Look for the to find the latest additions to our FAQ!

Thanks to all of our committed patients and supporters, our community keeps growing! We've grown to be one of the most successful Dark and Macabre Art Communities at deviantART. We do not only think of the Asylum as a gallery to expose the art of talented deviants of this genre, but as a virtual place where we can meet up, role-play, have fun, learn from and get to know other artists with our same interests and motivations.

Our =Dark-Arts-Asylum shelters and medicates patients from over 40 different countries and promotes artistic works based on dark, moody and macabre themes to intensely gore-ish bloody ones.

As much as our community develops, our expectations reach higher too. That is why, to help improve our interaction with patients, watchers and possible new members, we are posting a series of guidelines in the form of FAQ's. We ask everyone to read them carefully....or else....




FAQ #1 - What is The Dark Arts Asylum? aka... DAA

We are a very interactive cyber home for extreme and dark artists representing all art mediums. We encourage thought provoking visuals that could include but are not limited to: dark themes, horror, gore, death, bondage, blood, pain, conceptual surrealism and controversial content. Your mental mayhem is our passion!! We see art in any form, as therapy… and if you meet our criteria, you’re invited to join us in the asylum.

FAQ #2 - Who can join DAA?

Any deviant whose quality gallery is mainly focused in dark/macabre/horror/dark and conceptual surrealism/fetish pieces crafted through the use of any visual media or style, be it digital, traditional, (inc. photography), etc.

FAQ #3 - How do I apply to join, be committed?

Send us a Note to the Asylum, with the Subject Join , and a brief explanation on why you think you need to commit with our institution.

FAQ #4 - How do I know if I was admitted?

Upon review of your gallery, our team of “qualified” doctors will assess your condition and will note you back letting you know if we consider you to be in need of treatment. If you are admitted, you will be notified with further instructions. See also FAQ #14

FAQ #5 - If I'm not admitted, does this mean I will never be able to join your community?

No. As explained before, a member of our staff will visit your gallery to review the focus of it and the quality of your crafting. Unless your focus is completely different from ours, we will suggest you continue to develop your techniques and apply once again. Read FAQ #13 too, for other ways to participate.

FAQ #6 - What type of artwork do you consider unacceptable?

We are not interested in artists that throw a filter on an image with no thought behind it. The "very common, seen everywhere" dark art is not accepted here. (we of course, suscribe to deviantART policies, which means we will not accept pieces displaying any kind of xenophobia, bigotry or minors involved in sexual activities, etc).

We DO NOT ACCEPT close up pictures of faces, eyeballs or bodies that are soley manipulated through any kind of filters, textures or even airbrushing or brushing of any kind when they appear in the image as a sole or main subject, unless they are within a more elaborate context. There is just too much of this all over dA and we want to be more unique than that.
DAA and its staff reserve the right to post or not post any piece submitted without further explanations. (Please re-read the last line....mmmmk?)

FAQ #7 - How do I submit my work to be showcased?

Send us a note with the Subject - Submission, and the link to your deviation pasted in it. Your link should look like this: http: //www.deviantart.com/deviation/666666/
Any other type of linking, thumb coding, name of the deviation, etc, will automatically be refused by most staff members. Understand that this represents a delay in the process of submission.

FAQ #8 - How do I know if my submission was posted?
If your piece was posted, you will receive a on that piece in your message center showing that =Dark-Arts-Asylum has added your piece to the club favorites. Submissions are posted weekly, every Friday.

FAQ #9 - How often may I submit a deviation?

A maximum of one deviation per artist per week is accepted. There are no exceptions.

FAQ #10 - Why is my submission taking so long to post?

Sometimes, your submission is being reviewed and isn't posted the same day you send it. Our average waiting time for submissions is 1-3 days. If we are reviewing your piece as a team, it could take longer. There is no need to send another note to us unless it's been a couple of weeks in which the dA gremlin probably ate your note. (No this doesn't happen often)

FAQ #11 - How can I fully interact with the community?

Once you have been accepted as a resident, feel free to check in to our chat room periodically, located in our rubber room [link] Also, visit our front page and read our journals and comment box for daily happenings, news, contests, polls, etc.

FAQ #12 - Can I make a dedication to the Asylum?

Yes! And we love them! Dedications may appear in your gallery, but are not to be submitted to any other clubs as they are dedications made to =Dark-Arts-Asylum only!!

To send us your dedication, please note the club with a link to your dedication and "Dedication" in the subject line of your note.

Dedication opportunities are also available for our registered visitors. They can dedicate works to DAA that will be posted in a special section specifically for registered visitors on the dedication page.

FAQ #13 - What is a Registered Visitor and how do I become one?

A registered visitor is someone that supports the Asylum but isn't a resident, perhaps because their work is either not dark or they are still developing their gallery strengths and have not yet been committed to the asylum. Basically, anyone that enjoys our community but isn't a patient here can be a registered visitor.

Registered visitors have privileges within our community to vote in contests, be a part of the DAA Cast, (See FAQ #17 for more info), and will be eligible for occasional special rewards by publicly supporting the Asylum. Once you are registered you will be able to vote in contests and can even apply for a “job” within the asylum


FAQ #14 - And if I'm a stock artist how can I be involved?

Stock artists also have a place within our community. ~DAA-Stock is the stock wing of our community, but is permanently closed.

FAQ #15 - What happens once I'm admitted?

Upon admittance, you will be notified of what to do next and your therapy will begin. Please put an icon link to the asylum in your journal by typing : icondark-arts-asylum: (with no spaces) and if you wish add a text link in your signature. **Remember to also add us to your watch list including journals, so you can be notified of contest opportunities, participate of our polls and such.

FAQ #16 – I’ve seen your stamp(s) and want to know more about them…

To use one of our stamps, you need to be a dA subscriber. You can add the stamps to your journal by simply copying the code that appears on the left side of your screen, below the counter of views of a deviation, when you are viewing the stamp that you like. The format looks like this
: thumb123456 : (close the spaces and it will appear)

To see our current list of stamps, visit our gift shop! -> [link]

FAQ #17 – Do you have Asylum wallpapers that I can download?

Yes! You can see the current selection of wallpapers here: [link]
As a resident or supporter, if you would like to contribute with a new wallpaper to be added to this collection, feel free! Just create it to fit one or more of the specified sizes listed on the dA wallpaper submission section. Upload it as a deviation and then send us the link for consideration.

FAQ #18 - What is the Asylum Cast?

Our community has a diverse group of people here and some interact/role-play for fun with an Asylum cast name/job title and some don't. The cast is simply a role that is given to you or that you choose to enable you to have a "character" of sorts to interact with the other residents and registered visitors. Visit [link] to see our active cast members

FAQ #19 - Do you sell Asylum merchandise that I can wear?

Yes! If you’d like to purchase items from our online store, please visit Cafepress at [link] . You can see our official DAA design and logo, along with other designs that have been approved for distribution.

FAQ #20 - Can I submit a design to be marketed in your store?

Yes you can. We prefer designs to be LARGE. (1000x1000) They should be placed on both a white background and a black background. The administration will consider your design and if we feel it fits the focus of our community we will let you know if it’s approved. **note- If you use stock for these designs, you MUST have written releases from the stock providers and when you donate a design to DAA, the rights of the design become those of =Dark-Arts-Asylum

FAQ #21 - What makes your staff so special to decide if my work is good enough to go into your gallery?

The fact of the matter is that we don't claim to be the omnipotent art Gods of all dark artists. We DO however spend hours of our personal time here in the Asylum to make sure things run smoothly for you. We base our decisions on what we feel is the type of content we want to showcase. Sometimes we reject pieces that are incredibly well done in terms of crafting, but based on other criteria that we've agreed on as a team, the piece is considered inappropriate. If you decide to start a community, you get to make your own rules too!

FAQ #22 - Why do you sometimes send out generic notes as responses to my notes?

If you are involved in the administration of a club community, you already know this answer. On average, a staff member will spend from 1-3 hours on their shift in the Asylum. We manage over 500 members and over 250 registered visitors. We have carefully developed a system to address the many situations that arise in our community and do not have the time to be able to address each situation specifically. If we did that, submissions would take forever to get posted and we couldn't continue to grow the community successfully.

FAQ #23 - How important is to write the specific reason of my note in the subject field?

It's determinant to allow us process the notes in a reasonable time. Our staff members sometimes acquire specific tasks too, to attend specific administration processes. That's why it's very important that you let us know in the subject whether it's a "Join" request, a "Submission", a "Question", etc.

FAQ #24 - What happens if I'm a trouble making whiner that really has no interest in the time that your staff volunteers to make this place a successful, entertaining and enjoyable group and could care less about what you have written here and might not admit it, but my sole purpose for existing on dA is to be a pain in the ass?

Well, the answer to that is simple. Don't apply and off! Have a nice day!