ART THEFT [Art Block- #11]

[@Tyandaga]

Watermarks are probably the best way to stop blatant art theft ^^; Unfortunately, art theft is a reality, but it can be reduced with the help of watermarks especially ^^; Great video, Spirit! =3

[@SpiritProductionsArt]

Thanks! I agree with you on that, watermarks are probably the best way to go about protecting your art (despite being a bit invasive unfortunately), using multi-toned watermarks are probably the safer way to go since it's a lot harder to remove.

[@kaxike4152]

im so confused, did she make your avatar that you use in your videos now? or did she take yours? im confused ;-;

[@SpiritProductionsArt]

We both commissioned the same person to make our vectors, that's why they look so similar.

[@kaxike4152]

ooh, thanks for clearing that up.

[@INSOMNIAACX]

People can trace over them like if you use a program like auto desk, you can simply get an image and then add another layer, then trace the art and delete the image then the water mark

[@DailyDungeonists]

There's no way you can prevent someone from doing it except just not publicly sharing at all which defeats the purpose, but you can "back yourself up" in the case or event it happens.

[@trashman11]

Thank you for adding the "try and talk it out first" part. So many people skip this step and go straight to jumping on them only throwing fuel on the fire. And from what I've seen they're a lot more younger people doing this and they don't understand the concept of art theft.

[@kemonono]

how did i only just discover this? The video is so well put together,planned and scripted out ;^; great job, Just subbed and liked! hope to see more!

[@kapotatoe3190]

Im now the newbie c:

[@ConfettiCasket]

Remember that having your name isn't fool proof. I recently was impersonated on Amino and someone was trying to sell my art. They were pretending to be my Amela account (the name on my signatures). I had to jump trough hoops to prove I am the original Amela.

[@firefox8505]

Spirit Productions, your videos are really well made and are informative at the same time, keep up the great work! :)

[@SpiritProductionsArt]

Thank you ^^

[@lynxielynxchannel]

Thank you for making a video about this, it was really informative!

[@SpiritProductionsArt]

Certainly, I'm glad to be of help ^^

[@eve-of-halloween]

The best way I've found to help watermark a piece is to have both a transparent logo and a signature. However, how you place these is key. I always put the logo usually in the corners of the work, it's large and usually that's where a Theif will focus. However, in the body of the image I hide a signature it can be anywhere and depending on how complicated/detailed the image is a Theif will not find it easily. This makes it easy to prove it's your work because if they crop it you would know where your hidden signature is and can show it. This is a method I recommend to most people.

[@nomadicwolf6132]

Man, you have some good content. Thank you.

[@tinyleaf9182]

When i draw and add my watermark... Ppl think its not my art cuz my name on the app doesnt start with a letter that my watermark is in, i tell them that its the first letter of my name,they allways say its fake... I have to show them a speedpaint allways -_- i think i'll change my watermark to other thing

[@FoxGalahHasMovedToNewAccounts]

Those "Ship It" videos steal art! I can't believe the makers of these videos steal art for there stuff!

[@th3_pr0phecy]

I used to draw pictures from online to help me a little now im a good artist and I draw good by myself

[@peleanimationcomics3263]

When I do my art I tend to make my signature kinda match the color of the background then make it partly translucent to make it a little difficult to find it but only I know where it find it! 😎

[@damotoneko1500]

I had art of mine stolen not too long ago. I commented on their submission of it and said _'...Really mate? XD'_ But here's a surprise. Having my art stolen actually made me feel more appreciated than all those times i've spent long and hard to draw something only to get zero faves and zero comments. Kinda hurts my confidence. But someone finding that my art was nice enough for them to consider theft actually gave me a boost. Isnt it ironic or is it sad? That my confidence is that low.

[@loftikuss]

As long time artist I have to share some thoughts because I disagree with some of your points. First of all, nowadays watermarks and signatures are NO way to protect your artwork anymore. Since many still upload it even with watermark. If it gets deleted, they make a new account and upload it again. I also am the defender of art like I myself would not put a watermark over my arts and destroy my whole work and motiv just because people do something forbidden . The problem must be put on the core, not on the back of the artists. I think the best way like you pointed out is to put a signature but not easily to be seen and cropped out but to have it "flow" into the art itself. It can be hidden, on objects, even bound with the lines. That way the art is not destroyed and at the same time you always have proof its yours, I would also recommend to save a screenshot of your work process and keep it in a folder (takes less space than keeping the whole original psd or sai or csp file or whatever) s Also I however disagree with "always note them privately first" thing. It depends and you can clearly see on their profiles, if they are a ) underaged and naive , so they are not aware of that it's bad and forbidden (then you should be nice first and explain to them) , b) if its a user that is already popular for art theftl, has a lot of complaints but refuses to take things down or even claim it as their own (here you should report AND officially call out because other than pressure these people never give up) or c) if it's a company. there are many fishy companies, wether tattoo, phone suitcases or posters-who using random fanarts and arts they find on tumblr, deviantart and other social media sites and here you should report and if it won't work think of legal consequences.

[@jessicacallender]

Thx spirit! I just realized a female deer with antlers lol Ur character is Soo CUTTTEEE!!!😍

[@dragonsbanecannibal9378]

I Personally Did This When I First Joined DA Because I Didn't Know Better (I Was Like 10?)

[@cannibaldude0783]

Not sure if anyone will see this, but another tactic for art theft is to show proof of your layers. Layers are important and I would recommend saving your drawing as both png or jpeg and mdp file, so you can go back into the drawing later and the layers haven't merged- (Also thanks for the tips ^w^)

[@rosewendproductions3428]

I put my name somewhere hidden int he image, you won't know its there but I will.

[@gia_the_gamergirl4130]

Me too

[@Kiadavis88]

How do u do it?

[@artworkpending...1940]

i put i signature really close to the main focus and, if i can without ruining it, i might put it in the main focus, like in the shadow part of the hair or something. that way the thief cant simply crop it out. also i make it blend in a little so it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb

[@Chiffawndue]

I personally sign either my initials or my nickname. Another way is to just write your name on the characters as well, and I need to start doing that. Also...almost a week ago, one of my stickers was completely traced. It was non-profit, but..still upset me. It was on Amino, and I contacted team amino and they said: "I'm sorry, talk to the leader of the community." Well, guess what? The person who stole WAS the leader! I asked him about it and he banned me from the amino! The guy didn't even try to hide that he traced. He didn't try to make it into his own style or anything. No, he traced my lines pixel for pixel. And it wasn't even good tracing...he put flat colors on there that just made me cringe... oh well. Have a nice day :D

[@VALENSlO]

I put 2 names a bottom corner one and a hidden one in the drawing and since I draw fashion I put V or Valentine so people can mistake it for Valentino but it's my name and I never change it even when I am inspired by Chanel or other brands I like

[@sakuraice22]

Since I only draw on paper and I keep all of my drawings in the same place it's a bit easier to prove that it's mine if someone steals it, just need to take another picture with something else in there

[@fantasiawicca8023]

Can't find the water mark and or signature if it's hidden. Works every-time

[@lillypink2814]

As proof for your art work, take a pic of the sketch before you add all the colors, highlights and shading!

[@INSOMNIAACX]

Thanks! I’m gonna make myself a waterark

[@mariavicent1663]

I love your oc its so cute!

[@DovahCourts]

There's also another way to confront theft art, the date the art was posted

[@clowneyess2306]

One thing you can do with your signiture you can sign it against the character or anything else your draw

[@qixxie9778]

Thanks for your the tips

[@deactivatedaccount9874]

What i do is create 1-3 watermarks hidden on the artwork so it's really hard to find and doesn't affect the artwork since it's not noticeable.

[@-katsumi-1016]

is there a way to make a watermark for ibispaint I want to make a watermark because my art was stolen recently

[@ThatRoundFops]

Will article 13 change how this'll be done in future instances in any way? 🤔

[@yandereswapblueberrysans1576]

You could make a signature which the colour is very similar to the color behind it (aka the colour behind the signature) so maybe the theif will not see it and just leave it and when your artwork Is stolen you could use that signature for prove

[@remixvee]

i almost started laughing when you said "rautamiekka" bc it's finnish and i'm finnish and you pronounced it so funny but then i realized.... it's almost 2am and i am supposed to be asleep (btw rautamiekka means iron sword)

[@randomnumbers413]

Kerttu Vepsäläinen torilla tavataan

[@tetanusshot6806]

"Person or Entity" lol, what? XD

[@tetanusshot6806]

Thread Deviator don’t forget those raccoons and zombies

[@taycat34]

Probably don't want to offend people like furries/otherkin

[@nicolspony8815]

Love this! Btw that "Rautamiekka" = Iron sword

[@flyingsnowycats]

One problem I have is that I hate watermarks. Like, its a great way to prevent theft, but it just looks to unnatural and ugly. Its so sad seeing an amazing work ruined by a water mark, so I've said to myself that I'll never use a watermark... (Not like I could very easily any way since I'm a traditional artist, but I digress.) Instead, I place a little trademark some were on my piece. An example is my photo rn.

[@ToxicTwisterC]

This is great and all, but how would I know when my art is stolen when I can't find the stolen art as easily as many other people?

[@_____._..--_]

Toxic Twister C Reverse image search

[@homeboigobta1612]

i put hidden and camoflauged marks of my username on all my drawing even tho nobodys gonna steal it

[@ilikedogs3662]

rautamiekka is finnish, and means iron sword

[@perkeleensilakat476]

4:45 funniest moment of this video - person who speaks that language Torille suomalaiset

[@buniny]

I don't like watermarks on images unless you are selling prints of the image and would like to upload a high-quality image to showcase the piece. At one point I was paranoid about art theft and started putting watermarks on my work before realizing how unappealing it makes it. Also, even after just a year or two of messing with Photoshop (several years ago), I could edit out almost everything (watermarks, people, etc.). Like you said, the best protection is to not upload. Which is why I keep my most personal characters off of the internet. But, if you do want to showcase your art, sign it at the bottom left or right. Also, my grandma, who is a fine artist, will put a hummingbird somewhere in her paintings (usually very tiny and unnoticeable) so that if anyone decided to pain over her signature, she could still prove the art was made by her. I recommend something like this if you are doing something complex like a background. If the art is digital it would be even easier to hide sinc eyou can drop the opacity and if you're using it as proof in the fuure, you can ramp up the opacity in the orriginal file to show the loction.

[@boxxycat]

My art is ugly, so no one will want to steal it 😅

[@ranchsoda2121]

Your art is fine how it is, and you will eventually improve ❤

[@AlphaTengua]

Say that if it makes you feel better and calms you down but i said the same with something else and lo-and-behold ....Someone "stole" it! then a person i didnt even know found me and told me and im just like ty for the honor! :) i worked very hard on it blabla and replied to all her praising comments the same way so they KNEW it was mine. but i wasnt flipping my shit.

[@peksioart6706]

4:52 the person is Finnish and the name is translated to iron sword

[@TheKoskish]

Stumbled on to this video randomly; and to you artists; metadata. Embed a link to your portfolio and name in the very data of the image. In photoshop go under File and hit up File Info (shortcut Alt+Shft+Ctrl+I). Saving this to the metadata of the image will mean that even if they mess around with it and crop out your signature or watermark, or resize it, your metadata is still in there! I use it for most of my larger pieces.

[@axaytthenightsoulfox]

Doing a watermark it quite good but after putting the watermark , why not putting a hidden signature in the background of the drawing that is hardly notice and only the artist would know about it that way if the watermark got removed , the small secret signature is still there and you can take it back easily by showing the hidden signature :3

[@sickdemon8697]

I take poses from pinterest but before on instagram i didnt say credit to the pose creator but now i do say credit to the pose creator because people work hard and i dont know the peoples instagram

[@funfettiiz]

i try to hide my signature somewhere on my art. i also sign it in japanese so that its harder to tell what it is :D

[@bluesdoodle3302]

showing your work in art is important too just FYI

[@pikkukettu]

I always sign my artwork with my actual name because I never know if I want to change my username. I also discovered that I can hide copyright information to the file. Just search "How to add metadata in photoshop", there should be tutorials out there. You should check it out!

[@DailyDungeonists]

THAT is what iv'e been looking for! i knew big shots did it. some make the file itself unable to be right clicked and download. Thank you! [and im the same except i think real hard and get dead set on usernames but not irl name - im not sure if im just gonna keep my ugly birthe name or change it to something else for reasons]

[@jell_bell]

One of my ex-bestfriends stole one of my notebooks, traced the art, and convinced everyone that it was her own. What should I do?

[@pomegranatejuice3357]

Oof Precious Gaming you should tell her to draw something in front of everyone :D And then she will say no, then do whatever you want >:) art thieves deserve to die

[@jell_bell]

Shiba Neko_07 Thanks for the advice. I'll be sure to try it! And I do agree, all art thieves deserve to die!

[@axelthealpha8147]

Get a better friend. My friend did the same thing, but her lie didn’t go far since everyone actually knew what her drawing skills looked like.

[@ZredArts]

I have a problem. Im not very noticed, and my arts skills are pretty good. One time a noticed artist stole one of my drawings, even if i reclamed it they're all atacked me, saying that "someone with that poor popularity wont do that amazing art" and that's why i quit DVart

[@katkot8262]

Ooo.... I didn't know that if I use a drawing I like that is not mine as profile picture is art theft. Gotta search the original artist and credit them.

[@oogaboogahh7050]

wait this picture is my oc and it was fanart on skecth sooooo is it stealing or showing them u love it way to much

[@hubiuurgisjy8666]

How do you add watermarks?

[@cosmosuniverse5986]

So what about commissions you pay for? When does post that on your own account theft? I know if I would sale it theft...well I would call it theft. So what is too far, because it feels like a grey line before you would call it stealing. I all ways make sure to post the credit in the description, when I re-post it. Just wanted to know your thought.

[@SpiritProductionsArt]

Personally speaking, I believe any time you commission an artist you should ask permission before re-uploading it anywhere or using it on any form of products. Even just re-uploading the picture to your profile can drag likes and views away from the product, and even with credit not everyone is going to be willing to follow the actual artist. Admittedly there is a bit of a grey line, however you also need to keep in mind that whenever you plan to use your commission for any form of profit that the artist should also have proper royalties paid to them in consideration with the fact that you'll be making money off of their artwork.

[@cosmosuniverse5986]

Thanks for taking the time to reply to this. It means a lot that you replied.

[@SpiritProductionsArt]

Certainly ^^

[@AlphaTengua]

It really depends on purchase agreements. This a problem on things like DA cuz people rarely do it (you need a "Digital form") think about netflix they don't half/ or any of the shit they post but yet they post it and make money off streaming it. It is because they paid to get these "Rights" it's basically being a share holder. They don't get the full rights IE if they posted a disney movie , that's still disneys. But someone can sell you FULL rights like in the sense we do with O.Cs sometime. Once they sell you that full rights and you send the money that's it. It's yours. No one else can complain. but if u dont have proof of those "rights" people can still complain also did you know giving an Unconditional gift (say i gave u a plushie "cuz i love you") then trying (or doing so) to take it back (with or without asking) is legally technically theft? (unless i guess its "gifted" back but still "indian giving - not sure why its called that its kind of offensive since the NATIVES were nice...and we stole from them.) you should always credit link back etc no matter what though. so yeah, unless there's a blant purchase agreement/digital form: ask

[@Sokolva]

I find this question really interesting, because I've seen other artists say sometimes in their Terms of Service for commissions that even if the person pays for the commission, they aren't allowed to reupload that commission on their account. To me, this seems like it devalues the commission, and seems to detract from what a commission actually is. The way I view it at least, someone is paying for the artwork in order to own that image of it, even if they do not own the rights to that image. To use an analogy, if deviantart was a giant gallary filled with artist originals instead of digital art, and people commissioning were buying a piece from the artist and taking it home with them, would it be fair for the artist to say that the new owner of that painting isn't allowed to display the art in their own home? The same risk is true here of course, because when random family members and friends come into their home and admire the art, it is highly unlikely that they will seek out the artist even if they did know their name. I don't see how this is so different in a digital translation. Someone purchases a piece of digital artwork from an artist, and hangs it in their digital house, their deviant profile page, facebook, instagram, etc. The reason people value digital art is sometimes because they want to be able to display art that is beautiful to them created by their favorite artists. If clients who pay for art and support artists cannot even display this art without bothering the artist, especially if they accredit the artist (which most people who take commissions do, because they take pride in having had that artist create the work), then doesn't this very much take away from the value of the art, or the uses for it? What else can that person do with a piece of digital art they commissioned, aside from using it as a screensaver or desktop background that no one will see? I should also say that I don't think its ever acceptable for someone to take a commission and make money off of it by mass-printing it or selling it online, because this is a kind of fraud, and many large companies do this, stealing work from artists they didn't commission or pay at all and printing tons of t-shirts and mugs for profit. But I don't see how artists can feel it is logical to ask people who pay them money to draw art for them digitally to then not display that art in any way. After all, the client has paid the artist for the work they performed, and given them money for their labors that the artist themselves agreed on, so whether or not people are drawn from that painting being displayed to follow the artist is no longer the object. The art's purpose is no longer to be a self-advertisement for the artist (even though it often is) but rather to serve as a piece of art for the person who fairly paid for it to enjoy, much like a painting they would hang in their own home.

[@Scarakuku]

4:48 Im pretty sure, that he/she id fron finland. His name means Iron sword :)

[@franktidepod8724]

your avatar is cute as hell

[@pegasuster]

4:45 "Rautamiekka" basically means "iron sword" in finnish. :p Suomi mainittu, torilla tavataan. 8)

[@nomadicwolf6132]

Did you ever wind up making an Amino?

[@lemivu]

I always put watermarks on my work

[@chellienguyen6865]

I always put my name on art.

[@crystalvitagliano6381]

I just make my signature hidden, and basically impossible to remove. Although I doubt anyone wants my art.

[@idiotgoddess2114]

How to avoid art theft without water mark with just one step - Step 1: make the your art as Lowe quality as possible Congratulations! People who steal your art will not claim your art as there own thanks to low quality and people who stole your art will make very little money

[@hubiuurgisjy8666]

I hate art thieves... people steal my art from my bigger accounts and it’s discouraging me from drawing...

[@pastelkittenaj8093]

What if I wanna have a picture from google and its a picture that's art!!! From google and I don't know if i can have or not

[@cosmicreef5858]

umm obvious fact: One of life's goal is to be the BEST of you!! Uploading art that u did not give yourself to is just poinbtless. makes the whole thing pointless So no,that is no option.

[@SherlockPL]

Your avatar is reminding me of someone else :0

[@hewocutepanda3639]

We all know who is the art thief. Cristali

[@vanilla_uwu6938]

I have an idea for making it at least a little easier to get people to believe that ur art actually is urs, have Easter eggs, things that are popular on Ur site ect

[@lgrozdanovic769]

The rate of art theft may be reduced by watermarks as the lazy ones will give up.

[@lgrozdanovic769]

You might also hide your username, signature, ect. in the details of your drawing (they probably won't see it).

[@kyokikitsune5873]

i usually put my signature on the character in a slightly different color from the character not like it matters though cause I'm not famous lol

[@280sanja]

watermarks wont wokr as well as People think since some School out right lean you how to get ride of them

[@Pandoratheseedrian]

280sanja but it can stop the lazier ones, those who don't want to edit anything out

[@Ascenis929]

But watermarks just make the art ugly. also people just give art thieves ideas to remove the watermark.

[@Neko-zn9ps]

Um I do traditional art *shrugs*

[@chellienguyen6865]

And my profile picture I drew it I promise search Search my profile picture I did not copy it

[@brokencreationlordmegatrol3037]

My art got stolen and put onto mugs and kids tshirts in mexico..... I draw NSFW huge boobied anthro ladies btw....

[@austyn1061]

I like how you purposely traced Tyandaga to show your point XD

[@meevins]

What are you on about? Are you talking about her character sprites? if so those are not traced. Tyandaga didn't make them, he comissioned an artist to make them for him. She just happened to comission the same person who used the same base model...which is why they look so similar-

[@iceblade7789]

GTArto

[@MegaBleedman]

Not posting your artwork to counter art theft is the most idiotic suggestion I have ever heard. Creativity and insecurity don't go well together. If you're too worried about having your art stolen you will never go anywhere. How do you deal with art theft? Deal with it. It happens. Many great artists end up successful because they were focused on improving their craft, post it online, get criticism, improve some more, get better and get noticed by companies and get hired. Instead of wasting their time making watermarks, looking out for art thieves, arguing, making drama and making videos about how to fight art theft. It's pathetic.

[@FroggyArtStudio]

Always sign and/or watermark your work, to say you shouldn't is foolish and amateur.

[@ashleyquesenberry9029]

Mhm I use to be a art thief when I was smaller but I didn’t know I was doing it