Artwork: Show Off

First, I'd like to remind everyone about the Copyrightlaws and Arttheft and the part about pictures found via Google.

When you are making a character to roleplay on the RP boards here, please try and avoid use pictures that you have found with GOogle Search or other similar image search. This is because in 90% of the cases, these are characters other people have made, and therefor they are copyrighted to them!

This is simple, you see a dragon rp you want to join and go on dA to find art and you find this Dragon
Which you decide to use, because you liked it's design. That's a big nono. That character belongs to someone, in this case, it's my dragon character. This is a big NONO

If, however, the character you found, was YOURS, just drawn by the artist, this would be fine. So if I wanted to join a dragon rp, and decided to use Jules, I'd use that or her regular reference. But it would be fine, because it would be my character.

SO, the moral is: If the character art you use is not yours, (either drawn by yourself or by someone else for you), DO NOT USE IT

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This is completely unnecessary.
There is absolutely no reason to assume that when someone posts a picture they're claiming it as their own.
I am from an EXTREMELY strict Rp-ing site: If you went and saw how many RPs are posted, and how many actually stay and are not deleted, your mouth would drop. People have to have absolutely everything perfect in the RP; Rules, forms, and a highly stable plot to make it through. I worked up at least seven RPs and posted them there, and none of them were ever accepted.
And there was absolutely nothing like this art theft rule there. Nothing at all. I find this completely pointless and the people who decided on this are simply being overprotective and tight-fisted about using a peice of art to demonstrate the description one is trying to get across.
There is a significant DIFFERENCE in showing a picture, and poking a picture up and saying 'Hai! Dis is mine! Bahahaha!' For some reason, this doesn't seem to be acknowledged.
What if one can't draw (Like me, who tries and fails) but still wants to use a picture? In essence, that clangs a gate shut for us and we are forced to attempt (and, in most cases, fail) to describe the character. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this is true to epic proportions.
I'm honestly disgusted with this rule.
Where is the point in this?

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Actually Sai, using them still techincally breaks copyright law. So I think this was very necessary.
As an artist, I don't care what people say, if they use my images -anywhere- without my permission, that's not right. You don't have to claim something as your own to get in trouble for it. For instance, holding drugs can get you a prison sentance, even if you don't know it is a drug.

If you want an image, you can always hire someone to draw you. Not being able to draw is no excuse for taking someone else's image, especially without their permission, and using it somewhere.

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Perhaps, technically. But since when does using a picture equal CLAMING IT? If people wanted to use my art (and I have no idea why they ever would) I wouldn't be offended, but more accurately FLATTERED that they thought my drawings were good enough to use! People are such idiots when they start poking at things, examining them so close that it's ridiculous, and make all kinds of stupid assumptions!
And, what if some of us aren't in our twenties, have absolutely no money, are wary of asking a stranger for something publicly, and CAN'T hire someone?

..I suppose my efforts here are in vain because NO ONE EVER LISTENS TO ME, so if miss mod insists, then I shall shut up, but I would bet you a lot that I could easily round up a group of people that agree with me.

And, drugs is a completely different subject, don't change it. :P

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I fully agree with Sai! What Sai is saying is true, but every one is so blind they can't see it. Oh and if you don't like your art to be used do not post it on the internet.

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I have to agree with both on this.

Like I had posted before..

It's not as if were claiming it as our own, were just using it. Plain and simple, we never said it was -ours- Regardless. I do believe it also was more then a bit unfair until after my Rp, This was posted when I've seen countless people use pictures from off site.

As it was, I gave links as to where the pictures came from, and who they belonged to. As that dragon on Da, the Totem dragon. I was using it as a reference without having to type out describing the character which is time consuming and much more easier if your plainly just -using- the picture, Not claiming it.

Still, I want to know -why- exactly you choose to post and sticky this now, After my rp was made?

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Sai - I completely disagree with your logic.

I've been member of various serious roleplaying site, and I've been member of Furcadia, I've had my own characters for years, and I know this - If I saw someone using art of one of my characters, I'd be beyond angry. I've PAID money for it, for me to have art of my character to show, not for someone else to think "oh pretty, I'll use this". It would be stealing of my property.
Sure you don't claim it as your own, but in a way you still do. You steal their originality, and their intellectual work, because people here, or else were will recognize that art for YOUR character, and not the person who it was ment for.

Neo Emo - Saying that is completely wrong. Posting art online doesn't make it available for everyone to use. It's still protected by international laws. No artist will agree with you there

Twilia - That's purely incidental, we have been contacting people who have used other people's art for a while and were debating about making that post or not.

This is done to make sure Exhibited doesn't get into trouble for allowing people to break the Copyright Laws, as well as it's done out of respect for other people's characters and art.

You wouldn't claim a Disney character as your own, because that would get you into serious troubles with Disney. This is the same deal.

If you want art of your character and don't feel that describing them is good enough, there are PLENTY of free lineart you can use to quickly colour up how they look like.

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Herbal - that is if we can draw, let alone find what were looking for. Or even color in such things. The chances are we me, are next to none at all. I don't have any 'fancy' programs to edited, or other wise color a line art. Let alone, I do not know any who would do such for me.

But still, it I say it's unfair. Not that I mind describing my characters from scratch which I had been doing on Neoboards when I rp'd there. Heck, I made a three-four long paragraph describing them and their history..but you know how time consuming that is when you just want to get to the rp? x.x.

Claim a Disney character as my own? Did I ever said, I claimed those pictures as my own? No, so please stop acting like I did..it's rather irritating. Let alone, this is changing the subject if I am correct. This is about art, not some movie or cartoon character.

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That is not what i meant. what i mean is, if you don't like people "stealing" your art, don't post it up! i'm an artist and i post my art up so people can see it and if they would like they could use it, it just shows me that my art was worth seeing and they want to show it to others. Put your signature some wheres so people know it is your art, then if they thought your art was cool they could look up other art done by you, the artist, it is that simple.

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Still gonna rant about it. IS there something wrong with saying "Oh pretty, I'll use this"? I don't think so. I find it an innocent bystander's way of both complimenting an artist and saving precious time that would otherwise be spent spending tedious hours describing something, when there is a much simpler way at hand.
And, since everyone is too stuck-up to consider it between the lines, posting a picture of Mickey Mouse is simply posting a picture of Mickey Mouse.
Not to mention the fact that, posting art online make you liable for having your artwork looked at, liked, and displayed in a sense (and don't start yelling at me for that, I don't mean it like I think you'll take it).


Yah-huh, sure, respect and staying out of trouble. Do you HONESTLY believe that EX would get in TROUBLE for using a darn picture? That's insanity, pure insanity.

My point is, this is all just tight-fisted, stubborn crap. Why spoil the fun of RPing by poking a stick at us and blaring "YOU CAN'T USE THAT ART", when it's all done in innocence and creativity? I simply can't comprehend who would want to go deeper than they have to, pry and poke and make everything ABSOLUTELY PERFECT, so as to 'stay out of trouble and respect others characters and art'.

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Guys, think about this. The copyright law is worldwide. WORLD WIDE. It's not just an Exhibited law, but a realrealreal law. If you don't like real life laws, then talk to your country/kingdom/whatever leader about it, not the mods. They can't change the law. They just don't want Exhibited to be shut down. (Because they CAN be shut down.)

But whatever you do, please, do not use any of my character designs. I worked hard on them. Each little speck on their fur, each feather, each line, each squiggle... Every little pixel I put thought and heart into and every real artist feels the same. My designs and characters are like... My children. I don't want people kidnapping/cloneing my children.

Haha, sorry if this counts as minimodding. I don't mean it to be that way. ^^ (Only thing I can do it tell the mods and cross my fingers that they eat your soul) Yeah... I'm a bit protective of my art...

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Twilia - That's no excuse. You don't need a fancy program to colour line arts, you can use paint, it's enough. Plus, there are plenty of free programs out there, such as GIMP thats "fancy".

Isn't it more unfair to a person who perhaps spent a lot of money on art from a particular artist just to get art of their character, and have someone just steal it because they want to use it for their character?
Or, for an artist to have their artwork stolen and used for other purposes then what it was intended to?

I can't draw to save my life, when I created my fursona, Herbal, I wrote down every little detail about her, then I got someone else to draw her for me. And when I created Dave, I used free lineart as references, along with written description.

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For your information, Lemon, EX is the only site that does it. I've watched other forums go on and on and on, using art as they please, for YEARS, and now if I was to go back there now I'd still see them.

And since when was it bad to believe someone's opinion and art was GREAT, admire it highly, and use it as a mild reference to a small, prolly never-going-to-be-known-to-the-rest-of-the-world character for a dinky RP. Unfair, not so much in my opinion.

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Stop fighting guys. Some of these comments seem to be getting a little rude.

We appreciate you may not like it, but the fact is, it still breaks the law. And we get quite a lot of complaints about all this copyrighted art being used in RP's, etc. So whilst you may not like it, others do.

If the art is not yours to use, you don't use it. And actually, people -do- get in trouble for copyright. Just because you get away with some things doesn't mean you'll get away with anything.

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My god. Again with the stealing, I never -stole- the stinking art. I even gave links as to where they came form. Yet you still say this..? As for gimp, and Paint. My computer is built thus no, I cannot use paint. Nor can I download Gimp, unlike you. My mother forbids any downloading of any programs unless she knows it safe. Plain and pure..

I can't draw worth crud, you'd get a stick figure. Seriously, is that what I want to use a character? No, god no. What self respecting person would?

Art theft - I know about it, I had an account even banned for just posting a damn picture, never calming as my own or anything. Oh, didn't you notice the water mark on the dragon? Apparently not, it's not as if I edited the picture and took it off. Now that would be art theft. If I had done that and claimed it as my own. So please stop blaming me, accusing me ect of stealing that art.

I thought this site would be better, but apparently I was wrong, if we can't even rp freely, doing what we can to prevent such petty things like this.

Also Kit - Why shouldn't we argue? You started the fire with posting and sticky this thread, so-to-say. Were just stating our own ideas and wants...it may get a bit rude, but we don't intentionally mean it, even if we can get a bit hot-headed.

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Apologies, Kitei, you're prolly referring to me. XD But really though, I'm finding this entire art thing incredibly strict.

But still, isn't there a way to compromise?
You know, specifically say who drew the picture? Or SOMETHING? Even that would be better than getting kicked for posting a picture benevolently.

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