art theft question

BirbyBird

BirbyBird

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does this count as art theft? because i asked this question before and was told yes and no

okay so just to clarify i didnt come up with these drawing on my own. someone else drew the original and i liked it so i drew a copy of it.
 
It's not theft unless you take the original art and sell it, or you tried to copy it, and say you came up with the original idea. That's what I think, anyways.
 
okay thank you! i have never tried to claim that the original idea to the art was mine i've always stated that it was copied from someone else's beautiful art.

so is it alright to make a thread on this website to show my drawings?
 
I would assume so, but if the mods have a problem with it, they'd probably let you know.
 
Hi, there! Lovely art.

First of all, you need to check with the artist. I personally always give credit to the artists that I use in any way in my signature (it's clickable and leads to the original page I got the art from). But if at all possible, you should check and make sure the artists allow you to use it, or you could at least put something in your signature or bio about the artist you took the work from.

Some artists (like myself, over on my art site) only allow people to post my art elsewhere or use it for anything with my written permission to do so. If that's too much, just leave credit.
 
i'd say its best to check the user's terms and conditions for their art. for example, some artists allow copying for practice but not posting, and others ban it outright. generally tho, its not good to copy artists' work regardless, so imo i would class it as art theft.
 
ah i see. but what do i do if i no longer remember where i got the art? some of the art i drew was done years ago and i no longer remember where i found the original art. plus i have netnanny on my computer so i cant check devianart anymore to see if i can find the art again :/
 
himeki said:
i'd say its best to check the user's terms and conditions for their art. for example, some artists allow copying for practice but not posting, and others ban it outright. generally tho, its not good to copy artists' work regardless, so imo i would class it as art theft.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it's art theft if the copier isn't claiming it as their own. That's why fan art exists - they aren't doing anything wrong. The problems lie with putting that copied art somewhere the original artist would not approve of or accepting credit for the creation of the characters. But the copying for practice or just for fun is not stealing in and of itself. Or else why is there so much fan art of popular characters? I don't think anyone asked the original illustrators for Disney if they could draw Ariel or Belle, etc. They just aren't allowed to sell it as their own without a license from the owners (I believe). Well, this is just my opinion anyway. Who knows..
 
If you:
- don't claim it was yours
- don't make profit of it
- give credit when possible / necessary

then I wouldn't say it's theft
 
i never claim that the art is originally my own and i dont sell art. i would loveto give credit if im able to find the original artists again once im at college and will have a lot more internet freedom
 
I suggest you don't use the work until you're in a position to give credit, honestly. It's not really fair to the artist that they don't get any acknowledgement whatsoever.
 
Arize said:
I wouldn't say it's art theft if the copier isn't claiming it as their own. That's why fan art exists - they aren't doing anything wrong. The problems lie with putting that copied art somewhere the original artist would not approve of or accepting credit for the creation of the characters. But the copying for practice or just for fun is not stealing in and of itself. Or else why is there so much fan art of popular characters? I don't think anyone asked the original illustrators for Disney if they could draw Ariel or Belle, etc. They just aren't allowed to sell it as their own without a license from the owners (I believe). Well, this is just my opinion anyway. Who knows..
Click to expand...

Fanart = / = copying
Fanart is drawing art of something you like, not directly copying it
 
himeki said:
Fanart = / = copying
Fanart is drawing art of something you like, not directly copying it
Click to expand...

Oh I thought OP just meant that they were using other people's ideas such as characters and then drawing those, but in their own art styles or poses. Well, I don't know then. I would say those need to be credited and posted only with permission. However, I still see nothing wrong with copying if it's for private practice or just for fun. As long as it's for personal use only.

I colour in colouring books and one person copied exactly the way I did a particular page and posted it on instagram without crediting me or asking permission. I only found out because the community saw that it was really similar to mine and alerted me. I made them credit me. I would have preferred for it not to have been posted at all, but I wouldn't have minded if they copied mine for fun and kept it private for their own collection. So that's my take on actual copying.
 
Last edited:
I would recommend giving credit to the artists whose work you've used as well as making sure people know it's a copy and not your original design. Many artists are (rightfully) protective over their work and designs, and it could definitely cause a stir if they somehow came across your work and recognized it as theirs when no credit is stated. I'd also make sure they're cool with their work being copied prior to doing it, but that would be more so out of respect for the person and their work than anything related to theft.
 
okay so i'll make another art thread once i have netnanny gone from my computer and i can search for the original artists. thank you so much for all your answers everybody i really appreciate it as before i was just told no and yes with no explanation to them really. this clarifies a lot of things for me
 
No, but you should give credit to the photo you referenced off of. Whether you're claiming it as your own or not
 
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