DC Artist Caught TRACING Artwork...And Using AI | Francesco Mattina

This wasn't the first time Francesco Mattina has been exposed for tracing, or at least HEAVILY referencing art from other artists
Original thread: x.com/nebsgood...
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[@RobertStoll]

I kind of miss the days of Butch Heartman tracing. It was so much easier when people's forgery was more obvious

[@haveidonethisbefore]

Butch Hartman didn't trace though,he just heavily referenced someone else's art

[@RobertStoll]

@@haveidonethisbefore Right. That's what they're calling it nowadays?

[@DragowonDeez]

@@RobertStoll tracing vs heavily referencing is different though tracing implies you put the imagine down and one for one drew over it you can still block out an exact pose and copy it one for one while changing the character etc When i started learning how to draw comic book characters it's what i did. Took old comic books and drew them one for one down to the last detail but changing the characters design etc. of course as a professional artist this isn't an excuse for being lazy and outright replicating someone's art but that's a moral grey area. Just look up DTIYS and you'll find some perfect examples of what I mean

[@RobertStoll]

@@DragowonDeez I don't think Butch Heartman should have been selling artwork then used a beginner crutch. It's all well and good to use that kind of direct reference to learn. It's another to monetize traced works.

[@superservo2501]

I never heard of butch stealing art work where do you get this info? And if you have time can you tell me pics he traced I used to be a huge butch fan ​@@RobertStoll

[@DatHoasi]

Another side note for the Batman with a gun, the guns are exactly the same, it’s just the butt of the gun has more detail. Not to mention both Batman and Punisher have the same pistol on the left thigh

[@Dave102693]

I’ve noticed that as well.

[@MadCloudEon]

For beginning artest, I would like to specify that tracing figures is OKAY to learn anatomy and make your figures look more realistic. Tracing other peoples art is a different matter. You can find free images online of people posing for your reference.

[@botarakutabi1199]

I honestly don't think tracing actually helps you learn. You aren't learning why things looks the way they do, just how to copy things. Doing studies of images is better than tracing them. Put the image beside your canvas and look at it to copy, not under your current layer. You learn how to build images that way. Especially if you study other peoples art, that allows you to understand why they made the artistic decisions they did. Instead of just copying without any study or analysis.

[@MadCloudEon]

@botarakutabi1199 True, thank you for further clarifying. I did not intend to suggest that tracing from reality in of itself will help you learn anatomy. I assumed most people tracing would also study the figure while doing it - I can see where the misunderstanding might have happened. Yes, when tracing, it is a good idea to also study your figure rather than just using the image. However, if you do intend to trace from an image, there is nothing wrong with that other than the fact that you will not be learning anything.

[@ovgem]

​@@botarakutabi1199tracing the image first then trying to reproduce it without tracing is helpful.

[@botarakutabi1199]

@@ovgem Personally, I don't think the former is required. I think you can actually learn more from the study and reproduction without tracing first or at all. Your brain starts to think about the form and construction, instead of just reproducing lines. At least my brain does.

[@ovgem]

@@botarakutabi1199 everyones brains are different! thats just what helps me when i have no idea where to start. i get an idea of what the drawing would look like if it was "correct"

[@faffrdgaming]

So wait. Everyone would be ok with this if say, I drew X in the style of X artist (like EVERYONE does, this is how art works, especially when you are learning), and then train the model to use those pictures? I'm gonna call shenanigans. Everyone is up at arms with AI because they really don't know how it works, think anyone can just jump in and create GREAT images ALL time by rolling your face on the keyboard. When a non-artist person uses an art tool to do something, its not going to be good because they have no concept of art theory, composition, etc. All AI is, is a tool. Like a camera. Anyone can pick up a camera and take a picture. Doesn't make it good. Take an artist, train them to use the camera, GREAT pictures. I'm also sure that these images isn't what is called traditional tracing. Looks to be image to image with a high denoising strength.

[@billmacp]

Excellent video thanks 👏🏻

[@ChromosomeExcel]

companies don't care if there artist are using AI or tracing because the companies themselves are taking shortcuts.. Using AI themselves..etc. As long as the artwork looks amazing. Which by me looking at it. It does. People will buy them. Morals or where the art comes from don't matter to the consumer. If it matter... people wouldn't be buying brand shoes and clothes. Since we know they are made under slave wages and child worker etc from other countries. It sucks but suck it up. This is the industry.

[@botarakutabi1199]

And it will be that way as long as there's an ownership class controlling everything.

[@RawrX32009]

If you think ai "art" looks good you're just delusional and/or lying to yourself and everyone else

[@Rin-qj7zt]

i hate to break it to you, but that first piece you showed was not traced. it was referenced. the lines fall very short of being matched up, and the lengths of limbs as well. it's more likely he did a solo reference, which is poor, yeah, but the only argument one can conjure against him for that instance is that the artist he referenced from owns the pose seen from that angle, which is a ridiculous argument. yeah, it's low quality art. no, it's not stolen. yeah, it's not his idea. no he shouldn't be punished for depicting it in his own words. shallow though they may be. bringing this into professional practice should be frowned upon, sure, but it's damaging to the art community to call artwork that is clearly not traced, traced. there is a huge difference between tracing (recreating an image) and just drawing the same pose using your own drawing skill and observation. the latter is not bad or unethical. it's just low quality and DC should probably consider replacing him.

[@ELFSAR]

I wonder if it is simply down to speed and money? Maybe DC see’s more profit buy commissioning a larger sum of covers for less money? Hard to say as it is not disclosed how much the artist makes per issue or the rate of speed he produces the covers. I imagine DC likes a high rate of speed, consistency and reliability of deadlines. I am not excusing the practice of art theft. Far from it (I have had many pieces stolen from me, myself). The use of AI is a tricky one. I think using it as a tool for reference is very powerful but there is definitely a fine line that should not be crossed. You are right that Francesco crosses it a little too often.

[@baggelissonic]

Here's exactly what's going to happen. These comics will start circulating with his 3 AI generated covers. If they sell well, the higher-ups will applaud his cost efficient method of creating art behind the doors. If they don't sell well, DC will make a public statement on twitter saying that "art needs a human touch" or some other cheesy bs. They will also just advise the artist to avoid using AI in the near future.

[@WaffelWuffel]

Bro, youre a professional artist, you dont need to steal other's work, you CAN do it yourself. I just dont understand how insecure you should be to not believe that you can produce high quality art by yourself when you literally work for DC

[@BurntGrilledChezze]

Now I know who to avoid when buying comics. The biggest reasons why I get comics is 1, my dad loves it. So it’s a nice thing to bond over and 2, the art. And no way I’m gonna buy art from an artists who steals and uses ai when they have the ability to draw in their own. Dude is a disgrace to comic book artists. And just artists in general.

[@RobertStoll]

Avoid DC, Marvel, and anything associated with Hasbro at this point

[@BurntGrilledChezze]

@@RobertStoll ehh until there’s proof they all do this with ALL their artwork, im still gonna get it. I will not go based off assumptions, rather evidence.

[@cantdecideausername8584]

Shame we have to worry about this even with comics now 😔

[@fakeartgoddess_]

@@solarydays proof... ?

[@naraku971]

@@BurntGrilledChezze There's a guy named Greg Land that built his entire career off tracing porn and Sports illustrated Magazine covers, and I'm pretty sure has been sued for plagiarism multiple times. Former pros dunk on his ass all the time, he's also apparently a massive piece of shit.

[@Silver77cyn]

Tracing AND using Ai, that’s a double jeopardy of shitty image creation.

[@knessing7681]

before ai, these quickie artist were kit bashing, which is also a big no no for a finish product/image .... but okay when you're brainstorming or concepting stage of the process. that what he use to do when he was doing covers for Marvel, the war machine covers are the ones in question.

[@invisibl3.]

What’s wrong with this i don’t understand it’s just using it as reference

[@Silver77cyn]

@@knessing7681 If you need Ai to brainstorm, you don't have much of a brain to imagine a creative beautiful piece of artwork, and have no business being an artist, unless you come up with a completely crazy piece that you need an Ai to help you create the concept for the artwork.

[@ehyzen]

@@invisibl3. did u rly watch the whole video and still comment this

[@invisibl3.]

@@ehyzen after watching the whole video none of the points were coming together. You can use other images/art for references. Artists only own what they made… if another artists creates another piece of art and recreates something else… it’s not stealing

[@KAZUUUUMOM]

Learning how to draw in decades then proceed to trace 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@subratanandy2142]

Picasso said something about great artists outright stealing... He would know....

[@sighmoonsays]

i guess work smarter not harder😂

[@PTHYTQV]

Pst, ill let you in on a secret: comics artists are constantly tracing and copying older works, and they were doing it this whole time)

[@KAZUUUUMOM]

@@PTHYTQV lol that's why some of the art work just feels the same 🤭

[@PTHYTQV]

@@KAZUUUUMOM motto of comix industry was formulated by Wally Wood a long time ago: "Never draw anything you can copy, never copy anything you can trace, never trace anything you can cut out and paste up." It was always about speed and efficiency.

[@Zedkah1]

the guy traces the weirdest thing also why recreating the most useless details of the artwork like the shape of the amunition and floating teeth this is so weird

[@Ty-1452]

Yeah, I died at the floating teeth !!! Like, why doesn't he trace the big, important shapes, and maybe put random floating teeth somewhere else ! That way he could say he didn't trace because the floating teeth are in a different spot.

[@hugoamorim7151]

It's pretty obvious that the artist thinks it will pass unoticed and they might get away with it

[@lordzedd9453]

He's only defeating himself really, making money literally wasting the little talent he has.

[@RobertStoll]

Reminds me of speedrunners who can play the game well but opt for cheating.

[@katliente]

no literally!! just why do they do that 😭

[@RobertStoll]

​​​@@katlientein speedrunning it's because of the competition. Glory is achieved by getting milestones and records, and that only comes legitimately after a lot of time and practice. Often times there are rivalries, status, and cash prizes on the line. So all in all those who can, but can only get so close, can use their knowledge to "get" those milestones "first." Just like in art you get content farmers. In speedrunning, for example, Dream consistently needs to put out content, at a pace that is often unattainable. Which is why they feel the need to cut corners

[@viiranen]

speedrunning is very different thing though. it can take massive amounts of skill and knowledge to execute glitches, bugs or exploits in some games. it takes dedication, sometimes thousands of hours to perfect a run for a game youve been running. it takes knowledge and theory crafting to figure out the most optimal route to the end. there are also different categories, like any% which basically means "any means necessary to finish game", there are glitchless runs and 100% completion speedruns. there are all different kinds of speedruns for basically every game out there. with speedrunning; it's not about finishing the game once the fastest way possible. if it was, it would be so much more easier for people who speedrun to just play the games once and never again. instead speedrunners usually spent dozens if not hundreds of hours on a game they are running. it's usually a way for people who enjoy the game after completing it. push the game to it's limits and see what is possible for either human limits or the limits of the game code. it's fascinating. you dont have to understand it, but that's the way with people. we like different things. and anyway, there are cheaters in speedrunning spheres as well. like pre-recording a run and pretending to have done it live. using TAS(tool assisted speedrun) tools. or editing together a fake or splintered run. using mods. other such things which are not tolerated. if you want to think about it, it is all a kind of e-sport(though i dont think the word fits really). it is not for everyone, and there are different reasons why different people like it. sorry, this got away from me. not everyone knows as much about speedruning as people i talk to usually, so i can see why people would see it the way you do. but just, it sounds so rude me to compare speedrunners to cheaters? emotional response to something that is important to me, but that doesnt affect me. sorry about this

[@RobertStoll]

​@@viiranendifferent in the sense it is a competition, yes. However the time element and skill element aren't that much different

[@vampiricvitya]

@@viiraneni don’t think they were trying to compare speedrunners to cheaters. the point they were trying to make was that skilled people can still cheat their way into doing something, whether it’s artists who can draw but still use ai or speedrunners who can execute frame-perfect exploits but still splice their runs.

[@Delicioushashbrowns]

leaving the superman S messed up like that is audacious 🤣

[@Julia-gb3mb]

It doesn't even look like an s it looks like a mario kart circuit

[@KouD3Graw]

I feel like what sucks the most ass about ALL OF THIS... DC knows. There are people that work that that approve this and will look the other way just to sell covers. Just to sell issues. Integrity < Profit. Who knows how much he's even paid at that. He could be paid much cheaper than someone that actually makes art at this level. This guy is hired time and time and time again because they know the mass public is HIGHLY ignorant of art and detail. They just see "damn this looks amaaaazing". It'll take them at least 30 looks at it to notice anything wrong with it.

[@PTHYTQV]

Dude, comics industry was always a low pay job for artist. Tracing and copying are widely used there.

[@gkdair1413]

Rob Liefeld can't draw to save his life but he was one of the most popular artist at Marvel for one reason : Speed. Dude could crank out drawings like no tomorrow and always met deadlines. At the end of the day, that's what these companies care about. Speed & efficiency. Who cares if you don't know how to draw feet, or hands, or basic anatomy, can you get me a cover by the end of day?

[@Daniel__Nobre]

@@gkdair1413yeah, that is why most of the jobs in this area will be replaced by AI as soon as companies feel they can do the gradual shift without public outcry. Crazy thing is that this dude is shooting himself in the foot as well, like with a shotgun. As soon as they don’t need him - and he is speeding that up - they may just say bye to him. They may even promote him or reward him, but with the objective in the long run of accelerating the usage of AI to kick him out eventually. Btw I find it funny because these companies don’t understand they are cannibalising themselves as well. Eventually everyone will have access to AI models where they’ll just ask directly to create a Superman story with the specifics they like. And DC or whatever company won’t be able to block that, even if they try legally.

[@XxThanataxX]

Damn, does Francesco Mattina have a personal vendetta against people who work at Sideshow Collectibles? Aw, did this wittle ‘artist’ didn’t get into Sideshow Collectibles or did one of them just said he was stinky? [ this comment is sarcastic btw. ]

[@magieenvtuber9783]

I was once accused of using AI for drawing the thing where tie goes under bending in the wrong direction. LIKE THAT'S A THING AI WOULD EVEN DO, flame me for eyes being different, since i forgot to do bottom highlight in one eye that i did in other in pinkish color. It's something i insta spotted myself after looking at it after a break from looking at it, as many more things i could have done better tbh xd

[@vladokraljevic4873]

I am capable to draw almost anything I want, but I will do anything to do it as easy as possible becouse I am not paid enough and don't have time for low paid jobs...

[@magieenvtuber9783]

@@vladokraljevic4873 Art is pretty high paid job if you have patreon and do NSFW

[@vladokraljevic4873]

@@magieenvtuber9783 It's not if you live where I do...

[@TransientWitch]

Honestly, I think a really good response to people trying to counter your dislike of AI would be to say that the machine's "mistakes" are, unless you fed your own artwork into the machine and had it only use that, just another thing that has been stolen from an actual person's work. Meaning that not only did the people who made the machine steal people's good artwork, they also stole those people's mistakes. Part of their identity. There is so much wrong with AI art generation, and that's just one part of it: the process itself steals people's whole artistic identity, even their human error.

[@darkzeroprojects4245]

Sadly people will justify that most are dead or they have millions of views or it isn't original to begin with.

[@cinamoonmoon5166]

is less about the mistake and more about the logic behind it

[@Antnj81]

I don't believe it's forgery when you're mimicking the poses of other art, however he does go too far with some of this where it just looks flat out like the same thing. Poses are poses, you can't really claim those because those are interchangeable, but the little details that he also included that were matching the source is absolutely teetering on plagiarism, if not a good look

[@Darklucariorox]

This man uses sooo many other pieces. He's basically a copy-paste of great creatives who dont know he's latched on and leeching off em.

[@tyrawr4394]

1:10 WHAT piece!!?

[@Donminiac-OFFCIAL]

Can we get mucho higher

[@cinderivy]

​@@Donminiac-OFFCIALSo high...

[@savage7882]

*IT'S REAL*

[@Absbor]

kat, we already know at this point you make fun of ai images not human artists. the people who say otherwise are haters.

[@katliente]

i have to say it bc not everyone has seen my other videos 😅

[@Absbor]

@@katliente true. I watched only your most recent videos and i got the message. If people stilk like you're hating on beginner artist ; it just weird.

[@CalvinChikelue]

Straight up! Anyone who doesn’t have the ability to recognize Kat’s nuance when she talks about the abuse of AI Art is someone choosing to be deliberately dishonest & disingenuous.

[@BlackMetalShred]

🎉​@@CalvinChikelue

[@Hatsune-Miku_Fan]

Reminds me I despise when artists use AI AI is stealing from US and you, as an artist Is USING IT???? SERIOUSLY??? Not only that, you got talent too, JUST WHY

[@darkzeroprojects4245]

I despise when anyone does. Not even using their own work

[@markcooperartcomofficial]

To save time. That's why.

[@Fytyny]

If you ever had to draw hundreds different artworks in a month you would know why. The guy will most likely be kept, because he is fast

[@botarakutabi1199]

@@Fytyny Yeah, a lot of people don't realize AI itself isn't the enemy, it's the circumstances that make AI so tempting for artists on a time crunch. Under capitalism, the only thing that matters is how profitable you are. So ofc the artists that use tools that allow them to put out material much much faster are going to get the jobs over artists who won't

[@GlassesnMouthplates]

What I don't get is, with all the widely posable action figures available out there, I'm surprised that there are still "professionals" who'd rather trace someone's artwork to achieve the desired poses instead of using a pose model. Also, if there's one good thing I learned from this fiasco, it is how Sideshow Collectibles have all the talented artists and gorgeous art and sculpt works.

[@markcooperartcomofficial]

Using a model is too slow.

[@reginaldforthright805]

@@markcooperartcomofficialok thief

[@heavy5013]

0 respect for anyone calling themselves an artist using AI and tracing other people's work.

[@PTHYTQV]

If you are against tracing, you can confidently dismiss the whole comics industry, including all the top names there. It was always as Wally Wood formulated: "Never draw anything you can copy, never copy anything you can trace, never trace anything you can cut out and paste up." Comics is a low paid job, and to live of it you need to produce a LOT, and FAST.

[@invisibl3.]

Litterally not a big deal

[@heavy5013]

@invisibl3. You're not doing the work with either. It's lazy and stealing other's work. And the more people use AI in the art industry, the more they give companies reason to replace real artists.

[@invisibl3.]

@@heavy5013 I don’t think AI will ever stop creating art at this point. Also isn’t using images that people made like references. The person who take those images use it but still create their own art and draw it themselves.

[@heavy5013]

@invisibl3. There's a difference between a reference and tracing. And using AI to create work isn't the individual creating the work. The more people use and feed AI the more they give companies a reason to stop hiring real artists.

[@R0NINnoodles]

Side-show Side-show Side-show Side-show Side-show Side-show Side-show Side-show Side-show.....Not Slide show....they're not a powerpoint company

[@wacky25]

I was so annoyed every time she couldn’t read SIDE show right.

[@eucolecionodinossauros]

@@wacky25 same

[@daribluestar7752]

SIDEshow Collectibles.

[@wacky25]

I swear as a collector it was so frustrating she couldn’t read SIDEshow right. Guess Peanut brain couldn’t read properly over all that yapping

[@DazzlingAction]

Now this is unethical tracing at it's worst... I guess we can now freely use the comic book covers on our own because ai can't be copyrighted...

[@yukichan177]

while true. the thing is AI use copyrighted art which means all "art" it spits belongs to the unfortunate artists whos work ended up being eaten by the AI

[@markcooperartcomofficial]

@@yukichan177 So if the ai steals from you then you can steal from it to get even.

[@devolays]

If A steals from B, can you legally steal from A and keep the thing? No, it still belongs to B. If you take it, you must return it, otherwise you're a thief too. Same with AI copyrights. AI can't be copyrighted, but also can't be copied and claimed as your own.

[@vikingshark2634]

I left the freelance art industry decades ago, when digital art was in its infancy. Deadlines and a huge workload have always been a thing, and there have always been time-saving tricks , hacks and downright cheating. But this is theft, and the internet exists. That's a whole 'nother level of visibility, and career suicide.

[@cloudb.1071]

This video is amazing! You have great observational skills. I've realized that people with no artistic skills approve of AI "art" and love it, regardless of its theft from other artists, whereas real artists hate it because real pieces of art take a lot of time, skill, and patience to create, which makes AI "art" very wrong and unfair.

[@stealthynaxo]

I have a complicated story with references. To me are fine AS LONG AS: A-You cite them. B- Make them distinct enough. (Have a similiar background but different details to make it unique like how Star Wars referenced Days of Future Past Cover or All Hail Megatron did with Spider Man No More. C- Be upfront about it. Tweet about it. "Hey guys in the next cover we are paying homage to *BLANK*" I stopped buying variant covers mainly because tracking them is a pain and sometimes expensive. But I'll definately be on the look out for this guy so I dont end up supporting him. Thnx Kat.

[@BeUYT1]

I study at a company and I was shocked to keep getting told that in the corperate world, they just dont have the time. Its a race against time and when making covers and posters etc they take existing elements etc etc and use AI. You dont get to take forever when working for clients etc

[@JeskidoYT]

especially after covid times; gotta speed up processes to recoup from the losses of back then, and losses of some customers no longer able to afford

[@conspiracypanda1200]

So they make a worse product to cash in on what was supposedly lost, and when they catch up to that invisible red line of profit once missed they will continue to produce AI and traced works because they've already normalised pushing out a low effort product for the price of what actual, human-made art should be? Lame.

[@PTHYTQV]

You clearly never had much interest in the workings of a comics industry). It was the race against time from the very beginning. Basically the industry artists motto was formulated by legendary Wally Wood: "Never draw anything you can copy, never copy anything you can trace, never trace anything you can cut out and paste up."

[@BeUYT1]

@PTHYTQV when did I ever say I agreed with what I was told? I stated that they keep drilling this shit onto us. People IN THIS FIELD... yikes 👀

[@Rose_Bride]

The most discouraging thing about this type of theft is how little most non-artists seem take this seriously. I've seen threads full of (non-artists) complaining that "art theft isn't a thing" and telling the artist that they should be "flattered" that people "like their art enough to copy it." Honestly it's absolutely infuriating. And this case is especially confusing considering the fact that this guy apparently has the talent to just draw this stuff himself. That suggests that he is literally JUST being lazy.

[@Tharros95]

Francesco Matina is a well known art swiper in the comic industry so I'm not surprised that he used AI.

[@This-is-a-commentt]

If there’s actually Anybody who says the first is a “coincidence” unironically then they are basically lying to themselves

[@DocReasonable]

Fascinating, thanks for this analysis ... but it's Sideshow, not Slideshow.

[@kazukezu]

i love your hairrr omg

[@katliente]

hehe tyy!! :D

[@NorthInium]

Just an FYI 3:30 thats not the magazine thats the Sling of the gun, he didnt even draw a mag thats obscurred. In addition in the art of 3:30 you can also see the Hand of Batman seems to have more than 5 fingers xD the Hand is way to thick (seems like AI was used) I hope Rito gets this guy in a lawsuit or something ^^

[@Firelava88.]

I love watching your videos sm 😭

[@katliente]

awwwh that means so much 🥹

[@Wraith26]

Once upon a time getting a job in comic books took talent and editors did there job and where competent.

[@GiuseppeGaetanoSabatelli]

Food Service: You're 8 minutes late to work three times, you're fired. Retail: You accidentally accepted a $1 tip from a customer, you're fired. Warehouse: You leaned a pallet up or blocked a fire extinguisher that we don't even authorize you to use anyways, you're fired. This guy: You repeatedly steal work and cheat at your job? Hm. We'll see if the backlash impacts sales.

[@botarakutabi1199]

Corps like the AI because it can allow them to pay less artists to put out more content. It's the reason AI is so harmful to artists.

[@arechikitsune]

mmm. Is this different than the practice the comic industry has done since the 70's were they would purchase pose templates and reuse. which results in a lot of comics having the same exact pose being used? Its just that I had seen a lot of videos on this years ago way before all this ai stuff.

[@aloraeback-vt1ck]

The difference for me is the fact that they bought those materials for that purpose, and used it as a reference multiple times. The difference between that and tracing is that the artist did not consent to have their work copied and are not receiving compensation for their time and effort.

[@cisuminocisumino3250]

Many of those artists never even purchased the rights to use some of their references, so it's kinda similar in my opinion. I also think there's a difference between tracing for reference and guideline purposes, and copy-paste tracing. I think it's ridiculous to copyright basic and natural shapes that are common in nature. For instance if somebody isn't good at drawing outlines and they use an image of a horse to get the basic shape and outline of a horse, but create a completely different expression/image than the reference image. there's nothing wrong with that in my opinion. I also find it a bit comical given the fact that most of the well known and respected artists actually trace sometimes, but people pretend like it's some abomination or taboo to trace. tracing is only bad if you're copy-pasting the entire concept and image.

[@Bocaj-jb9er]

At 3:07 ，I think he only imitate the posture of holding a gun. But he did not just copy from the original artist ，the lighting ，shape ，form and background of his art work are created by himself. I think there is a difference between imitating and stealing which at 3:25 he only use the posture as an reference but at 5:59 ，he is literally copying the flowing teeth and broken jaw from others which is unforgivable. In general， humans learn by imitate other so that the can understand it and creates something similar their own .However ，making money by purely copying is another thing.

[@Reriiru]

Comics have always been the lowest possible artistic medium. Tracing is not just tolerated in that medium, it's STANDARD. I don't see any issue with using AI there what so ever.

[@jikoos]

dissapointing as heck

[@simonbullows]

I don't think it matters, I've done concept art for Marvel and Disney of Hulk and Cinderella. It was back before Ai was even a thing. It's just a tool though, especially in concept and production I really don't think it matters.

[@JJG369]

Bruh… This is so old and tired. Just like samples in music production. People that pay, if they pay, do not care. All u do is let someone else live rentfree in ur head instead of focusens on ur craft. Dont hate the player, play the game. Integrity doesnt pay. U wanna make art or money?

[@sergio1991M]

The punisher and batman holding a gun is exactly the same... look at the holstered gun.... its copy paste. Hand position, especially thumb over the gun are an exact match

[@Goleon]

When I saw how f-ed up the Batman logo is I was like “I can draw that better and I’m not that good of an artist to begin with.”.

[@SleepyRulu]

I love how she attacks ai art I just subscribed

[@izi5150]

And I thought they were just going to present one or two examples... Omg…

[@renarddubois940]

OMG you guys are so annoying! what is going on with this horrible entitlement? "We can give them the benefits of the doubt, Maybe it's an accident" NO, no it's not.. it's neither an accident, even once and it's not BAD! it's not unethical.. If we want to trace, we trace! You can keep your annoying obsessions with originality and fascistic intellectual property to yourself.. If it's Illegal, then let the ppl who are "victims" (somehow) file their own complaint.. this witch hunt is ridiculous!

[@jemhoare2105]

This is the correct response to this drama content farming.

[@lucky4d725]

Both of you need to touch grass.

[@carlgibson285]

You can trace all you want, just don't call yourself an artist when you do it since being a real artist requires actual skill.

[@renarddubois940]

@@carlgibson285 ah yes the industry pro who don't have actual skills.. of course

[@carlgibson285]

@@renarddubois940 I wasn't referring to the artist who was featured in the video since I've seen plenty of his original work that proves he has the skill, I was referring to you.

[@rainstormmsp4682]

to me for the first 2 minutes of this video it doesnt look traced it looks heavily referenced i'm at 2:31 right now i will updated when i finish thats just how it looks for me right now.

[@Dave102693]

This is common in the comic book industry, especially with Marvel and DC. It’s very comical how often and blatant they are too.

[@Vinnieart]

Thank you for calling out scam artists! I've had my art stolen by other "professionals" as well. They are bottom feeders. These current editors are too dumb/have zero knowledge of art or just don't care about the products. Its a different kind of business at DC and Marvel lately.

[@brucehunter8235]

Intellectual property sucks. Of course artists should be compensated for their labour and be properly credited. As for the rest, all art done under capitalism is unethical because capitalism is unethical. Sampling is fine.

[@Americanbadashh]

Brainrot take

[@ritpop]

not sure whats more disgusting, the thief or your comments.

[@yenyeng6867]

Wow with all the world problems I think this comes at the very bottom 😂.

[@owinlaa]

Why are you watching this if you clearly know nothing about art and the art industry, along with not even caring about it

[@SirFunky]

i will never get tired of artists complaing/whining about ai

[@SirFunky]

its cool art regardless so who gaf

[@AriFrozen]

It's so sad that you have to repeat your disclaimer so often, people really lack critical thinking to understand that you're not criticizing real artists 😭

[@mwngii63]

Its not forgery but inspiration

[@buda3d2007]

I am guilty of tracing my own work and photobashing with both real photos and AI, but the line work and art style are mine, just done different with phototextures blended with AI, I think thats as far as I will take AI, but yes I would never trace another artists work, thats just dirty plagarism.

[@NAK7798]

Good informative video, though calling the guns sling a magazine made me die a little inside

[@naraku971]

First Greg Land (Who got famous for tracing porn and has been dunked on by other former comic artists, and has multiple cases of plagiarism levied against him), and now another one... I knew that things sucked majorly at DC, but hearing news about the constant layoffs, the bitching that people won't read their poorly written comics, the pointing of fingers at people for not liking their changes to comic book characters (that are just lazy to begin with), this is making them look EVEN WORSE and they constantly refuse to take the L despite them doing so badly. It's a wonder these companies are even afloat.

[@solaceboy]

One of the many reasons most people aren't buying comics from the big two.

[@TimeCodeMechanics]

Why do you care? I understand the tracing issue, but I and others both draw and use AI. It's my choice and my art. Artist aren't going to get jobs that people are already doing. The same artist who have a problem with AI use sketch up and all kind of other short cuts, but AI is the problem.

[@Turkeysammich3000]

That definitely used the original works. I dont trace or borrow other people’s work, BUT in the comic book industry, tracing was a main tactic for poses and layouts, it is/was done in Superman, Batman, and Marvel comics, artists used each other’s works and traced them, they didn’t just take the original works though. Tracing and editing is actually taught in “how to draw” comic book books. Maybe something changed since the last time I had a “how to draw” book. What he’s done isn’t tracing, it looks like he literally just took the works and edited it without tracing. That Phoenix image looks exactly like the original just edited.

[@BillyViBritannia]

I'm not gonna argue ethics but from a legal standpoint he's probably altering those enough for his work to be considered transformative, so it's NOT plagiarism. Also, poses are not copyrightable to my knowledge.

[@runeking6242]

I see nothing wrong with tracing as long as it’s transformative enough; AI on the other hand I’m against, because of the larger implications of what it means for not just are but all media further down the line.

[@Matt-ek6bf]

"Side-show" not "slide-show"

[@Blodhelm]

Just a minor thing, but that isn't a magazine in the Punisher/Batman images, it's just the strap of a rifle sling with a texture to it. Which makes it more suspicious of course because a sling on a rifle isn't going to be in that exact position with that exact texture if you're just using the generic pose. It's at the least used for direct reference which is odd when there's tons of photos of people with rifles all over the place, like why bother with something from your same field instead of anything else? Not that hard to make some new lines with actual reference material.

[@tobicatlala]

i can only assume DC comics couldnt careless because the artist can churn out work faster than if they didnt use AI/tracing its only a matter of time till they use the AI for their comics like just do sketches and shove it into AI to finish the rest and someone to clean up and add text

[@DarionDAnjou]

The faulty assumption this KZbinr makes is that there's anything wrong with using AI. She acts like use of AI being "bad" is a foregone conclusion

[@mathewlewis8117]

DUDE WHY MAN !!! ME AND SOME MANY OTHERS DREAM OF WORKING IN DC OR MARVEL THEY ARE TOO BUSY HIRING THESE HACKS BRUH

[@IeremiasMoore-El]

Cringe content

[@nahualito]

KZbin algorithm is crazy, started drawing not more than 10 days ago and looked at some draw videos, and welp here we are with the drama and I have so many questions LOLOL

[@KaiserTrigger]

It isn't that they're using AI in their workflow that's the issue. People need to stop acting like businesses are just going to magically allow an artist as much time as they need, for EVERY damn detail. The issue is using it to the extent that it goes beyond just adding in minor details like little tiny blades of grass or lights or whatnot. It's when they use it for the main focus of art. People go out of their way to notice tiny details, but the tiny details are NOT the main focus of the art most of the time, if ever. The problem lies in that these artists aren't using it to get rid of menial boring tasks that only make them have to rush out a job. It's that they're using it for a lot more.

[@DuckTheHeel]

I’m an art director at an agency and AI has become a necessary evil unfortunately. Surprised this guy hasn’t gone the route of rending ai art to then trace vs what we are seeing here. I’m eating popcorn though.

[@why.do.I.even.try.]

How does your agency use ai? Did they fire artists and tell the rest to use ai to speed up? A guess, because it's a story I hear all too often these days.

[@darkzeroprojects4245]

"necessary evil "? How is it in ANY sense necessary to begin with?

[@demo2823]

How did you guys succeed before AI art if you can't cope without it now?

[@mikazakhaev5011]

Because it speeds up a lot of the process. And if your competitor starts using it, you're gonna get left behind unless you also integrate it into your process. ​@@darkzeroprojects4245

[@ehyzen]

necessary evil my ass. have shame

[@NeoScevenger]

Big companies wont admit to it coz its their reputation at stake and scandal BUT YOUR IMPACT has reached the rest of mankind and the INFORMED will not be supporting this THIEFFFFFFFFFFFF that should be in jail thanks for exposing him i despise INJUSTICE

[@StillPictureProduction]

2 things: 1) the race track on S emblem… it’s EVERYWHERE on Pinterest Ai Superman renderings with his 8-12 pack abs. 😂 2) The Batman eye, close up… it eerily looks like an Alex Ross painting. Yikes 😬

[@owinlaa]

7:51 am I the only one that likes warm pillows? 😭😭 I just like to be completely warm, I don't want my ear to be freezing off 😭

[@dyscea]

Bro. I'm not beyond copying/tracing etc, but I'd SAY that i copied/traced/plagiarized/ai'd and from which artist. I'm not ashamed to say my skills are sh*t, and please, visit the artists i took inspiration from.

[@guyverGODZILLAheiseiERA]

there is something to be said about POURING YOUR BLOOD and SOUL into your art ... that is something people like MATTINA will never understand . Signed a fan of comics since the 70s

[@ReyAlanTitan]

The first one is so dumb to me, it's literally the purpose of the image to be similar because is literraly the same character venomozed

[@amansinghchhonkar]

And Here I am having a guilty of creating a turnaround 2D animation using 3D model (Which I created for myself)!! Wow!!

[@alymay6849]

In italy he is infamous in the art community, and guess what? HE WAS A FUCKING COMIC TEACHER, IN OUR OFFICIAL COMIC ACCADEMY, they say he is also very full of himself and not a very good person in general

[@amypanddirtytoo1926]

I wonder if he decided to start stealing and tracing and using AI because DC Comics is expecting too much in too little of time. It takes time to create art and I can imagine them expecting him to pop out masterpieces every other day. Or he could be one of those people that can draw like a beast when they have something in front of them to draw....but can't draw from imagination. Or just doesn't have the imagination needed to think up these kinds of covers? Either way it's absolutely no excuse. If you can't think up imaginative covers with fantastical elements then you turn down the job. If you can't draw from imagination or use references in the way they were intended (you know...as just a REFERENCE, not a photocopier!) then you turn down the job. And practice until you can.

[@quentinwach]

What I don't get is: This artist clearly has the skills to do amazing rendering. So one would assume he is also capable of more basic posing etc, right? But he just blatantly copies other's work when it would be so easy to cover that up and just make some simple changes to make it more original. Like... this is just being lazy

[@craigsteyntheartistcraig3592]

oooh... if this bothers you, don't google swiping. Either you don't know about it, or you don't know enough about comics to know that this isn't a now thing... you can go as far back as Bob Kane. I guarantee you your favourite artist has swiped. Then there's appropriation, pasticthes, cloning etc. This isn't new. I just think there's a generation that only got into comics now without understanding the history or culture of the artists. Of course DC knows... It's been happening since forever!

[@jesselyles555]

If you think about it they're probably using AI as a tool to help them draw a certain seen or pose before hiting generat button again for a different seen they're having problems with EDIT! But if it's just one guy who can't draw for shit maybe just maybe they should not be doing comic books for DC

[@eddiesalgado9581]

This guy got no art, and no honor in his work. I would gladly like 2 battle him live 1v1 & see how good he is. My $$$ on me bruh! 🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

[@shannons8974]

Although this story is very frustrating, the fact that there are folks calling it out brings me joy. I'm not even an artist, but someone who values artistic expression and the value it has when it comes from a HUMAN soul. I will never understand why anyone would quite literally sell their soul just to be lazy about one of the most important things (art) humans have ever created.......

[@heftyroom61610]

Complaining about comic book artists taking heavy references from other art pieces, sculptures and what not it's very sad imo. You all probably don't even know what working in a company like DC or Marvel looks like, the amount of work you're tasked to do in such little time for a salary that's not even that high. Please there's no reason to get mad about an artist "tracing" some other pieces of media for a page or a cover that at most will just serve the purpose of getting the reader a little interested in buying the comic; ffs we're not discussing multi-million$$ paitings, it's freaking mainstream comics, grow up.

[@susanwojcicki5714]

damn. even when i copy one for one i make it my art style and change or add things. This is just STEALING

[@ludotoyhunter8492]

I HATE AI!!! It’s one of the worst things ever invented and in the art world it is the TOTAL ANTITHESIS of what art is all about. Damn shame. People don’t even want to create anymore.

[@Daniel__Nobre]

DC will not let him go. They will even probably promote him eventually. Companies right now all want AI implemented as soon as possible. In their minds this guy is producing what people buy, really fast and cheap. Ethics? Quality? Those are usually really low priorities for companies.

[@PokeeCorey]

I’m not an artist so I can’t really judge this but if you change something enough that it is new art does it matter if the bones were traced?