WhiteFenrril and admitted art theft

[lacusdelta.livejournal.com]

The user WhiteFenrril on Furaffinity admitted to me over instant messenger that he traces his artwork.

http://www.furaffinity.net/user/whitefenrril

He contacted me and after I looked at his gallery a lot of the images in his gallery looked traced, so I called him out and this is the admission that I received: http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae330/FruityBlergs/stolenartadmissioncensored.png

Most of the commissions in his gallery are TRACED. DO NOT COMMISSION HIM. If you have commissioned this artist in the past please ask for your money back!

I would also appreciate it if the people on this community could help me find the sources of his traced images!

Comments

(frozen)

[silverback2001.livejournal.com]

If they're using photographs to trace poses from, and the adding their own details, that isn't stealing. While I haven't done that sort of thing since I was like 12 (I'm 23 currently) and it shows a lack of professionalism and expertise in their field, I think you're overreacting. - Now if they're downright stealing other people's work, that's another matter. But the person in question admitted to tracing to create poses.

For all you know, they took bits and pieces of anatomy together in photoshop, turned the opacity way down, and traced over a cobbled-together image to create their tracing. There isn't any evidence that they are actually stealing, and I think the way that you spoke to them, calling their work "shit" (no matter how low or high quality quality you think it is) in the screencap you posted is just plain rude.

Personally if they can't be proven to have stolen anything, I don't see why people shouldn't commission them if they feel inclined. Sure there are plenty of other artists on FA who may be better or worse, but people can make their own choices.

(frozen)

[genkigami.livejournal.com]

As a photographer the "tracing photos is okay, tracing pictures isn't" mentality grinds my gears. Photos are art too, time and effort went into photos. Just because it's not a drawing doesn't mean it's free for anyone to rip. Tracing poses = tracing. Don't see how that's okay.

There's a way to reference photos that doesn't involve directly tracing photos.

[sorcererhuntres.livejournal.com]

Is there any proof...?

(frozen)

[silverback2001.livejournal.com]

I should have said stock photos- There's a lot of stock on DA for example that you're free to use.

(frozen)

[lacusdelta.livejournal.com]

I say shit as in just in general "stuff in your gallery" not an insult. I happen to cuss a lot.

Sorry but I think someone tracing photographs is still tracing and getting paid to do so, and that is still conning people out of money when they expected an original image.

[lacusdelta.livejournal.com]

He admitted that he traced line for line, and another artist and I are searching for the sources to make overlays now. I posted this as a way of potentially gathering that proof.

(frozen)

[lacusdelta.livejournal.com]

also while this is allowed on Deviantart it's still against the rules on Furaffinity, especially if it is for a commission. Dragoneer would want him to pay those people back.

[sorcererhuntres.livejournal.com]

An admission isn't necessarily proof (especially if it seems kind of forced out of him). For all you know, he's drawing over his own photography or stock photography, which is gray-area for a lot of people, but acceptable. (it's debatable I know, some people like it, others don't, like I said, huge gray area)

Without overlays it just sounds kind of grudge-posty.

EDIT:
WHELP I stand corrected

[meleeisgood.livejournal.com]

I think your heart is in the right place but you're going about this all wrong.

(frozen)

[taasla.livejournal.com]

Then commissioners should be aware that they are doing this. I know I personally would not want to purchase work from someone who is tracing from stock photos.

Edit: Looks like it's traced from porn, which is not ok nor free to use. This is the exact situation I asked for a refund when I found out an artist was tracing her work.

(frozen)

[vellacraptor.livejournal.com]

You should never really "trace" from anything, including stock. Maybe an exception would be for learning, but for a paid commission?

Professional artists use stock all the time for reference purposes, but there's a difference between referencing and straight-up copying.
Even if it's free to use, I'm also in the boat of people would would rather not commission someone who's tracing.

[claytronic.livejournal.com]

I know I'm not the only person here who thought "porno trace" when looking at this

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6347137

the foreshortening gives it away

[lackoflollies.livejournal.com]

Their coloring is, no offense, also a tad of a give away.

It just doesn't look right.

[squirrelly-kaku.livejournal.com]

He's got two things in his gallery that are traced from each other. :x I dunno if there's another picture he traced them from, but yeah.

(Links are NSFW)
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2493464/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3590820/

[claytronic.livejournal.com]

it was the hand for me

their style varies far too much from pic to pic

(frozen)

[magusmanx.livejournal.com]

If they are tracing anything, people have a right to know. I know I wouldn't commission an artist if they traced stuff, no matter how much extra detail they added.

[amocin.livejournal.com]

From looking over his gallery, more so the Egyptian stuff, I see high references to how he draws his Jackal heads very closely resembling that of Dark Natasha's work, along with a few of his naga characters having a close resemblance. I have honestly only seen one person (Dark Natasha) draw the heads and more so the years of Jackals like that.

This itself is not proof of tracing, but highly referenced I think is pretty clear.

The other thing that makes me kinda weary is how he can make a very nicely detailed picture one moment, and then one that isnt as high of quality the next.

Its not enough to make me point out Thief, but it does cause me to want to tread lightly when dealing with such a person.

[lackoflollies.livejournal.com]

That too, yea. The coloring (aside the proportion issues) was the first giveaway.

[lacusdelta.livejournal.com]

I know it sounds really grudge posty, but I don't mind being told I need to work on my art because I do (although a statement without criticisms is kind of useless)

It's more so the fact a lot of it looked really traced because of coloring, foreshortening, and blah blah blah and the ones that looked like that were being paid for by people and I don't like people stealing money.

[lacusdelta.livejournal.com]

I agree and that's why it's good that people like Claytronic put it into better words than I could.

[obsidianwolfess.livejournal.com]

I like that the girl's body is drawn decently, but her face is total HERPDERP. That's the giveaway for me.

(frozen)

[frazzled-niya.livejournal.com]

also depends on how the stock artist feels about people using their photos to make money.

[cesarin.livejournal.com]

most of the stuff seems to vary from animee poses to porno-traced poses.

(frozen)

[kriscynical.livejournal.com]

If they're using photographs to trace poses from, and the adding their own details, that isn't stealing.

I know you specified stock further down, but come on. Not only is that a great way for the person to completely stunt themselves, but it's unethical, dishonest, and LAZY. How much talent does it take to trace a photograph vs. draw something on your own?

For all you know, they took bits and pieces of anatomy together in photoshop, turned the opacity way down, and traced over a cobbled-together image to create their tracing.

Lazy. Unethical. Cheater. They need to pick up an anatomy book and actually learn something. I'd be pissed as hell if I commissioned someone and found out they threw together crap like that and charged me for it.

I hesitate to call people like that artists. If they'd done that at the college I went to, they would have been expelled immediately.

(frozen)

[sbneko.livejournal.com]

Same here. Once, I saw the artist tracing some custom adoptable I purchased. True, it was only this tiny area, but it still bugged me enough that I didn't want to use the characters anymore.