In my quest to help people get acquainted with deviantART's stock producers, I've been asked when I'll feature one of dA's resource gallery directors. The time is now! I invite you to sit back and read on to get inspired and informed.

^oibyrd, aka: Sandi, one of dA's resource gallery directors, agreed to this interview.



In case you don't know, stock resources include things like fonts, stock photos, application brushes, textures, and clipart. The thing that makes these elements available as "stock" is that you can ususally use them in your own artwork if you adhere to the rules of each individual stock art provider. deviantART's resource gallery is full of useful bits and pieces that make up much of the art that you see on this site. (Please look for a stock provider's terms of use before using their art in yours.)

Closely reviewing the deviation submissions throughout this active and thriving section of deviantART are our resource gallery directors. (Please note that these questions were written just days before ^LawrenceDeDark became a gallery director.) Without these GDs, the stock galleries at deviantART would be a disorganized mess.

Sandi has been at dA since the beginning of 2005. She was the first deviant that I encountered who set up an independant account with the sole purpose of featuring artwork around dA (in the journal entries of =OibyrdsDDs). Since then, this trend of using one's journals to feature art from other deviants has become a popular courtesy with deviantART's stock community subscribers. Many have followed her examples in countless ways, ever improving our supportive network of "stockers." Sandi is a leader and a good example in a multinational culture of stockers. Stock art has become a community within dA's community. And, to a fair degree, we owe credit for some of that family atmosphere to people like Sandi.

As a gallery director, Sandi is helpful, personable, and downright democratic. (Example: Offering polls in her journal for all of us to vote on choices for Daily Deviation features.) She promotes new and experienced stockers alike, and she keeps her watchers up to date on events going on for the stockers at dA.

In the following interview, Sandi offers her take on stock photo shoots, advice for stock providers, and lots of information that will help everyone better understand what dA's stock gallery directors do.

1. What brought you to deviantART?

^oibyrd: A friend on neopets ^(*1.) did LOL - she was conversing with me on modelling some clothing I was creating to sell on eBay - wanted to show me pics of herself and sent me a link to dA.

2. You later created a separate account for your own stock at ~oibyrd-stock. What inspired you to start offering stock images?

^oibyrd: My good friend and very first devpal ~jaxraven asked if she could use one of Izzy's first newborn portraits. I was so flattered I decided to offer them up to everyone who felt they'd be useful.

3. Since you first started supplying others with your stock photos, what obstacles have been the most difficult or unexpected for you to handle?

^oibyrd: I find it difficult to offer high quality images due mostly to our inability to get outside for photoshoots - now that my daughter is older, she won't sleep in the car. Makes for a very distracting, loud photoshoot. So we do most of our portraits in the apartment - tends to look borderline ghetto-fabulous with my 70s styled sofa LOL.

We do what we can - I think sheets are the best route to take to clean up backdrop - or even to just clean up a small area on the floor and wall (most of my stock images are using this sort of method).

4. Which stock photo in your stock gallery is used the most?

^oibyrd:


The pic most used in my stock account is a strange one - people have used my witch boots (see above) more than any other image - I think that folks are starting to experiment more with fashion in their manips - that may be part of why it's so popular. Not sure though I didn't even expect it to be used LOL! go figure!

5. What's your favorite thing about offering stock photos?

^oibyrd: Seeing people create beautiful images with my daughter and hubby.

6. What are some examples of artwork, which were made with your stock, that have special meaning to you?

^oibyrd:

by ~AEnigm4
The above image was one of the most impressive works of art I've seen ever. It's framed and hanging in my daughter's bedroom !

by *Ashleigh-Michelle
Because it was an honor to be part of a project that thanks people for inspiring their work - this one is also giggle inducing as she used an image of Dee and I (I have to repost in stock lol) where I was pulling on a dogchain around Dee's neck (hence the silly face LOL).

by *density-tmr
Because *density-tmr is a very close devpal that I have admired for his abstracts for quite sometime. He decided to jump outside his comfort zone and try portraits - I am honored to be a part of that process of creation with him plus - he caught Izzy's eyes perfectly !

by =MelGama
By my dear, talented devpal =MelGama. Her skills are inspiring to me !

7. You have another account at deviantART at which you use the journal to promote various stock images from other people's galleries. How did this =OibyrdsDDs account get started?

^oibyrd: This project was the brainchild of *CloudNinePhotography - when she took a break from dA I just started up my own DD page and it literally snowballed - I am very proud of it's success - and I am also proud that it inspired other artists to do the same thing in their journals

8. With you being a stock gallery director, this is a great opporunity for me to ask: What advice do you have for other stock providers at deviantART?

^oibyrd: There are few rules to stock being posted on dA - the ones that absolutely MUST be followed:

1. The size of the image must be at least 600x600pixels in size (this rule does not apply to vintage photos that are generally quite small and low in quality)

2. No cellphones/webcam shots

3. Be user friendly - very little to no distortion/blur. This rule is case-by-case - but even for traditional art reference - the image needs to be clear of any distractions like these.

9. In addition to offering your own art and stock, being a gallery director must keep you very busy. What can the rest of us do to make your job easier?

^oibyrd: Make sure that the stock image posting is following the above guidelines. Saves a LOT of time to have as few miscats/scraps as possible. Also - folks don't seem to know where to put upper body stock portraits.

The rule is this: If you have the top of the head to the feet it is fullbody. ^(*2.) Anything else - whether an arm is cropped or the feet missing - it is considered part of the stock portraits gallery.

10. What's your favorite thing about being a stock gallery director?

^oibyrd: Being able to give back to the people who inspire my artwork - to give them credit via DDs and thank them in a more public way. The ODDs were a great underground feature - but it still doesn't beat being pushed to the front of the pack via the regular DDs.

11. You also get to work with ^radioPooh, the other stock gallery director. What's it like to work with him?

^oibyrd: David and I are a well oiled machine - him doing the clerical part of things - and me doing the features and promos. He creates the newsletter blurbs and such. Now that ^LawrenceDeDark has joined us - he is sharing the responsibilities of DDS (every other day - the two of us rotate) and also doing miscats alongside David. ^(*3.)

12. Being a gallery director, what kinds of things to you look for in a stock image before you'll give it a Daily Deviation Feature?

^oibyrd: I try to feature images that I find inspiring. Technical blunders can often be fixed in the photomanipulation process - so there really is no rhyme or reason to my features. I choose what I know I could work with - anything else is just icing on the cake.

I also try to keep folks involved in my choices by featuring suggestions every few days - and by placing my community choice poll up for votes every 8th, 18th and 28th of the month (used to be the 7th but ^LawrenceDeDark has taken over the odd numbered days for DDs )

13. "So You Want To Suggest a DD?" is an article that you wrote for dA's Artist Relations News, which is meant to help people understand where to send their Daily Deviation Feature suggestions. In regard to dA's Resources Gallery, can you give out DD Features for other resources, such as textures, application resources, fonts, and clipart?

^oibyrd: The gallery directors that can list resources features (and this pertains from brush sets to textures to stock and everything in between )

^oibyrd

^radioPooh

^LawrenceDeDark

^thespook

^bleedsopretty

14. What's the most difficult or time consuming aspect of your position as a gallery director?

^oibyrd: Defending my DD features when people mistake them for art photography. It is very disheartening that people feel commentary is placed on images for them to flame or ridicule without any constructive critique.

I could say it till I'm blue in the face.
Critique should be helpful and not hurtful.

Unfortunately it falls on deaf ears - it is that small group of people that make me cautious with features. It's a shame - but that seems to be a problem that is not solvable.

15. What other responsibilities do gallery directors have at deviantART?

^oibyrd: Promotions/Contests/Tips on their chosen genre (stock, art photos, digital etc). Miscats, Newsletters and basically being a go-between for the artists and the various admins (for example, asking for clarification on FAQs etc).

What we do NOT deal with is policy violations or harrasment. Those should go straight to the help desk - as gallery directors do not have the seniority to help in these sorts of problems.

16. With regard to the issue of stock photos versus art photos, what are some things to keep in mind when deciding whether to post a photo as stock or as art?

^oibyrd: People are often stating WOW this is stock?! or this is too good to be stock - yaddayadda. Here is the difference.

Stock images are generally concentrating on one subject matter (be it a model or an inanimate object). It should appear to be a good starting point for artwork.

Art photography can be a myriad of things - but appears to be a polished, finished piece of art. Nothing else to add to it etc.

What folks need to understand is that stock images are not made to be crappy looking - so saying a stock image is "too pretty" for stock is ridiculous. It's always in the best interest of the viewer AND the artist that they double check what category images are in PRIOR to commenting.

17. What kinds of stock would you like to see more of at deviantART?

^oibyrd: I think the technical section of stock is severely lacking. We could also use more male stock - more full body male stock to be specific.

What we do NOT need are softcore porn closeups of a teenage girlfriends' nipple - or grainy macro eye shots we have plenty of those LOL.

18. Which are some of the most useful links at deviantART for stockers to know about?

^oibyrd: My newsletter with the list of gd's Updated List - So You Want to Suggest a DD? [link]

$Moonbeam13's Journals (always a good thing to keep up with the news on dA - she covers absolutely every corner of this place so it is a must-read for new folks AND for old timers )

The FAQs and Gallery Descriptions - All of them. Read them. Become familiar with them. It prevents troubles in the long run

19. What kinds of plans, challenges, or events can we expect to see in the near future for dA's stock community?

^oibyrd: More promotional events and features - ^LawrenceDeDark, ^radioPooh and I are going to really step things up in the way of providing quality resources in easy-to-find subcategories.

20. What other things would you like people to know about you or dA's resource gallery team of directors?

^oibyrd: That we are human. No really. we are.

Thank you, Sandi, for taking the time out of your busy life to answer my questions... and for all you do for deviantART's stock providers!

<sub>Notes from Author:
*1. Neopets
*2. Stock Categories Tutorial by `Hanratty-Stock
*3. "David" = ^radioPooh; "miscats" = putting a deviation in the wrong category

Previous Interviews:
20 Questions with Deaths-Stock (July 9, 2007)
20 Questions with Eli-Stock (July 2, 2007)
20 Questions with LadyEdanaStock (June 25, 2007)
20 Questions with Cookiekitty-Stock (June 18, 2007)
20 Questions with Hanratty-Stock (June 11, 2007)
20 Questions with Resurgere (June 4, 2007)
20 Questions with LDD-Stock (May 17, 2007)
20 Questions with Markopolio-Stock (May 14, 2007)
20 Questions with Gracies-Stock (May 7, 2007)
20 Questions with AlinePotter-stock (May 3, 2007)</sub>