Art Theft

[Chisa]

Okay, so with anything creative you are unfortunately going to get unscrupulous or plain ignorant types who will use your work for their own purposes. It's one of the dangers of posting your work on the web - greater exposure, but a greater chance that your ideas or work will be taken.

So lets discuss any brushes that you've had with art theft, whether it be physical theft or having concepts or photographs stolen.

A Swiss newspaper took my IE Voodoo doll tutorial and distributed it both in print and on their website without my permission or knowledge, and without a link back to me xp Was quite annoyed, although when I emailed them about it they were quick to put proper credit up.

I suppose the more common form of theft in crafting circles would be taking concepts and designs?  

[Hippeh Panda]

I've never had any art stolen, either because my art isn't quite good enough to want to claim as your own or just not enough of the wrong people have seen it.
I have however had someone try and use one of the pictures of me as their own...that was creepy.

 

[Maimy]

Yeowch 0_o Last they could have done is ask?? I think that's a problem with DA though, people think it's a free-for-all, it seems to happen all the time. Thus why my college work doesn't go up there XD I've not had any trouble with theft though - at least on the internet. Mostly the things I make take a lot of time/money to make anyways, and theives tend not to be patient types... razz  

[Meridot]

Like I said on your DA journal this stuff boils my blood. There are several artists I watch on DA who frequently get their art stolen and sold to phone companies or sold as stickers by random thieves. Its hard for little artists to go up against these huge corporations who should really know better.
I'm so happy they got back to you about it. Personally I think they should take your stuff down and offer you a full apology in proper writing.

It does make me wary of putting my art up online, although I've never had any trouble as my art isn't omg amazing or anything and it doesn't attract that much attention in the first place.

The only people I have to be wary of are the kids I work with. They ask me to draw something for them and then go around claiming it as their own. X.x I put a stop to that as fast as I could and now the other kids tell them off for claiming my work. xd My class is awesome.  

[Viceregal]

I have never encountered theft, or if my art has been stolen I have never discovered it. I did get in a tangle with a copy artist however. She had been copying a friend of mine for literally 2 or 3 years - her style, her poses, her designs.
I took the person aside because I thought she was just young and naive and I tried to teach her originality. In a twist of irony she started to copy my work. rolleyes  

[kiersin]

I haven't had to deal with any art theft, then again I also have friends who will ask if they can use an image of mine in their work, and as long as it fits one of two categories, I'm fine. Category one is that they give me credit, and category two is a deviantart stamp where you can't recognize it as a tiny piece of my work, but for those two cases it's not for money. I let my friends get away with a bit more then I would allow any one else to get away with, but they are always happy to give me credit for anything of mine.  

[Faustuas]

Art theft, such a sad thing ,I personally have never had to deal with it nore found any thing of mine stolen, but jsut in case Ialways keep the origianl and have mark on the back of it along with the date.  

[psychedelic.mushroom.pie]

Honestly I don't really mind if people get inspired by my work and use my style sometimes because no one has their own style, everyone gets inspiration from others or something else right and it's not like you can go and give credit to everyone...
I would find it flattering if someone tried to steal it and say it was their own, ofcourse I would care but I would be more flattered than anything.
And people only post your work up because they like it, it would be nice if they asked you yess but i wouldn't get too angry.
You yourself would know the truth and the people closest to you would believe you.
3nodding
just my opinion though  

[Maimy]

It becomes a bigger deal when you intend to go into business, though. When your designs are your source of income, and people won't buy because someone is selling cheap copies... I'd get reeeeal angry.

On a hobbyist's level, though, I can imagine how it might not be such an issue XD  

[Nopenname]

I have had the wonderfully fun experience of warning for art theft in the art arena of my own artwork. That's always a laugh.

xd  

[Chisa]

xd Ahh fun, I never had that happen to me. Although I did have to warn a couple of people for stealing artwork from a friend of mine who seems to be a popular fanartist to steal from on Gaia >_>

@psychedelic: Mmm... I think inspiration to a certain point is perfectly acceptable, you can't avoid influences. But if they're straight up copying or taking things you've created as-is, I find it quite disrespectful and plain idiotic sweatdrop It means they don't respect your rights as a creator and copyright holder. I think people need to be educated about these things, because it's scary how completely lax some people's attitudes towards copyrights are.

It also REALLY bothers me when people just take an image not done by them and say that it was in an online gallery. What's the point? They get validation from people they don't know for something they didn't create.  

[Nopenname]

I do think that the internet makes people more "rabid" and a bit crazy concerning art theft.

Lots of professional techniques (matte painting) for instance, or photo recreation (I'm sure you can find lots of people who will take your photo and turn it into a real life oil painting on canvas). Heck, It is even well known that professional comic artists often sometimes directly lightbox/trace certain elements of their panels to save time.

And it's all perfectly legal, within copyright law, and not in any WAY theft. But with how EASY it is to just gank someone's art wholesale on the web art communities on the internet have become INSANE about "NO TRACING NO REFRENCES NO REPRODUCTIONS OMG!"

It makes me a bit bipolar when it comes to art to be sure, at least drawn art, because while I am warning people for "art theft" on Gaia for eyeballing a picture of Naruto and recreating it. I'm busy hording magazines and anatomy model books made specifically for artists to "eyeball".