Need Advice on Art Related Website

[Dude]

I know that I am new to Fan Art, but I am a longstanding member who has posted a lot in other parts of the board. I was hoping to tap your knowledge for some advice about an issue.

My middle-school age daughter is a budding artist and has begun drawing and painting fan-style art of some of her favorite movies (Twilight, Percy Jackson, and such). I want to be supportive of her talents and help her grow in this area.

She has asked to join a webiste called deviantArt, where she could post her work and people could comment on it. I'll acknowledge that the name gave me pause, but the site itself seems legit and everything there seems to be G and PG fan art. I didn't see anything inappropriate on the short tour I took.

She is not a member of any BBS or message boards and this would be her first real exposure to this more open area of the Internet.

What are your thoughts about this website and is it actually age appropriate for her? Is this someplace that you'd post or let your kids post? Is there a better site for what she's looking for?

I know that she'll have to deal with the real world in due time, but I'm really hoping for her first real Internet experience to be a positive one and I especially want to encourage her growth as an artist, so I was hoping for feedback from folks with a better knowledge of this area than I have. I am grateful for any advice that you have.

 

[largo]

there are definitely some not-very-PG parts of deviant art, and a few not-at-all-PG parts. so it's not tame, but i do consider it to be a good resource. i suppose, do you guard her from the royo calendars at B&N?

 

[The Axeman]

As Largo says, Deviant art is a huge resource and well known art site, but all human life is there and you can't really control what happens. I dont know of any kiddie-safe sites, nor can I imagine they'd be worth using. Personally I post my stuff on Flickr, but it's more photography related.

 

[B.J.]

There does seem to be a "mature content filter" (left side underneath the categories), but since I'm not a member, I don't know what all it can do. Unfortunately, unless you're posting on a heavily moderated site like Disney or Nick, pretty much any forum is going to have all walks of life. And I don't think any Twilight- or Percy-specific forums are going to be any better, considering the subject matter and fan base.

You know, I've been thinking about joining deviantArt myself. Anyone have any recommendations to that effect?

 

[largo]

where's klaus? he has a DA gallery.

 

[Starfury]

I have an deviantart account. It's one of the best (and biggest) places to meet other artist and to show your art. Getting honest and useful comments is another thing ;D

And yes, there is a mature content filter, blocking all visitors and users under 18 from viewing certain content (drawings and photos of a naked man or woman).