Dipper

[orange04.livejournal.com]

WHO: Dipper

WHERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/dipper

WHAT: Tracing other peoples' work to use in commissions

WHEN: Friday, November 04, 2011

PROOF:/
Example1...
Mine: http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/friedmilk/yoruart.jpg
Hers: http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/friedmilk/dippertrace1.jpg
The overlay: http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/friedmilk/dipperoverlay.jpg

Example2...
Mine: http://i.imgur.com/22S7c.jpg
Hers: http://i.imgur.com/KLR8Y.jpg
The overlay: http://i.imgur.com/Jk6T0.jpg

Example3...
Someone's: http://i.imgur.com/au974.jpg/
Hers: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6502794/
While she may have cited her reference in this pic, there's apparently been some controversy surrounding it. Rumor being, she never cited it until she was called out for tracing it. I've heard this from several people, but sadly I can't prove if it's true or not.

***UPDATE*** (Sat, Nov 5th, 2011) - Dipper has made a public apology on her FA account seen here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2880360
And with that, I have accepted her apology for tracing my work. I believe she's learned from this whole experience and won't turn back to tracing or taking shortcuts again. Whether her apology really is legitimate or not, the important part is she won't be foolish enough to rip people off again, especially now that people are being weary and watchful over her gallery. I didn't mean for this thing to blow up as big as it did, but I felt it was my responsibility to bring all of this to everyone's attention.

EXPLAIN: A concerned user had notified me of a commission Dipper had uploaded to FurAffinity. They said it looked like a trace of a livestream doodle I had done for a friend some time ago. I was skeptical until I saw the over-lay (shown in Example1). This is a screenshot of the full description she included in the submission: http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/friedmilk/gwiibear_commission.jpg
Nowhere did she even credit me. After some word had spread about her trace, she was quick to delete every comment left on her FA account regarding this issue.

Example 2 was presented by someone who read about the news of Dipper's tracing. Their comment was:
"It got me wondering about my partner's unfinished commissions with her (of which the WIPs have been deleted now apparently?)"

Her note to me, including my disappointed response: http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/friedmilk/dippernote1.jpg
Her reply: http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/friedmilk/dippernote2.jpg
...Which I didn't even reply to, because I had no words.
Her last note: http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/friedmilk/dippernote3.jpg
She mentions an artist with an "N" name because, according to my husband, she had noted him explaining that she traced because her commissioner, gwiibear, specifically requested she copy one of the artist's drawings. She refused to do that, but I don't know what made me the exception. I will have screenshots of these notes as soon as my husband gets free time to upload them.

All of this has made me feel rather stupid and gullible for taking part in one of Dipper's own charity auctions (Shaytalis paid her $100 for winning my slot, which is no small amount). I actually felt sorry for her. She seemed to be someone with the worst luck in the world, but at this point I no longer feel sorry for her about anything.

If she's as emotionally flustered as she claims to be, she probably shouldn't be taking on commissions if it's affecting her business practices like this (unless her commissioners enjoy being lied to and ripped off).

I had considered posting this to art_theft, but felt it more fitting to post here considering she's been doing this for commission money. Dipper is an artist I really liked until today. I may be more sore about this than others since it's my art she's been stealing, but what she's done is still rather messed up.

Comments

[gaaralover85.livejournal.com]

Wow.... just... wow.. I have no words.. I participated in one of the recent Auctions for her, and was just about to get to the sketch for the customer.. Wow... that's just made my opinion just drop of her a little more. Sad times.. :(

[magusmanx.livejournal.com]

Oh... And I liked her art too :C

[genkigami.livejournal.com]

Dipper?! Seriously?! Man, I really liked her work and looked up to her. I'm so disappointed.

[coyoteseven.livejournal.com]

Hmph, Furries.

[hazelfyrn.livejournal.com]

You say that like it's just a furry thing.

[danjiisthmus.livejournal.com]

:/ I had some suspicions. Sad they were not just paranoia. Almost makes me wish I could take back that money I made for her in one of those charity auctions.


Ugh.

[spetznas.livejournal.com]

I feel the same way Danj.

[silabub.livejournal.com]

The actual tracing and heavy-handed referencing without citing is bad enough, but that note/'apology' is what really does it for me. Tons of artists go thru 'stale' periods where the inspiration just isn't there, or else their work isn't selling as well at different periods of time. As for personal issues, we all have them. Some of us very, very serious. But never does it excuse blatant tracing and giving your commissioners unoriginal work.

Very disappointed. Inexcusable.

[purpule.livejournal.com]

Oh wow...
I had seen her work around and thought it really well done, this is exceedingly disappointing :c

[otherscape.livejournal.com]

I was going to say the evidence for tracing was flimsy until I saw that note she sent you. Tracing, or heavily referencing, someone else's work for commissions and then using a stale period as an excuse? Seriously?

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

Don't really see how it's flimsy, the muzzles and eyes line up perfectly in both while the hair and ear shapes are the main variations.

[x-thor.livejournal.com]

ohhh man so dissapointing.. i liked her art.. or should i say, i like your and other peoples art, lol..


x.x

[skittlewolf.livejournal.com]

This makes me so sad...

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

My feelings echo those who feel very disappointed. Dipper's had at least two fundraisers that I know of with a bunch of artists auctioning their skills to raise funds for her, and she shows such a lazy and morally repugnant work ethic in response. She's let down her commissioners, supporters, and all the individuals generous enough to help her out with these actions.

There's no excuse for ripping off other artists, or paying customers, like this.

[cesarin.livejournal.com]

I wonder if she will learn her lesson and fix her position. Id say its gonna be hard.. due of the amount of yessmen, whiteknights, fanboys and her boyfriend defending her hardcore.

[likeshine.livejournal.com]

i'm sure kipper didn't mean trace line for line when he said to use inspiration.

*facepalm*

edit: i removed a "to" that shouldn't have been in that sentence, i'm sorry!

[starinthegutter.livejournal.com]

Wow... totally mindblown : | and here I had respect for her... now I don't know what to think.

[plastickaiju.livejournal.com]

I will never understand why people who *can* actually draw resort to tracing, especially another artist's work, geez.

I mean... the girl can actually draw, right? Augh, this is why artists shouldn't trace, everything gets called into question. Although she does sound legitimately sorry, even if it's in a rather self-pitying way, I doubt she'll do it again. It is too bad it happened in the first place, though.

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

This. I've seen her actually DRAW and I'm shocked that she would do such a thing. idont...bahh

[zombienerd.livejournal.com]

Wow. Last year I posted on the black market, looking for people to commission. She replied to the ad, I sent the money and she eventually sent it back months later from stale period, or whatever she called it. Maybe she shouldn't be taking commissions when she has no muse to draw? At least I got the money back and not something that was traced. :|

[munemunenyo.livejournal.com]

Wow. I am so seriously disappointed.

[lackoflollies.livejournal.com]

.. I was gonna commission her too. :/

[stokerbramwell.livejournal.com]

You know, I admit, a few little things over the time I've been watching her felt like they didn't add up for me either. Perhaps it was the overwhelming amount of bad luck in such a short amount of time. I'd been giving her the benefit of the doubt, though. Ugh. *-watch*

[banrai.livejournal.com]

Furries never cease to amaze me over things like this. :|

[squirrelly-kaku.livejournal.com]

Wow... that's a huge let down. D8 ... Such a disappointment.

[thejeweledhorn.livejournal.com]

I'm sooo flabbergasted! Why would you need to trace when you have at least some portion of talent like she has?

[taasla.livejournal.com]

Dip, if you see this-

This happened. The best thing for you to do now is to just admit it happened and move forward. I don't know where it came to the point where you felt you had to do this, but take this as a swift wake up call.

I've seen you draw from start to finish. You have the talent and the ability to do this on your own and I hope that this is a one time slip up. People make mistakes and life goes on.

No matter what a commissioner may or may not want, our fellow artists should not be treated this way. It's up to you to say "no, I can't do that."

I know you can do it. <3 You'll always have us behind you.

[kesame.livejournal.com]

i feel bad for mentioning this... but adding to this, i'm a little annoyed that she keeps reselling art i made for her/her girlfriend. most people i'm fine with selling character designs they purchased from me if they need to make back the money they spent on it or whatever, but Dip seems to sell my designs for a huge profit margin... especially since some of them were gifts i made for her. it's just kind of tacky.

[dilario.livejournal.com]

I noticed that. I think the general rule with designs/adoptables is to resell for as much as you got them for or less. To try and auction them off to make more money when it's not even her work is pretty despicable, imo.

Combined with this tracing drama... I am super disappointed.

[^..^james (from livejournal.com)]

According to her FA journal (at the time I read it), Dipper is closed for commissions, but alas, she finished discussing her dissatisfaction in her studies in Law Enforcement. Law Enforcement?! Really?! Is this an example of irony or what?! I had to go and back forth to see if I was reading this right. I'm sorry, I'm neither accusing her nor trying to smear her business or education, but I wouldn't suspect any student of the legal field to trace artwork and sell it as her own.

[everainsley]

Law enforcement doesn't necessarily mean someone is well-versed in copyright law, and if she was studying it, she would more likely have been a law student.

[hellebore.livejournal.com]

No wonder she was able to pump out art that quick/high quality :\ What a shame, a real shame. :(

[sbneko.livejournal.com]

To be fair, I see A LOT of artists who do high quality work in a short amount of time, sometimes it's crazy how fast they are! While I don't think I'm amazing or anything, I can do a full color, one person picture in an hour more or less. So it's not that impossible.