Copyright issues (perhaps slightly off topic...sorry)

[Bitter Jeweler]

^^thats pretty common. most artists have reference material when working.

Not true. Some, not *most*.

And please, let's make a distinction between looking at something in real life, and creating a drawing, painting, sculpture from it and taking an image and copying it.

 

[DaevidClarke]

youre splitting hairs Bitter

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Am I?

 

[DaevidClarke]

lol. yes you are

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Drawing Tippy, does not an artist make.

 

[DaevidClarke]

^^lol. true....

 

[EhJsNe]

DeviantART has LOADS of free stock. All most of them ask for is that you show them the work so they can see what you did and enjoy art.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

^^thats pretty common. most artists have reference material when working.

Not true. Some, not *most*.

And please, let's make a distinction between looking at something in real life, and creating a drawing, painting, sculpture from it and taking an image and copying it.

Although I disagree with the first part of the statement (we do all have reference material: every art thing we've ever seen before is in our heads), I absolutely agree with the second. It is a huge difference.

A gallery once turned me down because my painted portraits were based on photos by others. My paintings were very different from the photos so I didn't think it was a big deal but it was to them. This was a long time ago before I knew anything much about copyrights and I never tried to show them to any other gallery.

But, since learning more about both copyrights and lawyers, I have always wondered if this gallery's lawyer was just a scared cat. An aside here to overread: good luck getting anything in writing from a lawyer. They tend to practice the law of CYA better than anyone else.

Anyway, either see an art lawyer about your dilemma or start just inspiring yourself from the work of others instead of just copying it.

 

[Overread22]

Hmm to be sure even if you can't get a written statement at least you can get written refrences to the applicable laws that stand in your defence (or at least to examples) as well as the potential laws (examples) that you could mistakenly break (so that you don't break them).

That would at least give credable defence for you should you come under any flak and also mean that you know exactly what you can and can't do commercially.