Some tips to get more watchers on dA x3

May 10, 20148 min read

Deviation Actions

Published: May 10, 2014

12.3K Views

First of all, the amount of watchers is only a number. It doesn't necessary say how good your skills are. It's more how many people are interested in your art and how much it's seen in the community, in my opinion. Never forget it!^^

Yes, it indeed is hard to get noticed on dA. There are so many amazing artists and if you're new here, it's a big challenge! However, there are some tips to get seen by more people!
Most of the tips are based on own experiences and what I observed. People have different experiences, so there is no real instruction! xD

Here are my personal tips:

Be active! It means, comment, fave and watch other people's art. Many of them will visit your profile to thank you and hey, maybe they like your art!
Commenting on many deviations also means that people will see your name and are likely to remember it!

Get an interesting avatar! Cause if your avatar looks interesting, people are more likely to click on it! Choose an avatar which represents you the best, like a cropped part of your best artwork! I heard that animated pixel icons are quite popular at the moment!
Only use own icons or the ones you are allowed to use!

Nicknames are important too! Choose your one wisely! Don't take a too complicated one or else people can't remember it easily. With a premium membership you can change your name but don't overdo it or people will be confused who you are.

Submit art. But find a good balance between quality and quantity. Sure, it's good to update your gallery regulary but too many submissions will annoy and spam your watchers. If you want to submit sketches, better put them into Scraps. I personally think once a week or every 2 weeks a new deviation is fine. A good piece of art takes a lot of time!

If you submit more deviations at the same time, make sure the best one is submitted last. Your watchers see deviations coming from the same artists in a stack, the newest on the top. But I think it's better to submit one deviation at once.

Mind the quality of your deviations. I mean, you should present your art the best. Use a scanner instead of taking (low quality) photos. And if you don't have a scanner, use a good light to take a photo. Crop your picture, so there are no disturbing edges.
Don't use lined paper and turn your drawing to the right side.

Make sure your deviation looks interesting in the thumb preview, so people tend to click on it. Mind composition and colors!

Only put the best art into the "Feature Folder" of your gallery. When users click on your gallery, this is the part of it they see first. Don't let it be full of sketches and unfinished pictures.

Costumize your profile! Of course it would be the best if you have a premium membership but you don't need it. Put the best drawing of yours onto the top of your page, so visitors see it immediately!^^

Put your drawings into many groups, so your drawings will be seen more!

Draw Fanarts, especially those ones which are popular at the moment! Combined with putting them into the right fandom groups, you will be noticed more easily!

Use the dA thumbshare forum! People ask you there to promote yourself shameless!

Suggest Daily Deviations! You not only help other artists to get noticed but also make adverstise for yourself since your name will be listed there! However, don't see it as a pure advertisement! The main thing here is to help other artists who will thank you for sure!
Here's a great guide how to suggest Daily Deviations:
fav.me/d1wo1b4

Be creative and original! Draw subjects which are not common, so you will be interesting! People will be inspired by you and are more likely to watch you!^^

Have an OC who represents you! Let him or her be drawn by many other artists like art trades or commissions (but don't ask for requests unless the artist offers it). The more unique your OC looks, the more people will remember him or her and associate your OC with you!

And here's my secret tip: Give llamas! xD
Yeah, I think many of you found me that way! xD
I like giving random llamas in the hope, people will return them. And it's optional if they like my art too!

Don't think too much about being popular! Just have fun!
I just shared these tips to motivate and help artists, who feel unseen.
Thanks for reading and good luck!^^
If you have your own tips, feel free to share them!