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Wanna know what makes me sad? (concerning art theft)

by Nyashia

Slowly I can accept that artists who upload more stuff, more regularly and who do not necessarily have to be better than me get more (positive) feedback for their work. I've had big problems with that in the past as you might already know. I also have to accept that artists, like a good friend of mine, get commissioned more often than me, although their prices are higher and we have about the same drawing skills. They seem to get a lot more in contact with a wide range of people. I have to admit, they somehow deserved their customers. I have made the decision not to be "best friends" with people, who I think are the garbage of the furry fandom and therefore, I have to live with fewer customers.

But there is ONE THING I refuse to accept. A few months back it was revealed that several good lion king artists were tracing or at least "frankentracing". That's when you trace different body parts from different pictures. They did that in commissions and after It came out, customers demanded their money back. It's a shame for all the artists who aren't that good in coloring yet, but try really hard to create THEIR OWN stuff. Within the lion king fandom I know almost every popular artwork and of course, I know all the poses from the movies so I can easily tell if something is heavily referenced. It's a lot more difficult to find traced artwork within the furry fandom, because it's so much bigger and there are hundreds of different styles.
Yesterday, when I was browsing FA, this one drew my attention: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/23969459/
I immediately recognized vallhund

vallhund's style as he is doing a lot of reference sheets like that. So I did an overlay of the sheet by Fleki and one of Vallhund's latest sheets: http://www.shukuamachweo.eu/images/flekivallhund.jpg

Turns out the body is traced line by line. So the customer paid at least 65 dollars for a head and a tail. Congratulations. :|
Lying and cheating like this makes me sad and angry. Art theft is one thing, but then making so much profit out of it, that's just really lousy. Keep an eye out for other popular tracers and spread the word, if you agree!

Viewed:	30 times
Added:	6 years, 9 months ago 30 Jun 2017 17:38 CEST

7 Comments on this Journal

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ZampaPaws

6 years, 9 months ago

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I understand your position, but I am too infatuated with the "original" styles anyway to care to notice. I don't really care if my art is "traced" as you explained, because I want everything and everything TLK related, traced or original artwork.

As for people who share your opinion (unlike me), I feel for them. They really deserve better. You may have to compose a list for other TLK fans so they are aware as well, however, the problem is that you may be "less of a person" in the fandom for trying to expose the problem, even if it is the right thing to do.

Nyashia

6 years, 9 months ago

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@ ZampaPaws

The question is if you really want to pay an awful lot of money for traced artwork. I think it's really unfair not only for the customer but for me as an unnoticed, but honest and hard working artist.

If there was no money involved in this case, I wouldn't have written a journal about it. And I don't even have the names of said TLK artists in mind. They didn't charge as much and after they were confronted with the problem, they stopped tracing, I think.

ZampaPaws

6 years, 9 months ago

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@ Nyashia

The only reason I defend it is because TLK gets me really horny because TLK paws are drawn really well, usually. Traced or not, I only are about the paws, XD.

But, I do wholeheartedly agree with your second point. As an unnoticed and hard working artist, you should more attention. The people who trace get all the views, I notice. I know 2 artists who are guilty about it, but I won't name names. If they stopped overcharging for traced material to the average TLK fan, that is a good thing.

I just have a huge problem where any TLK image can get me off, because of the paws, so I would pay for traced art, lol.

TheGiantHamster

6 years, 9 months ago

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It also upsets me when I see heavily referenced artpieces because original artwork is much more valuable but I see that nobody cares about it, neither the artists nor their watchers. The first ones may be thinking that it's still acceptable for them, the others may be not noticing such cheating. And it's a hard decision to spoil this idyll because there immediately appear someone to say that I'm just jelous or something like that.
But it's a strange phrase from you "A few months back it was revealed". It's always been this way and never changed :D

Concerning your art, and, well since it's mostly a porn site honestly I would like to say that it would be nice to see more feline and lion (king) porn in your gallery. That would definitely bring you more watchers and commissioners.

BOLF

6 years, 9 months ago

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@ TheGiantHamster

just to mention there is a heavy difference bitween tracing an Artwork and taking it as reference. If you trace you streal and copy it, by using a refference you only got a visual help to increase your abillity to see and manage to draw with proportion and stuff. A Still-life Painting as Example is the same, nothing more then a Ref. If you put Tracer and Ref-user in the sam Pot you say everyone who is drawing a Apple is a thief ... So no Offense in common, just a nice meant comment ^^

Of to the real Problem. It's a Shame and to take Money for it is in this Case a legal Reason to put them in Court. But as said before, the sad thing is most People care a shit and pay cheap money for traced lines, only to get their Porn. Thats everything that matters. Sadly but normal in Human life and on IB and FA. Sex sells and thats so worst part on this dabatte there is.

TheGiantHamster

6 years, 9 months ago

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Edited 6 years, 9 months ago by Owner

@ BOLF

I don't mean that referencing is bad. On the contrary it's a right thing to do. I use reference materials all the time.
What I meant under "heavily referenced" is actually completely copied images or their parts, and not even exactly traced line by line but also simply copied\redrawn by eye.
It's all debatable and different cases of tracing or copying can be either acceptable or condemnable depending on the context.
But as I see it, is that an artpiece becomes less valuable if there's any copying involved in general. The more less valyable and interesting the more there's copying in it. (I understand that fanart is a form of copying and that my own fanart drawings are less valyable than independent art.)

BOLF

6 years, 9 months ago

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@ TheGiantHamster

to get your own style and to get better you need to try and train, so you need something to work with and i think a Picture doesn't loose on quality or something. The point is selling your art imo. When i sell something i did with the minimal amount possible (tracing) i would break the law, cause its theft. When i copy a picture in whole by using it as a Reference i do the whole work so i can charge the whole Price. And that is a point thats sets another unfair point. In the Fandom you dont pay for quality but for the name. I use as an Example Jay Naylor on FA, he charges somewhat around 200$ for a normal comission with simple shading and stuff. His style is not high quality and cartonish, so compared to a semi/realistic Drawstyle heavily overpriced, but he does YCH for the fact that people are willing to pay around 500 or more. So you got Artistwho Copy his work completly with tracing and using his stuff as Reference to sell it for 100$. And People know they buy copied Art and Traced shit but don't care cause thats what they wnat.

So to get to the point, as long as People are willing to buy traced or completly refferenced stuff you wont get loose of this Problem. But my Wife is an Artist too, so i know how she works. Even Michelangelo started as a Copycat, but sensed it was wrong somewhat later and startet his own style. But to get to the point to have an own style and a constant in it you need to copy other work (without tracing) to get a feeling for it and your own capability.

With Fanart its somewhat different, cause your goal is to get it 100% like the original. To learn i think tracing is a legal thing, but you are not allowed to sell it, by Law and by conscience. But if you are able to reference the style you could take comissions and charge people for it, but in fact its against the Copyright law, so its a walking on thin ice in general.

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