14 DAY TRIAL // DeviantArt is the largest online community of artists on the web. It’s probably the oldest as well, having recently celebrated its tenth birthday. And it chose this occasion to announce its latest project, a HTML5-based drawing tool dubbed DeviantArt Muro. An online editor is something new for the site, but it’s hardly alone in the space, Aviary, for example, has been building up an impressive array of web-based tools. What DeviantArt has in its favor though is its massive audience.
"DeviantART Muro is pure fun for anyone," deviantART's co-founder and CEO, Angelo Sotira said. "But it's also a highly sophisticated application that will meet and exceed the needs of professionals in the arts. DeviantART Muro offers the best brushes for pressure sensitivity on the web, and because of its design, we can continually expand the tool's features and functions in response to user comments or to new devices, almost on the fly."
The drawing tool comes with six brushes by default, but more can be unlocked using the site’s virtual currency. The brushes can also be customized. It also has other basic tools like a “Flood Fill,” a color picker and an eraser. The ‘Pro’ mode adds support for layers. It has all the basics of a drawing editor and it should be very easy to pick up for those who have never used tools like this. But for professional artists, it’s rather limited in terms of features.
Muro does pack a very interesting ‘secret weapon’ though, it can be used with Wacom drawing tablets which greatly expands its potential. While anyone who owns a tablet probably knows how to use more sophisticated apps, the simple web-app could prove a great way for kids to learn how to draw. Because it’s built with HTML5, it will work in any modern browser and, more importantly, on any device, even the iPad. In fact, the iPad’s touchscreen should make it very interesting to use.
