibition "In the land of moss and fairies". You can see the digital version of my exhibition here. My dream is to inspire people to protect and explore their local nature.
The Photography...   PE Wrap-Up: Animals, Plants, and Nature WeekAnimals, Plants, & Nature Week
We hope you enjoyed APN Week!
For those of you who might not know what this week is all about, Animals, Plants, & Nature (APN) Week was dedicated to bringing education and awareness of this beautiful form of photography to the community. Through interviews, personal accounts, tutorials, and even a live Critique Event, the publications this week aim to give the community a taste of how they might get involved in APN photography!
We hope you enjoyed the week! Below is a gathering of the articles submitted if you would like to take a second look at anything.
October5October11
Animals, Plants, & Nature (APN) Week
5thMonday
AM: Intro by JenFruzz
PM: The Art of APN Photography by JenFruzz
6thTuesday
AM: Depth of Fi   Tips For aquatic PhotographyAnimal, Plants, & Nature Week
Some of the most magical photos are of our aquatic friends. Here are some tips to help you capture these amazing creatures.
General Aquarium Guidelines
The aquarium is a public place and is often crowded. Getting there when it opens or towards the later evening will better your chances of having an unobstructed and unrestricted view of the tanks. 
If you go during busy hours, make sure to be courteous and careful. Do not 'hog' the tank. Take a few snaps, step back and let others see the tanks. If it is crowded, you will have to wait your turn. Crowded areas will not only provide obstacles for taking photos, but also pose a risk to your camera. Keep a tight grip on it with the strap around your neck. You can be easily jostled or have the camera stolen from you in a crowd.
Photographing Through Vertical Tanks
These tanks are the most numerous and the most difficult to shoot throu  <da:thumb id="564430503"/>   Fluffy Water: A Guide to Long Exposure WaterscapesAnimals, Plants & Nature Week
Most of you nature photographers will have seen long-exposed waterscapes resulting in the peculiar soft aspect of water. If you haven't, or if you're not a nature photographer, here are a few examples:
            
In this article I will be sharing some ideas and tips which hopefully will get you interested in this kind of photography first of all; and if that marvellous personal paradigm shift takes place within you, give you the basics in achieving the sought-after results.
Who am I to dare do this ?
Well this is quite important: I'm nothing fancy, just a nature photography-loving guy with a cheap entry-level DSLR and tripod, with a couple of filters. But taking photos out there and gleaning knowledge from artists I admire has taught me lots. This I simply wis   Forest Photography TutorialAnimals, Plants, & Nature Week
 Hello reader! 
I am Nelleke, and I was asked to write an article about forest photography. Which is my favorite subject of photography! There is something about them that is timeless. Of course there's a reason forests get used so much as a backdrop in stories and movies... They can give you the feeling something magical is waiting just around the corner.

In this article I will discuss several points, some a bit longer than others. They are Composition, Conditions, Equipment and Editing.
---
Composition
You might have seen a beautiful forest scene once, but noticed after taking a picture that it looks very different. A picture lacks the depth your eyes can see while walking in a forest. Which can result in a picture of just a flat bunch of trees.   The Art of APN PhotographyAnimals, Plants, & Nature Week
Hello and welcome! My name is Jen, though I'm more commonly known on DA by my username, JenFruzz. I am currently the Animals, Plants, & Nature (APN) photography Community Volunteer on DA and your host for the next week! To kick off APN Week at projecteducate, I felt it would be prudent to share this article with my thoughts on what makes APN photography an art form and what can be achieved with the skilled work of its artists.
The APN Categories
Like many of the photography categories on DeviantArt, the subject matter that one would expect to see while browsing APN may be obvious on the surface. In fact, looking at the subcategories of APN on DeviantArt, you might think there's no need for an article that explains what an APN photograph is:

 Aquatic Life 
    Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you and yours a VERY happy Thanksgiving!
Enjoy this little feature!

=============








Pilgrim's Bounty: Happy Thanksgiving by Rennali   APN Adventures, Vol. 36
APN is the acronym for the Animal, Plants, & Nature photography category at DeviantArt. These recent APN deviations span vast skies to tiny insects. Our planet is truly a magical place!
Hopefully the following feature will inspire you to browse the APN Category or to even pick up your own camera and capture some of the world around you. Be sure to check the end of the feature for APN Community news. On to the feature!


  



"If only one could tell true love from false love as one can tell mushrooms from toadstools." - Katherine Mansfield
 
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