I am stunned right now. Just stunned.
I found out that an artist took another artist's work, TRACED IT, painted the picture, and calls it his own original work.
I cannot believe the lack of integrity, the deceit, just everything about this totally turns my stomach. I have no idea how to handle this. Distance myself from the fraud? Keep my mouth shut?
Just unbelievable.
Replies
Using a projector to trace a smaller drawing or a photograph onto a larger surface to paint it is not, by itself, inherently wrong or unethical. For example, Leonardo da Vinci did it, using a "camera obscura", a crude form of a a projector. Many famous illustrators have used this method to piece together compositions from various sources. It is, in fact, a "normal" way of working for many painters. Look up Chuck Close, for example, who creates photographic portraits from smaller sections transferred to the larger work.
I met a painter who draws his original sketches, scans them, has them printed larger and uses that as a basis for his underpainting, before going on with various levels of color, glazes and detail work. Nothing wrong with that, either. In his case, tracing is just a method.
Using reference material as bits and pieces to create a new and original work is not unethical, either. The US Copyright Office allows derivative works in many media to be copyrighted, but there are rules governing this type of use. Many artists have created masterful works from magazine clippings, paint, drawings and other ephemera. As mixed media, the original bits are often obscured to the point of recognition. Robert Rauschenberg was a pioneer in this area. Sometimes the reference pieces are incorporated as under -drawings for a larger painted piece.
We used to do this in advertising quite a bit, before computers. We had huge clip files which we'd use to make sketches of the final idea. Usually the reference pieces were just that, reference, as it was cost prohibitive to go out and photograph the idea before the client had approved it. Several concepts were usually presented before one was chosen, so it was fruitless to move forward without a budget and an idea pre-approved.
But to copy another's work outright by tracing and then sell it as your own is wrong. No question.
Well, they can send out a cease and desist order.
This is what was suggested to me by an attorney when I had something similar happen to me. In my case, the person who did the copy decided they would not sell the item, and just put it in their home. So I never pursued.
Jim, I do the same. I have a projector that I use regularly to try out different sizes, angles, etc. I may do a small sketch to work out the kinks, then transfer it to my larger canvas. No problems with that at all. Example: today I need 4 different shapes of the same item. I printed 4 photos of the generic item, traced them, and they'll go in my work. However, the composition, the use, all of the minute details that go into my pieces are all mine. All created by me, designed by me, painted by me.
The pieces I referred to were without question copied from someone else's creation. And then had the nerve to put their name and © on it!
So my advice it to just forget it. If they are making a living selling images of some else's work they will continue to do so. Just tell your friend to make another better painting.
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