Looking at the above images some of you may have thought. ‘THAT IS TRACED!”
I know this because that’s the only way I even found out about it. I was alerted to someone tracing AND selling my work. And at first glance even I thought this was traced with some obvious minor tweaks.
However, upon reporting it as theft I was given this response:
I proceeded to angrily overlay the image only to find to my dismay that there are in fact ‘just barely’ enough differences for this to be a ‘heavy’ reference.
And it’s not the first time this has happened.
Here’s yet another example (dealing with an entirely different person):
Here’s my extreme problem. First of all….It clearly walks such a thin line to tracing that I’m not the only one seeing the severe similarities.
It’s bad enough to do it and post it. It’s WORSE when you are selling it too. (the very first one above). When did you do practically any work…..Again….it’s BORDERLINE tracing.
At the very least when you’re going to reference something this heavily you SHOULD BE CREDITING THE PEOPLE YOU’RE BASICALLY 95% COPYING
It’s lazy as fuck to do this on a commission:
http://vexstacy.tumblr.com/post/137709028866/literally-this-season-2-episode-2-of-king
I’m in no way sitting here saying i’ve never referenced.
But here’s the thing.
There’s a HUGE difference between:
Referencing, Heavy referencing/eyeballing, and ‘the grid system’
The grid system (google it) is literally tracing without an overlay. It’s cheap bullshit and I don’t condone it at all. It has VERY little learning benefit.
Heavy ref’ing/eyeballing: Is GREAT when used on PHOTOS OF ACTUAL PEOPLE. This is what STUDIES are all about. You’re basically taught to do this in any life drawing class. And it canprovide you with some really amazing insight and skill. HOWEVER because it can get SO CLOSE to the original it really shouldn’t be used to REFERENCE OTHER PEOPLES ART. Your own art. your own PHOTOS. Fine.
Referencing: While i personally don’t think people should even lightly reference other peoples ART. It’s a million times better than the above. It’s just glancing here and there at an image, taking inspiration for a pose. and making it your own. The LIGHTING/Directional shading, CLOTHING, POSITIONING ARE NOT ALL 80% OR MORE COPIED.
This is why so many people like myself have on our profiles. “Do not TRACE/ HEAVILY REFERENCE MY ART”
Because heavy referencing may as well fucking be tracing.
And it really pisses me off that it’s just able to slide. Like…where do you draw the fucking line.
This is just plain wrong and unacceptable all together. Tracing is horrible ENOUGH, but then to not only trace, but then also SELL it, therefore screwing over the original artist is the WORST.
Don’t trace, and DEFINITELY don’t try to sell a traced piece. Please just start from scratch, practice, and work hard to be good at art, like ALL of us have to.
futakuart