It's Okay To Copy

Hi there, Okay, for those of you who think I’m condoning copyright infringement, please see this video.

​All I’m saying is, as an artist, you don’t have to work from your imagination. Apparently so many artists, I don’t if they’re new or not, think if you used any reference, somehow it’s cheating and that just isn’t the case. Every piece of art you see here was done by looking at something and I’m not ashamed to admit that. There’s nothing wrong with working from a photo you took yourself, or one from a royalty free site, or working from a live model or nature.

​The great artists of the past did not work from their imaginations. They painted what was in front of them, whether it was a person or a landscape. Even impressionists set up their easels outside and painted the landscape that lay out before them.

​If you’re going for a realistic look, especially if you don’t know your subject very  well, feeling free to use reference is especially important, of course.

​​Now if you honestly like working from your imagination, there’s nothing wrong with that and I might even make a video about why I think working from your imagination can be good sometimes.

​I’m just saying, I don’t anyone to feel that they have to work only from their imagination or they’re not a real artist or something ridiculous like that.

That's all for now. I'll talk to you again next time.