#this is whataboutism and that aint gonna fly sorry

[kenjkats]

But i’ve seen that lots of you guys don’t mention/add/credit the original photo when you guys use some photos as a reference. I’m not talking aboit drawing memes or obvious paraodys- i’m talking about drawing right from photos that can be found at pinterest or instagram. I really think you guys should credit the photo or mention that you used a reference. BC i feel like I’ve been fooled; i thought that the drawing was original piece, but later i found ref pics at pinterest.

"I’m not saying using reference is wrong. I’m saying pretending that the drawing didn’t use a ref or the drawing is original, that is wrong."----I agree to a certain degree. Now I can't speak for other artists you've seen, but I put either in caption or in tag that a reference was used. Particularly if the pose is traced then the faces, clothes changed for the casual quickie fanart. Admittedly my earlier stuff doesnt do this, and others dont as well, but that doesnt mean people claim they drew it original. Ive seen a couple of people go out of their way and deny having a reference or tracing when they clearly did. Now THATs messed up.1. Free, casual fanart is often just something you want to draw and not think about too much. So we look up references and plaster our characters onto them. Often, these are free to use, come in groups of poses, are stick figures or faceless mannequins intrnded for use as refs, and the original artists say they can be used without credit as long as you dont claim theyre yours. Because in that context its a kind of resource rather than someone's property that you shouldnt reuse or repost. Now if they say otherwise, of course you credit and link. It's a context thing. How did the original artist intend for such references to be used?2. I know many people use Pinterest to make moodboards, mix and match things they like, tweak it, change it, let their work be inspired by it etc. Its part of the creative process to take from influences sometimes. Barring someone copying each part exactly from different sources, that kind of referencing usually doesnt need credit. Because the result is often an interpretation of things you researched and were inspired by.Now if its like what PB does where they put a real life outfit on their drawn characters... then ask us to pay 25 diamonds for them... thats iffy territory. The kind of undrstood rule here is, if its free and for personal use, using references to help you out w a pose/outfit isnt a crime. Leaving out the credit is usually contextual, depending on what the original artist intended w their refs, or if the photo is public, free property. Denying you used a ref and saying youre amazing and did it yourself is def wrong. Using someone else's obviously original art that is not intended for public use is wrong.Lastly, this is similar, but a different debate. And just bc an artist used a reference to aid in what ends up being their own work (barring copying everything in the ref exactly ofc), doesnt negate the fact that someone reposting it is also wrong in the first place.