DeviantArt is one of the largest online art communities in the world, with over 60 million registered members and a vast ecosystem of artists, photographers, designers, and art enthusiasts. For many creators, DeviantArt is not just a gallery — it is a marketplace, a networking hub, and a professional identity. Artists sell commissions, prints, and digital assets through the platform, and trust is the currency of every transaction. But this trust-based ecosystem is also vulnerable to exploitation. Art thieves steal portfolios and pose as the original artist to take commissions they never deliver. Scammers use stolen photos to create fake artist profiles and solicit payment for work they cannot produce. A face search engine like facesearching gives art buyers and fellow creators the ability to find someone on DeviantArt by photo and verify that the artist they are commissioning is the real person behind the portfolio.
The DeviantArt Trust Problem: Why Photos Matter
DeviantArt profiles are built around artistic identity. An artist's profile photo — often a self-portrait or a photo of the artist at work — is a key part of that identity. Buyers use it to feel connected to the creator. Collaborators use it to recognize peers. But unlike platforms with verified badges or government ID checks, DeviantArt has no built-in mechanism to confirm that the person in the profile photo is actually the person operating the account. An art thief can download a portfolio from a legitimate artist, upload it to a fake DeviantArt account with a stolen profile photo, and start accepting commissions within hours. The buyers have no way to know they are paying an impostor until the artwork never arrives. A reverse face search cuts through this deception by revealing the true source of the profile photo — and by extension, the true identity behind the account.
Common DeviantArt Scams That Exploit Fake Photos
- Commission theft: A scammer steals a real artist's portfolio and profile photo, creates a fake DeviantArt account, and accepts paid commissions. The buyer pays for artwork that will never be delivered.
- Art account impersonation: A scammer impersonates a well-known DeviantArt artist, using their photo and name, then solicits donations, sells fake prints, or promotes phishing links.
- Fake collaboration scams: A scammer uses a stolen photo to pose as a talented artist, proposes a collaboration, and then asks the real artist to pay upfront for shared resources or tools that do not exist.
- NFT and crypto art fraud: A scammer uses a stolen artist photo to create a fake profile, then mints the real artist's work as NFTs and sells them on marketplaces without the artist's knowledge.
- Exposure and promotion scams: A scammer with a fake profile photo offers to promote a real artist's work for a fee, takes the payment, and never delivers any promotion.
How facesearching Verifies DeviantArt Artist Identities
facesearching uses biometric face matching to verify the identity behind a DeviantArt profile photo. When you upload the photo, the face search engine isolates the face, generates a unique embedding, and scans it against an index of billions of public web pages across more than 100 platforms. The results show you every public location where that face appears. For a legitimate artist, you should see the same face on other art platforms like ArtStation, Behance, or Instagram, as well as on professional networks like LinkedIn. The name, artistic style, and location should be consistent across platforms. If the face appears on a different artist's profile with a different name, on a stock photo site, or in a scam-reporting database, you have uncovered a fake. For a detailed walkthrough of the technique, see our step-by-step guide to reverse face search.
Step-by-Step: Verify a DeviantArt Artist Before Commissioning
Step 1: Save the Artist's Profile Photo
Navigate to the artist's DeviantArt profile and save their profile photo. If the profile photo is artwork rather than a photograph of a person, look for photos of the artist in their gallery, journal entries, or about page. Many artists include self-portraits or photos from conventions and events. The clearer the face, the better the search results will be. If you cannot find any photo of the artist at all, consider this a yellow flag — legitimate professional artists typically have some public-facing photo of themselves.
Step 2: Run the Face Search
Visit facesearching.com and upload the saved photo. The face search engine will process the image in under a minute. Your uploaded photo is deleted immediately after the search is complete — facesearching does not store user images or maintain a database of uploaded photos. This privacy-first design is particularly important for artists, whose photos may be tied to their professional brand and should not be stored or shared without consent.
Step 3: Cross-Reference the Identity
Examine the search results for consistency. Does the face appear on other art platforms under the same name? Is the artist's style consistent across platforms, or does the portfolio on DeviantArt look completely different from the portfolio on ArtStation? Does the face appear on LinkedIn or a personal website that confirms the artist's professional background? If the face appears under a different name on another platform, ask the artist about it before proceeding. A legitimate artist may use different usernames across platforms, but the name and identity should be traceable and consistent.
Green Flags: Signs of a Legitimate DeviantArt Artist
A legitimate DeviantArt artist typically has a consistent digital footprint that extends beyond the platform. Their face should appear on other art communities — ArtStation, Behance, Instagram, Pixiv — with a matching portfolio and style. The artist's name should be consistent across platforms, even if the username varies. The profile should show a history of activity over time, not a flood of uploads in a single day. Commission listings should include clear terms, pricing, and turnaround times. Reviews and testimonials from past buyers should be visible, either on DeviantArt or on external platforms. And the artist should be willing to communicate directly — voice or video calls are a strong sign of a legitimate professional.
Red Flags: When to Walk Away from a DeviantArt Commission
Several red flags should cause you to cancel a commission or avoid an artist entirely. If the face search reveals that the profile photo belongs to a different artist on another platform, the account is fraudulent. If the photo is from a stock image site, the entire profile is fabricated. If the portfolio looks inconsistent — different art styles, varying quality levels, or images that appear to be from multiple artists — the account is likely an art thief. If the artist refuses to provide any verification of their identity, such as a quick video call or a link to another established platform, treat this as a serious warning. If the artist demands payment through irreversible methods like cryptocurrency or gift cards, that is a red flag independent of the face search. For more on identifying fake profiles, read our guide on 10 red flags of fake photos online.
Art is a product of identity. When you commission an artist, you are paying a person — not a portfolio. facesearching helps you verify that the person behind the profile is the one holding the brush.
Protecting Your Own Art Identity on DeviantArt
While you verify others, it is equally important to protect your own identity as an artist. Art thieves can download your profile photo and use it to impersonate you on DeviantArt and other platforms. To protect yourself, watermark your photos, include your social media handles in your DeviantArt bio, and periodically run a reverse face search on your own profile photo to see where it appears publicly. If you find your photo being used on a fake account, report it to DeviantArt immediately and notify your followers. The faster you detect impersonation, the less damage it can do to your reputation and your income. For more on this, see our article on how criminals use stolen photos and how to fight back.