Well, it took almost an entire month of 2009 & a few delays to create it, but it's finally done...The Mini-DDs Best Of 2008 Extravaganza!!!

Needless to say, this was a pretty tiring task, & I'm about several keystrokes away from fainting right now. And even after just over two weeks of work (& about one week without internet access), I'm still not really sure if this whole thing is any good or as better than last year's, but we'll sure give it a shot, eh?

...Uh huh...Uh huh...Yeah, alright. Okay, I'm getting word that I still haven't mentioned what we'll actually be doing here, so let me get right to it. Remember last year, how I featured the top 100 Deviations of 2007? Well, this year I decided to progress it up a notch & do...The Top 151 Deviations of 2008!! What can I say? All of you in the community went & kicked even more ass this year, & I loves ya for it! I don't know if bigger really is better here, but hopefully it'll still be entertaining! And hopefully at least my nightmares about the quality this year will stop (sadly, I'm not really kidding there)...

(And yeah, you may be wondering why it's one-fifty-one instead of a round notch...Well, it was 150, but I wasn't 100% sure if one of the features was completely from 2008, so I threw in an extra just in case!)

...Oh, but that's not everything to it, of course! Just like last year, we shall be having a contest to find the Deviation of The Year!! And you're the ones who'll be voting for it!

Now, the rules are pretty much exactly the same as last year (surprise, surprise), & I even just recently printed the basic rules (for in retrospect, no reason other than apparently I had nothing else to say), but let's still try & simplify it all again...

- You see your fave Deviations of the year.
- You send me a note voting for as many of your faves as you want (please put "vote" or something like it somehere in the title).
- Throw in some write-ins if you feel like it.
- If you want more chances for you to win prizes, do your own little "Best of 2008" feature:
-- Feature a minimum of ten of your fave Deviations from between January 1 & December 31 of '08 in a journal entry or news article.
-- Write a few sentences for each of your features saying why they rock.
-- Include a link to this article.
- Then send me a note with a link to your features, & you'll earn five extra chances to win! And I'll even count your features as a part the "official" features (thus also conveniently covering my own ass in case someone actually complains about not including a certain Deviation or Deviant)!
- The deadline for getting your votes in? February 20, 2009, one full month after I post all of this!

Well now, doesn't that sound...Hmmm? You're wondering what those mentions of "win" & "prizes" are all about? Ugh, silly me, I forgot to get to that part! Well then, let's just pull back the curtain & see what you people can win:

THE PRIZES

Alright, let's see what we have here...Well, the person behind our Deviation of The Year shall score one year's subscription, officially setting them up for the rest of 2009! And just for the heck of it, let's give them a dA Lanyard as well!

A second place winner shall score 3 months subscription, along with a set of dA Buttons, & our third place winner gets one month's subscription & a dA Keychain!

As for our wonderful voters, one of them shall be chosen at random & shall win a Fella Plushie!! Another lucky voter shall receive a dA Lanyard & a set of dA Buttons, & one final random voter shall get a dA Lanyard! And as mentioned, if you want extra chances to win, get to making some features already!

Two other things to mention here: One, amount of the prizes is actually subject to increase, depending on my budget later on (& if they reprint Emoticon Stress Balls within the next month). In fact, if you' actually like to donate something to the prize pot, feel free to contact me. And two, should you not really like those prizes, then any of them can be exchanged for an equal amount's worth of subscriptions & DA merchandise. I know this logically means I could have just said the prizes were "INSERT DOLLAR AMOUNT HERE of DA stuff", but what can I say, it just didn't seem as cool.

Oh, & of course if you have any questions about this, feel free to ask me, etc., etc.

...Great, several paragraphs in & I still haven't gotten to the damn Top 151 already. Well, sadly, I wanted to throw in a little extra "entertainment" as well. And for some reason, I thought a little "By The Numbers" look at the whole process of creating this would work well. Well, what say we get it out of the way already? Enjoy!

- Number of cumulative hours spent probing 366 days for kickass Deviations I may have missed: 48
- Number of missed Deviations found: 302
- Number of said Deviations which actually made it into the final edition: 7 (Still totally worth it!)
- Number of days until I find a kickass Deviation that I should have included here: 2 (max)
- Amount of Superjail! fan art discovered this year: 2,547 Deviations
- Amount of Gurren Laggan fan art discovered last year: 2,547 Deviations
- Number of Deviants already taking bets as to what 2009's hot cartoon around here will be: 12 (I'm thinking something involving chickens...& bottle rockets...)
- Number of Deviations featured here involving superheroes: 8
- Number of Deviations featured here involving ice, snow, cold, etc.: 6
- Number of Deviations featured here involving The Dark Knight or WALL-E: 0
- Number of Deviations featured here involving oddball albino Sonic The Hedgehog fan characters: 2
- Number of times throughout all of this that I thought "Holy crap, have I become THAT addicted to OCs?? Cripes, I need help.": 47
- Number of times throughout all of this that I thought "Dammit, I need a thesaurus...": 65
- Number of times FairExposure was cursed for some reason: 13
- Number of times I generally wrestled with my conscience: One too many
- Number of cumulative hours I decided to just goof off & play Monopoly online instead of actually working on this: 15
- Nmber of the above statistics that I either estimated or just made up for humorous effect: 18

...Well, I'd say that effectively killed enough time now, right? Don't answer that, there's no time. Let's just get to the damn meat & potatoes already!

The following 151 Deviations were all truly awesome in several ways, & all of them deserve to be named the best of the year. But really, how many more ways can I say that?

Well, I know one other way of doing so, via the way of the Platinum Fefcaine Award!



Every one of the featured Deviations here get one of these awards, given away only on special occasions to the most incredibly amazing Deviations that exist. A extremely prestigious symbol of true excellence...& it has a white chocolate center as well! And just like last year, let's mix in some little pretzel bits & cinnamon with the chocolate just for the heck of it, then serve it all up with a side of champagne!

Oh, & for those of you who truly went the extra mile & did your own little "Best of 2008" features? Well, aside from thankfully helping me cover some ground I've probably missed, you also walk away with one of these:



A Golden Jark Award, my own person symbol celebrating those who have a lot of community spirit. Another extremely true honor...& this one has a dark chocolate center! With hazelnut cream & cookie bits!

Alright alright, now let's get to the damn presentation already! Now, none of this has been ranked, all of the features are in chronological order, all the descriptions are in "equation" format to save time, & the typical "one Deviation per artist" rule is in effect. Also, due to the longer length this year, I decided to spice the whole show up & give you some little intermissions with some musical performances! (okay, that's really just a cheap excuse to offer up some of my faves music videos of the year, but just play along, okay?)

Also, one final disclaimer: This is all my opinion. Nothing here represents the views of all of DA as a whole (unless you think it actually could represent the entire site, in which case, you're both unbelievably insane & uneblievably flattering).

Okay, less talk, more action! Up with the curtains! Cue the lights! Shoot to kill! Let's get on with the MINI-DDS BEST OF 2008 EXTRAVAGANZA!!



A cute & humorous take on a now-legendary villain + An attractive anime style that captures the concept perfectly + Some excellent design choices + A perfect little mixture of sweet & sultry = GLaDOS-tan by *HoiHoiSan



A batch of clever robot designs + A wild & colorful style + A grand amount of detail right down to the last pose stricken + Some great humor & dialogue (unique dialogue boxes, even) = SUPERTRON -page5- by ~shelde5000



Pure insanity & trippiness + Some great usage of stock images + An impressive, practically "inviting" concept & design + A delicious candy-colored coating = The Dopeshow by =NKeo



A couple of cool characters + A sort of breezy & fun touch to everything down to the landscape + Cinema-style execution that seems straight out of a Miyazaki-style movie + The feeling of a truly epic showdown = Groke vs Clemy by ~warobruno



A glourious mixture of whacked-out cartoons & whacked-out surrealism + A sweet use of pink & green colors + Unique creations inspired by sickness & early industrial music + Some priceless expressions = Acid Party by *Neumorin



A truly creative & lovable anthro design + Some excellent coloring & a sweet skyline + An excellent pose, & the way all the little clouds just seem to flow with it + A feeling of majesticness strewn throughout everything = Cirrus by *Ryanide



A pair of irresistible, Dia de los Muertos-inspired lovers + A lovely, sweet, & attractive style & concept + Vibrant colors & a beautiful background + Massive injections of pure romance = :Mi Luna, Mi Sol, Mi vida: by ~DeWiwi



Some striking & surreal imagery + A dark, macabre, & nicely odd feeling of mystery & haziness + A great use of a minimal color scheme + A perfectly slick & smooth style = Smog by ~k4szkiet



The truly fesh idea of an incarnation of an entire land + A unique, eye-catching, & semi-twisted style + A cool & effective color scheme + Some amazine & out there creature design = Death Valley by =MidnightCity



A funny & clever twist on Capcom's godlike wolf + A vibrant, colorful, & cartoonish style + Several sweet details right down to the little dirt stains + Sheer cuteness = Ammy, the little gardener by =MacGreen



A mixture of unique, cute & cool little creations + Some sweetly offbeat touches + A lovely blend of bright & cheerful colors + That lovable, playful feeling of cruising around looking for a good time = Texas by ~incogburo



One attractive model backed up by some badass robot designs + A glorious amount of detail & work poured into everything + Dead-on colors & textures that work perfectly with everything + Some scrumptious blasts of pure chaos = Refused by ~Kamenstudio



A motley crew of creative & lovable characters + A cute, sweet, & semi-chibi-ish style + A killer (& almost literal) burst of color, chaos, & fun = Joyfully drunken revelry = .: Celebration time :. by ~pollo-chan



A lovably fresh & tasty concept + A delicious little sense of humor + Some shots of very cute & unique designs & details + A superbly oddball feeling that almost makes you feel a tiny bit drunk just from looking at it = for strauss by ~ScaryDeadGirl



Some killer designs for the hero & his foe + A terrific style with a lot of detail + Some sweet poses & perspective + The feeling of a frantic & awesome video game boss battle = Monster_in_the_mall by ~zombie-ninja


...& now to perform for our first intermission of the night, let's give it up for Moby!!



An amazing style & concept brimming with pure whimsy + Doses of classic fantasy in everything from the setting to the clothing + Sweet & clever bubble designs + A feeling of pure childlike wonder & amazement = Remember those Bubble Wands? by ~ChristmasSocks



A delectable style that mixes together the macabre & the cartoonish + A killer character design with a perfectly apocalyptic setting + Some amazing coloring & loads of detail + The fact that chainsaws blended with that expression equals priceless = COMMISH Chainsaw Bunny by *sachsen



One unique, well-designed, & lovable character + A sweet little splash of dark humor + A killer style & great contrast of bright & macabre colors + One slice of (almost) delicious pizza = Pineapple plz? by `snowkatt101



A truly original & beautiful take on a reaper + A unique & mesmerizing style + A supreme blend of dark yet vibrant colors & details + The deliciously swirly, starry, & surreal mood haunting everything = angel of death : Samaelle by *oh8



A truly badass & unique concept + One killer character design (along with all of his little "friends") + A lovely variety of colors + Some extremely wicked "blacklight glow"-style lighting effects = WooDooDoll by =wereRemjiff



An amazing style of painting + Some extremely divine coloring & shading + A lovely blend of nature & chaos that works perfectly with the character + A freakishly mind-boggling amount of detail, effort, & probably even love poured into everything = Pinocchio Madness... by `Norke



An amazingly innovative & inspired concept + A lovely style along with several cool patterns & details + A unique & perfect color scheme + A beautiful, joyous, almost inspirational kind of feeling = Limitless by =csjwcr



Two lovely & unique characters + An attractive style with some delectable coloring + Several supreme details right down to the night sky + The sheer romantic feeling of everything, with the only thing missing being a song like this playing in the background = .By The Fountain. by ~Shanella



A style that really delivers the demonic cuteness perfect for the character + A great mix of scary & sultry + Several sweet touches right down to the bloodstains + A nice little "relaxed" pose & feeling = NO MORE HEROES by =tickledpinky



A classic, cute, & unique style + A simple yet fun concept that works perfectly with the character + Some nicely colored & detailed chibi-ification + A sweet little expression = Cochibi:: La Mizu by =vaporotem



Some cool & twisted character design + A perfect use of "gloomy" coloring + A somewhat dark & haunting quality nicely spread throughout everything + A lovely little mix of innocence & insanity = whats this? by *Lissachoa



A cute & adorable yet twisted & coked-up (in a good way) feeling + An awesome style with several sweet details + A perfect use of pink shades & a whole "love hurts" theme + A wicked little sense of humor = Stupid Cupid by *OnionKnight



Some fun & cool little 3-dimensional characters + A funky & attractive style + A mess of awesome, wild, & colorful little cartoons + A perfectly-designed conflict between both sides that just flows together oh so well = Burton Jing-Jang by *plusone



One crazed, badass, & awesome character + A sweetly deranged use of neon colors + A killer, dance-inspired background contributin to the overall mood + The energy of about fifteen Red Bulls running throughout everything = ...Mastermind... by *Mishuku



A gorgeous, unique, & truly tribal-inspired design + That lovably wild & one-of-a-kind style + The pure essence of a wonderfully calm rainy day + Some excellent color choices & details right down to the rain itself = Let It Rain, Nadja Fadra by =Themrock


...Well, now's a chance for you to hit the snack bar again, & while you're doing it, please enjoy Motion City Soundtrack!!



One lovably odd, unique, & bling-coated character + Sleepy's deliciously slightly twisted, signature style + Some great coloring & a nice, simple background + Several fun little details down to the balloons = Commission for BC Blingable by *SleepDep



A scrumptiously surreal & innovative concept + A sweetly bizarre & hypnotic style + Cute little monsters destroying the sun + The glorious trippiness, freakiness, & randomness of it all = The Appetite of Big Bust by *chobi



A freaky & unique take on the LAPD + A brutal & action-filled mood + A grand amount of detail in every little area + Some appropriately dark & fiery colors to enhance the badassery = LAPD by *tarrzan



An awesome & attractive style + Several awesome details right down to the skull beret + A completely killer use of perspective + The mere idea of a moonwalking emo zombie artist, I mean, come on, you really can't resist that = Big Brother by =lan-kun



Fealasy's unique & gloriously sick & twisted style + Several clever, twisted little creations + A deliciously dead-on & perfect dark & blue color scheme with a hint of orange + A dark yet somewhat cartoonish feeling to everything = Skull King by *Fealasy



A cool & unique tribute to the pine cone + A lovely, almost mellow blend of colors + A truly trippy execution overall mood + A lovely mix of styles, including a little inspiration from tribal artwork = seedhead by ~inechi



An awesome & innovative concept + Some great integration of money & gambling culture + Some aprropriately dark & moody colors alongside a little brightness + The surreal feeling of it all = From Rags to Riches by ~Fiorinox



A lovely, minimalist portrait of a cool character + A cute & attractive style + A superb use of nice & breezy colors + A kickass little pose & expression that help sell it all = Isaac Can Be Cool by =Zhampip



Cool, detailed, & fleshed-out character designs + A luscious, slick, & eye-pleasing style + The true essence of glitz & glamour + A sweet little slice of sultriness = Nightlight Date by *chalosan



A truly wild, funky, & abstract concept & feeling + A splendid use of a black/white/red color scheme + Some cool little superhero-ish creations + An eye-catching, urban-inspired style = aku melakukannya by ~bimalizer



A radical, creative, & surreal design + Several awesome details & "hand" creations + A true feeling of magic + Several lovely, vivid, & wild bursts of color = Magic_New_Wave by ~Flatau



An inspired, unique, & kickass concept + A smooth, surreal, & spectacular style + A staggeringly awesome amount of cool little details + A perfectly cold & industrial feeling = Metal Heart by ~microbot23



A simple little exercise with a nice & clever concept + A cute & cool character design + A handful of awesome little effects + A sweet & lovable sense of humor = "Let me out" by ~Spanex



Some truly clever, badass, & even fun representations of the seven deadly sins + Some cool, unique, & appropriate color schemes for each of the girls + An amazing amount of love & detail poured into each one + That awesome style = Odds and Ends - Sins. by *Endling



An original & fun concept + Some sweet representations of Chinese culture + An awesome, slick, & surreal style + Some kickass "warm" coloring that really sets the mood = Far Eastern Takeaway by *Aeoll


...And so with another great crop of art down, let's take another break & listen to the sweet sounds of Justice!!



A nice & cartoonish style + Some great coloring + Some clever ideas + A deliciously twisted, freakish, & slightly perverted blast of hilarity which let's face it, outranks that other stuff = Sausage Love by ~weirdink



An awesome & unique concept + Several wild, crazy, & sweet little doodles that could have only come from madness + A bright & eye-catching color scheme + Several awesome details right down to the little hidden Pikachu = To the Infinite by =Biomachina



An awesome & unique take on Greek mythology + A kickass style for a kickass character + Some superb coloring + One sweet sunburst effect to really set the scene & complement that pose = Urban Myths cover issue 1 by *ZurdoM



One inspired & badass design + A great use of black & white with a perfect little splash of color + A mixture of cold mechanics & pure classiness + A killer face & pose that easily says "I will serve you & kill you" = Evil Automat Butler by =scuzzo



Some awesome, unique, & fluffy character design + A simple yet definitely lovely concept + A kickass style & some nice glow effects + That unbelievably priceless expression = lookit the green shiny 8O by *CoconutMilkyway



A unique & amazing concept that was surprisingly built out of boredom + A surreal mix of wind-up mechanics & human flesh + An excellent & fresh color scheme + An impressive & offbeat style = Straight to the Gut by ~pseudo-manitou



A truly beautiful style & an equally beautiful model + A creative & sweet use of voodoo + A shiny yet slightly dark & rich color scheme that works perfectly + Mound upon mound of amazing detail = Love You+Hate You by *0Effe0



One incredibly fleshed-out, badass, & unique character design + Some cool & creative little monsters to back him up + A grandiose amount of detail + A mixture of both a bit of bright cartoons & a post-apocalyptic feeling = Henry by =MikePMitchell



A sweet & unique style with a hint of "macabreness" to it + Some lanky, mysterious, & overall awesome character design + A lovely little color scheme that fits the mood + A simple & cool background as the cherry on top = JIM_ by =quick2004



A mix of deliciously twisted characters & retro charm + Setting, clothing, & styles that perfectly capture the essence of the '50s + Several crazy details strewn throughout + The use of castration for humorous effect = -On The Way To The 50s- by =nosleepjinx



A cool & unique concept for a TWEWY character + A lovely style on par with Square's + Some sweet & excellent coloring + A clever twist of the concept of "Lady Luck" = WEWY Villain: Dice by *Geofffffff



One unbelievably cute & fun character design + Delectably bright & sugary colors that really give everything a sort of "J-pop" feeling + An extremely pretty & mesmerizing style + Some sweet & impish little touches = pop heaven by =einlee



A sweet & scrumptious style with a nice touch of cheesecake + A great amount of detail put into everything down to the belts + Some lovely coloring + The way the "fashion model" roots of Lulu's design are brought out perfectly = Lulu by =setsuna22



Some awesome & badass monster design + An extreme amount of well-detailed chaos in every little (former) ceature + A killer, rich blend of colors + A unique, semi-cartoonish, top-quality style = DBH Ork Tzar and Meat Hat by ~elspike-o



A truly amazing concept with creativity oozing from every orifice + Several sweet little critter designs + Some awesome & effective textures + A haunting yet cartoonish quality to it all = Fly Away... by ~caramelaw


...And as the next intermission hits us, let's hit back with something heavier courtesy of Meshuggah!!



Some truly bold & striking imagery + An amazing concept that makes you think a little bit + An amazing panoramic view of every little dark bit + Excellent colors & details that perfectly work with the dystopian mood = The Rotten Apple by ~KhaoticStorM



Some unbelievably charming & old-school designs + A lovely & attractive color scheme + A sweet style that captures the spirit of those classic cartoons + An energetic feeling swimming throughout it all = Let's Rock by ~Rusc



A fresh & unique take on a classic Alice character + A perfect use of greyish colors + Several lovely details down to the smallest morsel + The way it all just feels straight out of the storybook = Of Cabbages and Kings... by ~MAD-PROPZ



A kickass & unique "urban-inspired" version of the classic simian legend + A sweet use of vibrant colors + Several awesome details including the perspective + The perfect feeling of mischieveness subtly sewn in there = Monkey KIZING Sun WuKong by =scrotumnose



A lovely & unique concept + Some cute, simple, & cartoonish monster designs + A nice subtle touch of dark colors & textures to go with the heartbreak + A layout indeed perfect for a little wallpaper = Us Always by ~nielq



A unique idea & the funky execution of it + A funky little figure delivering the message + A sweet usage of neon colors to work with the slightly dark concept + A mesmerizing style that captures the action perfectly = Self-destruction by *tsutsu-di



A deliciously twisted, cartoonish, & slightly macabre style + Equally twisted & lovable characters + Several awesome little details + A nice, dark tone that works perfectly with the subjects = Your Southern Can Is Mine by =SeizureDemon



One cute, pudgy, & unique anthro design + A lovely, colorful, well-detailed & attractive style + A nice & relaxed feeling to it all + The irresistible little bat-thingies = Happy Hour by =caramel-kitteh



A unique concept based around the CMYK color scheme + Some simple & cool creature design + A nice & cute little sense of humor + A minimalist style that captures it all perfectly = CMYK monster by ~ivan-bliznak



A clever little idea for a contest entry (or anything in general) + A cute & well-detailed style + A cool & perfect use of (mocha) brownish colors + Some lovely little bits of caffeine-fueled cartoon chaos = Coffee, anyone? by ~circus-usagi



A wicked & unique superhero+ A perfect, action-packed design for a comic book "splash" cover + A fantastic amount of detail put into everything + A badass style perfect for it all = Gemini 3 COVER final by *Red-J



An amazing, innovative, & overall awesome shinigami turned superhero + An impressive & unique style with a lot of detail + Excellent colors, clothing, pose, basically everything + Cookies!! = I Know the Colour of the Sky by ~NightmareHound



A cute & fun concept + A unique & wicked character design + A perfectly-captured "down & out" kind of feeling + A completely breathtaking style with love poured into everything from the gritty textures to the glowing eyes = My Little Friends by =bezzalair



A unique, funky, urbanish style + A twisted & cute mood used throughout everything + Cool little touches like the clever dialogue boxes + A dark, funny, & completely charming tale = Fat Chunk Comic by *skaffa



A ten-megaton explosion of vibrant colors + Another explosion of cute little critters & doodles + One more explosion of trippy, mind-bending style + A final explosion of a mood resembling a contact high = Hey Young Believer by =thegirlinthebigbox


...Well, we've finally reached the halfway point here, so let's celebrate it with the psychedelic sound of MGMT!!



A pale & sick yet unique & lovable character + A deliciously offbeat style brimming with creativity + A nice use of muted colors to help set the mood + Several awesome details right down to the helper lizards = Get Well by ~evil-goma



A sweet rendition of Bumblebee & an equally sweet & creative fan character + A cool, colorful, & attractive style perfect for Saturday mornings + Some sweet little poses + An incredibly fun & joyful mood = TFA - Yell-o-time by =lizkay



A lovably original & cartoonish concept + Some cute, kooky, & playful little designs + A sweet selection of light colors + A bright, cheerful, & surreal feeling covering the little park = mr.momo by ~ikiiko



A sweet & creative concept spreading a positive message + A lovely use of a CMYK color scheme + A simple yet cool creature design + A cool style with several shots of pure cheer = inky sez by ~jakeliven



A cute, lovable, & inspired character design + A very sweet & gorgeous style + Some incredibly well-detailed & original clothing + A lovely pose that helps everything just pop out at you = White bat by *ClainDeLune



A shocking & fiery use of pink colors + A cool & badass character that really does make the color macho + An intense & well-detailed style + A type of energy found only in Robert Rodriguez movies = pink is MACHO by *NZcolombiano



A lovely & sweetly-styled little portrait of such an amazing & creative character + A perfect (& obviously appropriate use) of dark & icy colors + All the elements of a great ID down to the cool background pattern + That precious expression = Cold McDowell - all my life by =Masterthecreater



A fun & unique concept + Several offbeat, original, & awesome creations + An astonishing blend of vibrant colors + Several sweet details & touches that make it all feel like some, futristic music video = Dimdim,and the daddy long legs by ~bananasjuice



A fun, cool, & action-packed style with a great sense of humor + Some unique & badass character design + A nice mix of vibrant & monochrome colors + Always-lovable mime violence = MIMES by ~Kure-Ji-Ori



One truly stylish & badass dragon design + Some amazing coloring that suits him perfectly + Several awesome details down to the uniform + An expression & pose that perfectly bleeds pride & confidence = Dragon police by =DNK-Anais



A unique twist on a classic game & a cool original character + A lovely, alluring style + Some sweet & bright coloring that nicely contrasts with the ferocity + Several sweet details right down to the drool effects = Leaky Pipes by =ArbokCobra



A unique concept & a fun style + Several awesome, spirited little designs + Some excellent use of blue, ghostlike colors + A sweet & lovely model that nicely works with the cartoons = NIKE Poster by *chinad0ll



A lovely style that perfectly captures the essence of both the classic cartoon & the underrated movie + A feeling of energy that puts you right in the middle of the race + A lovely mix of vivid colors + An awesome use of a reflection = SPEED RACER by ~nasou



An awesome cartoon version of a truly awesome band + A killer style appropriately full of action + A superb use of explosive, magma-ic colors + A feeling of pure metal = Mastodon Blood Mountain by ~deathbox-was-taken



A cool comic idea with a cute little hero & a bit of a message + A unique & eye-catching style A little "faded" texture to enhance the comic book feel + An amazing use of wordless storytelling = Messi Journey to the Stars IV by ~bruno83


...And as we take our next break while I go backstage & get recaffeinated, please enjoy the music of Santogold!!



An incredibly creative & lovable character design (in all three of his forms) + An awesome & unique style with a vibrant palette + Several cool little touches, especially with the eyes + A sweet & clever pose = OUCHKADIMPLES by ~Zuei



An explosion of supremely trippy little drawings + Some wonderfully blended blasts of a cool color scheme + Some excellent texture work + A unique layout that nicely isn't 100% symmetrical = AttaquesDePanico by ~mixmasterangel



An extremely creative idea for an anthro character + A simple & cool style & linework + An attractive & lovable little pose + A generally adorable feeling through it all = Beaming Bee by ~crackhobbit



A truly awesome tribute to Japanese sci-fi heroes + Mounds of amazing detail down to every little stroke + Some very wicked coloring, shading, & overall style + Several injections of action & energy that make it even more addictive = Robo Helix by ~Niking



A lovably surreal, chaotic, & almost nonsensical atmosphere + Several funky & creative little designs hidden in every corner + An eye-popping variety of bright colors + The wonderfully cute & cartoonish quality of it all = K.B.S by ~keledai



An incredibly creative & cool character with a fleshed-out story behind him/them + A naturally terrific use of black & white + A unique style with a macabre touch that perfectly suits him/them + Lovably random kitties = Governor of Sector 101 by =TotenVeloren



A fun & unique style with pure love for the Mario games + Some lovely little touches of action + Some wicked coloring & lighting effects + Some excellent work in making the Mario Bros. look evil = Hero of the Koopas -AT- by =TheBourgyman



A wonderfully offbeat, surreal, & slghtly macabre concept + An equally wonderfully offbeat style + A perfect use of gray colors & a gloomy mood + Some sweetly twisted, cartoonish designs to go with it = Do The Clam by *Go-Baby-Go



A lovely & creative little character & concept + A great variety of vivid colors & patterns + A lightly zany & attractive style + The true feeling of a majestic, romantic, nighttime serenade = Spakaz: Into The Night by ~kittydemonchild



An extremely imaginative, surreal, & cartoonish design + An odd, original, & a bit of a cute style + A lovely & somewhat warm color scheme + Several unique & fun ideas & details = 081808 Who's is this? by =Shagia



One very funny & creative concept + A lovely, macabre yet cartoonish feeling & style + Several cool little details & textures + Anice, somewhat "gritty" color scheme that works perfectly = MouthFace by =IrukaTheSlayer



Several fun & cute representations of our childhood nightmares & imaginations + An extremely eye-pleasing & almost dreamlike color scheme + A unique, fun, & cartoonish style + Several cool details right down to the smallest sock-eating monster = Under my bed by *recycledwax



A truly mysterious & kind of haunting concept + A mesmerizing & surreal style + Some lovely & effective "wood-like" colors & details + That creepy, cool, & almost hypnotic "face" = Fever Dream 3 by ~Scarecrow63



Bleed's siganture cute, vibrant, & attractive style + A sweet, well-detailed tribute to a cool cartoon + Some truly excellent coloring + Some nice, subtle capturing of the relationship between the two characters = Sari and Bulkhead by *bleedman



Two lovely, unique, & creative characters + An amazing & gorgeous style swimming with a lot of love & detail + A perfect use of neon blue shades & colors + A truly magical & wondrous feeling = "let me show you" by =OwlGem


...Well, if you're going to take another bathroom break now, you may as well enjoy the music we pipe in there courtesy of Kanye West!!



A pair of cleverly designed & lovable characters + A unique, impressive, & cartoonish style with a knack for monsters +Some nice & effective coloring + The seemingly cute way the two are confronting each other = It'a peanut jelly time by *Sony-Shock



A batch of cool, funky, & smiley little cartoon creatons + A deliciously wicked, slightly dark & offbeat twist + A fun & unique style with a lot of creativity + Some very nifty usage of black & white = The Eights by *j3concepts



A tribute to Etna in a gorgeous style on par with the official one + Some nice & impressive coloring + A perfect mixture of cuteness & a bit of sultriness + Several awesome deails down to that kickass pillow = Etna's Naptime by ~RogueShadowX



Some cool, creative, & slightly surreal creature designs + Some delicious & appropriate candy-like color schemes + Some cute little interaction between the two + A perfectly dark yet playful mood = Lollipops by ~psychohazard



An action-packed, epic battle scene + An awesome, detail-packed, & cartoonish style + Several sweet & scorching colors scattered throughout + Two cool characters with killer poses (& a naughty little sense of humor) = Lassie vs Alano by *eltonpot



Some unique & awesome character design + A lovely & detail-packed style + Some truly wicked coloring in every little line + The way that little joey just makes you go "Awwww..." = MiDFur X by *carnival



A completely badass & cool character design + Some sweet little "rebellious" touches to him + A dark & awesome style + Several cool colors & details down to the "wailing soul" background = Rock On Reeeeaparrrr by =Digimitsu



A truly unique & inspired t-shirt creation + Some delicious, flavorful, & bright colors + Some nice little shots of humor + Crono's classic, creative, & cartoonish style = SlurpBot 3.0 by =cronobreaker



A truly original, slightly surreal, & overall fun concept + Several sweet, colorful, & creative little designs + A completely joyful & adventrous mood + A tremendous amount of detail packed into every fizz & bubble = PLUGS and COKE by ~minimalminds



A tremendously unique & inspired anthro design + An impressive & appealing style + Several awesome details, especially in the shading & clothing + An amazing use of a snowy atmosphere & an icy color scheme = The Eight Winds by =DavidStrife



Some lovely renditions of the characters & a cool contrast between them + Several sweet details including an almost "haunting" background + A naturally perfect use of cold & dark colors + The superbly executed chilly atmosphere = With cat by ~sorata-s



A simple yet truly friggin' hilarious concept + A lovely, cute, & cartoonish style + A little bright & cheerful color scheme + Some pricless expressions & reactions to pastry murder = Donut Panic Comp by ~Capttylor34



A sweet & unique take on a funny character from a cult classic + A delicious mixture of cuteness & madness spread thoughout everything + A fun & awesome style + Some terrifically dark colors & cool details down to the baby carrot = Maniac Mansion's Weird Ed by *CookingPeach



A unique, cool, & somewhat Dexter-ish character design + KP's own colorful, wild, & original style + A lovely contrast between the innocence & the weaponry + A cool pose & some slick clothing = Book Return Policy. by =KittyPaint



An awesome splash of several cool characters & elements from a fun Kirby game + An incredibly cute & fun style that does the game justice + Some nicely vivid & shiny coloring + A fantasical, action-packed feeling = +MilkyWayWishes+KSSU tribute+ by ~Sora-Mito


...And with our latest intermission, I'm really starting to run out of clever things to say. So let's cut the crap & just give it up for Locksley!!



A completely off-the-wall & hypnotic style + A really cool & fun concept + A nice blending of images with a lovely & kind of "haunting" color scheme + Several doses of pure wonder & imagination = march of the colossi by ~TeeAl



A completely awesome, cool, & lovable character + A lovely, cheerful, & vivid color scheme + Several awesome little details that help create an energetic & playful mood + Some cute & clever use of anthropomorphism = Destination UNKNOWN by =cloudbabykc



An incredibly cool & unique concept that even acts as a little strategy guide + A fluid, cartoonish, & extremely fun style + A sweet amount of detail, especially in the expressions + Twenty bucketloads of humor = The Megaman 9 Bunch by ~CyberMoonStudios



An amazing & intense spread of several unique & cool villains + That extraordinary, original, & kickass style + An unbelievable amount of detail, love, & effort + A bust of fiery color setting the scene for a Latin-fueled showdown = El Tigre villains rule by ~mexopolis



A trully funny & lovable concept + A simple, fun, & cute little monster design + A great use of a black & yellow color scheme + Some nice-done sci-fci style destruction of Calgary = Monsters.R.Not.Always.Destroy. by ~kontrastt



An original, inspired, & cool idea + A smooth, sweet, & superb style + Several awesome & fun little creatures with unique personalities + Some great coloring & details down to the bottles themselves = Genies in bottles by ~MetaMephisto



A truly unique & cool concept + An awesome, original, & effective color scheme + A nice & lovely amount of detail put into even the smallest loaf + A very warm, inviting, & "old-world" feeling to it all = Bread Factory by ~DRINK-ME



An extremely badass & cool character design + A amazing, action-packed style + A very brilliant & striking use of purple + A pose & eyes that simply just say "I'm ready to kick some ass" = NO EVIL WILL STAND BEFORE ME. by `mooncalfe



Some sweet & original character design + A truly creative & beautiful style + Some excellent little lighting effects + A touching, romantic, & almost dreamlike mood = Happy birthday blacklion40 by *Camillo13



An extremely delicious & lovable concept + A supremely excellent use of pink & other candyish colors + Several cute & fun little touches + A lovely & curvy style that captures the cotton candy hair perfectly = mandy where is my candy? by ~jusD-ot



A cute yet tragic & laugh-worthy design + A simple, cartoonish, & very fun style + A nice little slice of chaotic feeling + A lovely amount of detail down to the smallest worm = t-shirt design for LaFraise by ~zuttooo



A dark yet cute & original character inspired by the night + A beautiful & haunting mood & atmosphere + DJ's own amazing & fun style + One extremely wicked pose that suits the guy perfectly = Witch Doctor by =DarkJak



A sweet little blast of funky little stoner humor + An awesome & lovable character design + A kickass, cute, & unique style + A truly trippy, spacey, & out there feeling = HIGH FIVE by `delya



An incredibly wicked & rock-infused concept + Some fun & cute little character designs + A unique color scheme with a great use of pink little blasts + Several nice & funky touches = Dream of music by ~SoczeK23



A truly awesome & badass robot design + A staggering amount of incredibly cool details + Some grimy yet slightly bright coloring + The perfect feeling of a scrapheap scattered throughout it all = The Farmbot by *AndreeWallin


...Well, we're finally into the home stretch here, so let's take a break & enter it with the kickass sounds of Underoath!!



An eye-popping, professional, & well-detailed style + Some lovely, unique, & even slightly cute character design + A perfectly captured feeling of mischievousness + That pefrectly cocky pose & expression = Playful Abyssi by =andrea-koupal



An amazing mash-up of two of the world's most awesome professions + A unique, fun, cartoonish, & kind of trippy style + A lovely & large injection of chaos with several fun little details + An incredibly kickass mix of wild & slightly vivid colors = Ninjas vs Luchadores by ~DjBisparulz



A lovely little tribute to a cool underrated monster & a cool original character + A nice little mix of styles + Some very sweet aquatic colors & details + A perfectly cute & friendly feeling = Zilla and Deko by ~KaijuSamurai



A twisted & funny little take on a classic tale + Some nicely dark & clever color choices + A very lovely amount of detail + Some fun & exaggerated expressions = Humpty Dumpty by ~tioandria



A pair of original, fun, & mischievous character designs + Some lovely, wild, & vivid coloring + A unique & delectable style with some great oekaki skills + Some humorous & cute poses, expressions, & general nose-honking = TEGAKI: A Violation, I Say. by *BechnoKid



A truly inspired & definitely unique design for an anthro character + A wild & imaginative style + Some nice attention to detail & anatomy + An appropriately icy feel to everything from the colors to that glare = The Abominable Snowcrab by *professorfandango



A wonderful & kickass style with a lot of detail in it + A kind of haunting & cold yet cartoonish feel that works perfectly with the character + Some perfect coloring + Several superbly snowy & icy effects = Art Trade - Shiver me Timbers by ~Beanjamish



A deliciously weird, groovy, & offbeat style & feel + A cool & unique little rooster design + Several awesome & surreal touches + Some lovely & wild '80s post-punk-like colors & design = Rooster by ~Kluke



A amazing explosion of wild, imaginative, & kickass little doodles + A lovely & attractive variety of colors + A surreal & creative style + A nice mix of cartoonish feeling & grimy texture = Fable by ~sumeco



A truly unique, fresh, & standout take in the whole "inflation" category + An original, lovable, & fleshed-out character design + A nicely action-packed pose & feeling + A sweet little sense of humor = Wrecking Ball Girl by ~criticalvolume



A simple, fun, & cute little character design + A slick & attractive style + An awesome pose & expression full of madcap energy + Some sweet uses perspective & yummy cakes = BENDIIIIII by *Chibi-Rinku



An awesome & sweetly repetitive use of a simple & cool little design + The standout simian & his lovely expression + An impressive & funky style with some superb taste in color + A tremendous amount of detail in every corner = Plastic Army by *michaelkutsche



One extremely badass & creative character design + A rich, crazed, unique, & colorful style that's perfect + An action-packed comic book feeling with a bit of a surreal twist + The always-funny combo of luchadors & flesh-eating ghouls = EL SKELETO by ~mrdynamite



A cute, fun, & ass-kicking character design + A colorful, cartoonish, & energetic style + A truly dynamic & kickass pose & overall feeling + One very unique & cool weapon = CHAINCLAW by ~pizzacat



An amazing, kickass, imaginative, & creatively formed villain + A simple yet sharp & lovable style + A truly sweet & cartoonish feel all around + A damn fine sense of humor = Cardboard Man by ~MathieuBeaulieu



One extremely lovable, creative, & inspired character design + A beautiful, peaceful, & majestic blue & white color scheme + Some lovely little patterns + Spooky's own cute, fresh, & signature style that perfectly pulls off a pure dreamlike feeling = Stars and Moon by ~spookydoom


...And that's a wrap, everyone!!

Well now, I definitely hope you enjoyed this year's crop of the best artwork DA had to offer! I know I obviously missed or left out some choice works (hey, you try working with 30,000,000+ Deviations & see if you don't miss anything), & if I forgot to mention anything important or included any flaws, I apologize (& please tell me about them), but nonetheless, I really hope you found some stuff you loved!

And of course, I really wish good luck towards everyone participating in our little contests here! I realy can't wait to see any votes or neat features that come by! And to help out a little bit with the contests (& viewing in general), I've placed all of the features here in little galleries for easier browsing...A little index, if you will, albeit not 100% accurate (only the top categories that showed up have galleries, the rest are under "Miscellaneous"), & it will take a little while to get it fully active, but hopefully it makes things a bit quicker:

Everything

Cartoons & Comics
Fan Art
Anthro
Vector
Fantasy
Manga/Anime
Sci-Fi
Conceptual
Wallpaper
T-Shirt Graphics
Miscellaneous

...Wait, is "Conceptual" even considered a category? Eh, screw it, we're too close to the finish line to go back now. And yes, I suppose I could have posted these links earlier, but then you wouldn't have read all this to the very end now, would you?

Well, that's all I have here...I hear there's an afterparty out there somewhere, so I want to get out to there as quickly as possible. So once again, I really hope you liked this whole extravaganza! We're going to close out this show with Canada's own The Stills, good luck to our contestants, congrats to everyone featured, please feel free to comment here or fave this, I certainly hope you had a great time here & a great 2008 on DA in general, & HERE'S TO A KICKASS 2009!!! ^_^

*faints*