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Notices



More Editorials

Getting Around Paypal Fees

*Diikae:iconDiikae: reports, 1d 1h ago
When sending money on Paypal, use the 'gift' option to avoid those pesky fees.

DeviantART is NOT Photobucket

~urpwn3d:iconurpwn3d: reports, 2d 18h ago
DeviantART is NOT an "image hosting website" (like Photobucket, Flickr, Imageshack, etc.) DeviantART is a website where artists can showcase their own work -- pictures, photographs or writings that were made by themselves, from scratch. Anything else has no place here on dA.

Open The Critique System?

`morbidthegrim:iconmorbidthegrim: reports, February 4
Just a thought!

Writing a Critique

*TeaAndZebraStripes:iconTeaAndZebraStripes: reports, January 31
How to be polite yet efficient when critiquing artwork!

A Guide To Critiquing Literature

`Kaz-D:iconKaz-D: reports, January 28
This is an article of simple tips as told by the members of deviantart! Please fav the news article and pass it on :)

The Grinch who nearly stole my Christmas

=rebelx:iconrebelx: reports, January 26
This is one of the worst dA rips I've ever encountered. Too bad it had to happen to me.

DA Is Now DHate?!!

~reginadiedraghi:iconreginadiedraghi: reports, January 24
When Did Deviantart become Devianthate?
this is supposed to be a site for community to unite not hate each other...

Why I am here

@OpalMist:iconOpalMist: reports, January 26
I'm a strong believer of the idea that, with communities, you get out what you put in, or, if you prefer, if you put out, then so does deviantART.

Commissioning Artists: KNOW YOUR VALUE!

=RSR-Productions:iconRSR-Productions: reports, January 23
So many artists under charge for commissions, I wish they all would realize their true worth!

40 Tips for Life

*PianoxLullaby:iconPianoxLullaby: reports, January 23
Here are a few things that I have written down that I found help me with my day-to-day life. People are always looking for help with life, so here's my advice.

Editorials This Week

DeviantART is NOT Photobucket

~urpwn3d:iconurpwn3d: reports, 2d 18h ago
DeviantART is NOT an "image hosting website" (like Photobucket, Flickr, Imageshack, etc.) DeviantART is a website where artists can showcase their own work -- pictures, photographs or writings that were made by themselves, from scratch. Anything else has no place here on dA.

Open The Critique System?

`morbidthegrim:iconmorbidthegrim: reports, February 4
Just a thought!

Getting Around Paypal Fees

*Diikae:iconDiikae: reports, 1d 1h ago
When sending money on Paypal, use the 'gift' option to avoid those pesky fees.

On The Mature Content System

*DigiTails:iconDigiTails: reports, 1d 17h ago
How doesn't the Mature Content System work? How can it be run better?

Webmoney. Why don't Americans use it?

=Kahiro-Suzuki:iconKahiro-Suzuki: reports, 2d 10h ago
Do not be lazy to find out different information about various paying systems. =)

10 Tips for Freelancers

*OutlawRave:iconOutlawRave: reports, February 5
Speaking from personal experience freelancing can be daunting and scary for most designers and artist. However once you’ve made up your mind and committed to it, you’ll find that it can be one of the most enriching experiences of your career and very exciting! In this article I’ve compiled some tips to help you make the most of this transition.

Popular Hungry Deviants

*Faerie-StarV:iconFaerie-StarV: reports, 2h 48m ago
I made an article about Popular Hungry Deviants or Popular Wannabees, whichever you prefer to call them, that was originally in my journal but with a suggestion by :iconcerulemagus: so everyone will read about it. I'm sure most of you who watched me already read it from my journal but for those who hasn't or don't know what I'm talking about, here it is!


As I browse around Deviantart like I usually do, whether is to get an inspiration, chat with other deviants, report art theft quickly, or sometimes asking other artist's questions of what tools they used for their artwork, I find something else. It's not art theft or a really cool piece of artwork, but the fact is that young kids(NOT ALL) is so DAMN OBSESSED about being "popular" online or even better than popular artists as if we are back in junior high instead of an art website. Don't get me wrong, I know not all young kids are like that but it's becoming rather common nowadays that just gives the rest a bad name. I shall explain list of things of what people will do anything to get themselves to get noticed, even it means doing it for selfish reasons.

How did the artists get popular?
There are many reasons but the most common is fanart. Whether it's Sonic, Mario, Naruto, etc., I could go on forever listing them but I'm gonna save you some trouble and leave the rest for your imagination. Now, I have nothing against fanart since I'm guilty of drawing them too whenever I'm in the mood but it seems to be common for people to get noticed because we are familiar with the fan art characters that we know or grew up with. It can be the way it's drawn by the artist's style which you have to admit it's pretty impressive and it can work with original art if they choose to. Original art doesn't seem to get noticed because mostly the deviant users are young teens(as I said before, NOT ALL) aren't familiar with them, doesn't bother giving them a chance, and leave immediately before getting to know the artist. Only a quarter of them may be interested in original but sadly, those are a minority.

Befriending the popular artists
There are many reasons why people wants to befriend because either the artist is....
A. The artist has a great personalty and gets along with others
B. Their art is simply amazing and you want to learn from them like a student would from a teacher.
C. You enjoy their style whether they used for fan or original art.
D. All the above.

or

E. You want to use them because you believe that if you befriend them, popularity will rub it onto you and you'll be famous, then ditched the artist when he/she loses interest in fanart and that they're no longer in use. You'll be better than them and look down on other artists who are lowly nobodies that doesn't deserve to be on Deviantart.

The reason why I put E in there is because I've seen other deviants who did that kind of stuff before on popular artists, including the not so popular ones. One deviant(I will not give out the name, sorry) is so desperate to get noticed that the only to do that is to take advantage of this nice "popular" artist(I will not reveal that either out of respect) because he's friends with another "popular" artist. The shallow deviant will be called A and the "popular" artist will be B. A firsts befriends B for how many months then later, his true colors began to reveal. He demands B that he should put A on the friend's list, he demands him to fav his pic so he can impress B's friend, C, he complains that he's not tagged on a journal, will not take no for an answer when others decline his invitation whether it's his club, pic, request, etc., doesn't respect others couples yet he wants you to do the same in return, and makes a big deal if he gets blocked by others. As it turns out, he's using B to become popular for the whole time. It got me wondering, if B and C were never popular for fanart, would A still befriend them? The answer, NO. It turns out that he's the stereotypical high school clique teen who relies on labels and won't talk to other artists that he watches because they're "nobodies" yet he wants them to fav and comment his art. One deviant gave me info about A's true intentions. Here's her note in bold.

I've read some comments A made to people.
Some of those comments say that he doesn't want to lose any watchers; he wants popularity.
You can't get popular by the number of watchers you get, it's the quality of your art that would get you popular in dA (sadly we can't really say that for his work...)
I saw the comment he made on your page as well. I don't think you can buy it.
Although I believe in second chances, this guy isn't changing at all

Also, if you take a look at this scraps, you can find some artwork that go against the rules.
And I believe he is promoting bestiality in some of his works, which I think is against the rules. Check more about bestiality and see if you look it negatively if you need to.

The best thing to do is make this guy face reality and don't watch him at all.
He doesn't want to look at your art, he just wants you to watch him.


:disbelief: I am just disgusted by A's behavior. I had to send it to B to let him know his true colors since it's not fair for him to take advantage of. It has happened to me in junior high when kids thought they could do that to me since they think I must be dumb to fall for their lies. When I found out the hard way, I was so upset and couldn't understand why they do that. Thanks to them, I have to be careful on who I trust and not rush into friendship without getting to know a person. I don't want anyone to go through that ordeal and seeing it brings back painful memories. You gotta be careful when it comes to being friends to others whether it's online or in real life. Look for signs if you can.

Why do people do this to others?
According to my good friend, :iconzaraun-shyntrak:, she told me that the reasons why they are so desperate to become popular on DA is because they are most likely not popular at school and were ignored because they weren't cool, didn't have the right clothes, and all that bullshit. Sadly, they believed the others and decided to treat the "nobodies" like crap in order to get accepted. They make it up online whether it's here, My Space, Bebo, etc. What they failed to realize that popularity is not gonna mean shit in the real world. Your job will not give a damn that your the best quarterback in high school, voted for the best prom queen, or the best artist on Devaintart, all they care is for you to get on work on time, pay your taxes, and make sure you pay your bills on time or face the consequences. They will not let you off the hook like the teachers did at high school.

I also noticed that whenever people complain about "famous" artists by saying that they're stuck up, they're assholes, blah blah blah and so on. I go over to check it out and all too often, it's the other way around. One artist, I shall call him M and and an annoying deviant called R. R called M selfish just because he turned the offer down for doing some sort of collab thing story with R. Mind you, M turned it down by saying no thanks, nothing rude or anything like that but R got all butthurt about it and called him selfish, making him like he's the bad guy. He did the same thing to other deviant, which I will call him Y, by telling Y that he's letting his "fans" down by turning down the offer as well. Like M, he also turn it down politely without being rude but once again, R is being a brat about it.

R's words to M
Listen, I know you're a good person. An excellent deviant, the best ever existed but, you're really selfish with anyone that invites you for a project. You only do collabs, only if you are hosting. That's not fair. I just wanted to hang out with you, be one of your friends. But if you consider me annoying. I don't care, that's how I am, and people are friends with me for that reason. I know how to entertain.

Listen M, to be honest with you, this whole project was only to proove myself as a good deviant like you and many of your friends. To accept me as one of your friends. I admire you, fot only for your pics and your work, also cause you're an excelent person. You know what your friends and fans want and like. I just wanted to show everyone that I'm like you and many ohters. Sorry for have being so annoying with you.

R's words to Y:
Come on, it's like if you're declining an invitation for a collab, you're letting down all of your fans. This chance is once in a lifetime. If you change of mind, just tell me. All the group is reserving you the Yoshi spot for our project "Mario Super Angels" and, as the founder I'm allowing you to add your characters. Even better, I'll make a deal with you. You can join our group, and when the collab it's over, you can leave it. Just like 1,2,3.

Listen, to be completely honest with you, I'm only making this collab just to proove myself as an elite deviant like you and some of your friends like M, N, D and some others like you.

I just wanted to you,M, N, S, D, G, and many of your friends to accept me as one of you. I writed the story because all of you inspired me for it. I don't want to be annoying and all that, I just wanted some rspect from you. Like the one I give to you everytime that some new from you appears. I just wanted that. That's all.*sniff*

:iconfacepalmplz:

I seriously facepalmed many times when he spouts bullshit to them and trying to guilt trip them into doing things that they don't want to do. I already chewed R out for his behavior towards them and asked him why doesn't he asked other artists who are just as good as they are even though they aren't famous. Here's my conversation against R after he made a half assed "apology".

Me
You don't want to be his friend, you just want to be popular and use them for your own selfish reasons. The reason why he's friends with others is because they met YEARS ago when they started out and treat each other like HUMAN BEINGS, not gods. What is with you kids that are so damn obsessed about being famous? They're only famous for fanart, if they didn't do any of those, you'll just ignore them and wouldn't give them a second look. Why don't you just draw your own damn art instead of wasting time trying to be something your not? :X

R
I worte a story. But it's also a collab. And I also treat them as human beings. The only reason I say those thing is because I admire their work, it's something that prooves their experience and I imagine that I did something great with them. I'm not being selfish. I'm just a normal guy that only wanted to gain respect from them. And why yo want to make me feel bad of what I want to do and being so FREAKING rude to me? I haven't done something bad to you. I'm sorry for all this, I only needed help not for selfish things, only to know them better and how they really are. That's all. If you want me to stop being a douchebag. I'll stop. But don't like that with me.

If you want to know What I did, look my Journal. It'll proove I'm doing something.


Me
Because you were being rude and trying to guilt trip others to do things you want. Like you told M that he's SELFISH for turning your offer down just because he's got other things to do or that you try to guilt trip to Y by saying he'll let the fans down when in fact he doesn't give a shit since he never asked to be famous in the first place. I'm being an ass to you because people like you are trying to guilt trip others to do things that you want and that's not fair to them.

Answer my question, would you still ask them to do the collab if they weren't famous for fanart? What's wrong with other deviants who aren't famous like them but can draw just as good as they are? :X


R
I'm sorry for being like that and I'm sorry for telling them that, I think I let myself down, And no, If they couldn't draw, that would be another story. I'm different to the others you talk about. I only wanted help to my collab. That's all. Tell them that I'm so sorry for all those things I said to them. And that I'll stop sending them invitations to them, also that if they want to join to my collab, that'll now be their own descision. The worng thing is that they are jealous of them. I'm just respecting and admiring thier work and their lives. I totally know that wasn't fair. I assume the entire fault of what I said. It'll not happen again.

Me
You should apologize to them, not me. You make mistakes, you fixed them. I rest my case, you wouldn't give them a second look if they're nobodies, just like you won't give other artists a chance to join your collab just because they aren't "good enough" or "famous". People aren't jealous of others popularity or all that crap, they're irritated that their original artwork they work so hard goes unnoticed because kids like you don't bother giving them a chance and only prefer fanart rather than being open minded to other art. Fanart is fun to draw and all but the downside is that it limits your creativity and ideas and pretty soon, people only want to use you and like you for fanart, not because they want to learn from them or the artist is an awesome. NOt only that, but the artists gets tired of drawing fanart and wants to do something different completely and the watchers like you will get upset and unwatch them since they're not satisfying your tastes. I would suggest you try to stop forcing yourself to be friends with others and also, read my journal about popularity issues and deviants who uses people to get things their way. :evileye:


It turns out R would never ask them to do the collab if they weren't famous. He hasn't bother asking other artists because to him, they are not famous nor "good enough" in his eyes even though they're good but doesn't spend time drawing fanart much. To me, that's rather insulting to other artists who hasn't given a chance to work on it because shallow, popular hungry deviants like A and R thinks that they're nobodies and doesn't give them a chance. It's like being in a high school clique where you were judged by other kids who thinks your a loser just because you don't have the right clothes, music, and all the bullshit and shuns you for it. That's basically saying that you aren't' good enough for their approval.

It's rather funny when people say that famous artists are stuck up jerks when in fact it's usually the popular wannabees who are like that just because they weren't' given what they wanted and feel like their entitled for it. I know there's some famous artists that are stuck up but so far, most of them I came across are really nice people who just hates it when others treat them like their gods and being taken advantage of. You want friendship from them you have to earn it, just like you earned things by working your way up. It'll take time and patience but it will be worth it, just like I worked my ass off of earning my money at a job to get my own computer without asking mom to get it for me. Hard work will pay off!

Here's the list for any signs of popular wannabee deviants that you need to look out for like A and R.

:bulletred: Asks you to watch them while they watch you in return but never comments your art or anything yet they want you to do the same in return.

:bulletred: Forces their opinions on you on certain things that they love and demanded it that you must love them like they did yet they don't respect yours.

:bulletred: Demands request/trade/etc. even though you say no but they still demand it.

:bulletred: Calling you selfish when you turn down the offer of clubs, requests, etc. even though you were never rude in the first place and they get all butthurt about it.

:bulletred: The way they treated other artists. If you see them treating famous like they're awesome but treats the "lowly" artists like shit, then you'll know that they're shallow and will treat you the same in return if your one of the "lowly" artist.

:bulletred: They will rudely decline your offer to do the collab because your not "good enough" but yet only want the famous artists to do it.

:bulletred: Ignores you completely when your new but suddenly shows interest and wants to be "buddies" with you because your popular, befriended a famous artist, etc. and acted like they love you from the start. If your friends with a famous artist, they'll swarm to you like flies and be all pals to you all of the sudden when in fact they're only using you to get closer to the certain artist and is not interested in you anyway.

Keep your eyes peeled for those wannabees out there who will try to leech off of you for all artists alike! Anyway, the point I'm making is that don't take advantage of others for selfish reasons, get to know one another, give other artists a chance, and don't rush friendship or force it on others. :salute:

musings on trade work

~stephanieem:iconstephanieem: reports, February 3
-- > I’ve seen a lot of threads on modelmayhem lately by photographers asking if they should give some photos to models who they pay. Generally a models and a few photographers will both reply saying there is no right or wrong answer, there’s only what you and the model decide is fair.

< -- more at the blog!

A lesson in business

~stephanieem:iconstephanieem: reports, 2d 20h ago
Interesting thread going on in the MM forums. A photographer posted, wanting to know the best argument to convince a model to pay him $200-$400 for a trade shoot in order to cover his expenses (things like studio, equipment, etc) in order for it to be a fair trade. The assumption being that the model just shows up looking gorgeous without any time or money put into it.

This may just be the most horrible business model in existence.

Read the rest of this entry and more at the blog, stephanieem.wordpress.com

A Thought About: Eyes

~krystalstorm:iconkrystalstorm: reports, 1d 5h ago
It seems that everyone has their own way of drawing eyes. But is there a written rule on exactly how to draw eyes or should the design be left up to you?

Who loved it?

~FurryLucario92
!Layzap
~SuaveGrasshopper
~themagic1
=tsukinohoshi
~lauratheyoshi
~CherryBlossom77saku
*Kitteran
=xXPitsLittleAngelXx
~Duke-Of-Judgements
~ChibiAkatsukiLeader
~EdgeKagami
=nakanaideAi-dono
~XxMidnightKitsunexX
~Toshitimi
=tdiCastfire
*CatDemonAmi
=berryhedgehog9246
~OtakuBouzu
~Musie
*TBPow
~venomous-cupcake
~Spirit-Uroborus
=RaptorBarry
~shadowchao145
~RougeRoks
~Missy-Random
~RedheadLioness
~SparElric
~Morthern
~maebelleine
~RinoaTalanheart993
=0x-Albii-x0
~VedtheFlameDevil
~shinonaru
=syaming-li
~DeathByDarkness
~roflcopterninja
~Yay-Blaze-the-Cat
~StarDustStudios
*Persnicketese
~kabi-san
~DisPat
~sonicalaeriza
~spudddd
*rmr34
=Zenobia-Pidgeot
=OrotheEchidna
~Sparkle148
~chao93
~Marilyse
~medli20
~kyahikaru
~Verius0
~Amplifi
~DeacyAmp
!Cyber-Twilight
~jangoloversdouble
~Guermela
~Bubby-Bobble
~Kahunaliu
~CindyLooLoo
*IchigoSeppun
~MadamAerophone
~aibiki
*Cosray
*Lousin-Almasd
~xiaoyuchi
~UrbaniteLN14
!DemonRei
~hinatannaruto4ever
~Starafire13
~mary-cherry-me
~leavetheviolinalone
~essymn
!SalvationRose
~Fantasy-Luvah
~R-Kunoichi-Lover
^rydi1689
*bringonthethunder
~Kriluna
~lydiascats
~konoiai
=lucaruoboss
~crystal-infinity
=Dew32
*The-Dragoness
=SpiritArcher
~future-girl
=DTfox
=EdwardDanger
~MikhailoMMX
~digitalmeister
=JadeLaunders
~matcha-tofu
~FlamingBlueMario
*DangerousRadical
~Squirrely-Girly
!CatRJRukiSan
~huntertheechidna
~OrionElric
~dragonchickaya
*chesney
*KyuubifiedHokage
*Blue-Uncia
~hbackslash7
=Grinmir-stock
~LastAim
~Daioh--Sakura
~Soleil-Mirage
~Glomp137
~KittyXiaolin
~TotalDramaHighschool
=KaneUsagi
~Dragon-of-Midnight
~abbie-wabbie
~Flarethehedgie
~Yin4454
~mind-of-firestarter
~Linkmax

x 1 devious rejections

Editorials


Dude, Where's my Recolours?

*dantesgirl:icondantesgirl: reports, January 15, 2009
You’ve just had a rough day at school - parents and teachers are nagging you, you have so much homework to do and housework to do on top of that, so you decide to pay a visit to deviantART to cool down.

When you log on, you see that you have received twenty notes. Naturally, you assume that it’s from friendly people just dropping by, so you open your inbox merrily.

Strangely enough, they are all from the same person. Devart – who is devart?

Upon opening them, you come to the conclusion that this ‘devart’ person has deleted your entire gallery of Naruto screenshots recolours for no apparent reason whatsoever.

You immediately get infuriated, dive to the Complaints Forum and make an angry journal saying how ‘devart’ is a meanie and has no life. YOU WORKED SO HARD ON THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, can we calm down now? This childish behaviour is quite tedious.

To quote the Copyright Policy, ‘Copyright can be a confusing territory for many people’, therefore I am aiming to educate recolour artists who feel that they have been ‘victimised’ by the removal of their screenshot recolours/edits.

To tidy the article up, different sections will be separated via subheadings. To jump to a specific section, press Ctrl + F and enter the specific number of the subheading. The specific numbering is:

:bulletred: 1.1 - What is a screenshot recolour/edit?
:bulletred: 1.2 – Why are screenshot recolours/edits not allowed?
:bulletred: 1.3 – Why fandoms should boycott recolours/edits on deviantART.
:bulletred: 1.4 – Screenshot recolours versus tracing – what’s the difference?
:bulletred: 1.5 – F.A.Q.s.
:bulletred: 1.6 – Recolours – the aftermath.

I hope you enjoy this article – feel free to leave feedback.

1.1 – What is a screenshot recolour/edit?


Screenshot recolours/edits are quite easy to spot. A user may take a screenshot from an anime/game/TV show (although a vast majority of recolours are from animes) found from an external site and edit it using some form of editing software (Paint, Photoshop etc). These edits may include:

    :bulletred: Changing the colour of any character’s features/clothing. (For example, dying Naruto’s hair pink, changing Sonic’s fur to purple)
    :bulletred: ‘Slicing’ the character from a screenshot and adding it to a new background. (For example, taking Naruto from a screenshot and placing him into a picture of a forest)
    :bulletred: ‘Slicing’ a character from one screenshot and adding him/her to another screenshot.
    :bulletred: Adding text to the image to point out something awkward in a screenshot. (For example, ‘LAWL LOOK AT DIZ KNUCKLES IZ CLEERLY TUCHING SONIC’S BEHIND’ )
    :bulletred: Adding text to an image as a ‘banner’. (For example, ‘Happy 13th birthday Kimmy! This is for you!’ or ‘Thanks for 1,000 hits! ^_^’ )
    :bulletred: Adding extra features to characters. (For example, adding fangs to Sonic the Hedgehog. I blame Twilight.)


This list could go on for decades, but you get the general idea.

1.2 – Why are screenshot edits/recolours not allowed?


Instead of referring to thousands of FAQs about copyright and whatnot, I’ll try to explain this as simple as I can.

Before joining deviantART, users are required to read the Terms of Service. Albeit, a lot of people didn’t read it, but here is one very important line taken from the ToS which makes explaining the problem with screenshot recolours/edits significantly easier.

    Individuals who have posted works to deviantART are either the copyright owners of the component parts of that work or are posting the work under license from a copyright owner or his or her agent or otherwise as permitted by law.”


Allow me to explain the part in bold:
You take a Naruto screenshot from an external website, make your own adjustments to it and post it on deviantART. That’s all fine and dandy, but do you know what you are doing by posting that edited screenshot?

You are claiming to own Naruto.

Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto, has currently spanned 44 mangas over a period of nine years. Studio Pierrot, the creators of the anime, have created 315 episodes to this day since 2002.

Now, how do you think they would react if they found out some American teenager is claiming to own the rights to Naruto? Needless to say, they’d be in contact with their lawyers pretty quickly.

deviantART does not allow recolours/edits for one main reason – for your wellbeing and theirs.

Why their wellbeing also? If they allowed this type of activity to happen, they could easily be sued also. Would you want to be responsible for one of your favourite websites losing a lot of money? I don’t think so.

Please note that this breach of copyright only applies on certain websites – deviantART included. Posting recolours on Photobucket, forums etc are perfectly fine.

Also, if you are thinking to yourself that you credited the creator of Naruto/the series you coloured the screenshot from in the Artist’s Comment, please skip to the first question of the F.A.Q.


1.3 - Why fandoms should boycott recolours/edits on deviantART.


As I have just stated, when someone uploads a recolour, they are technically claiming to own Naruto. A real fan will not appreciate this. Therefore, recolours/edits found among fandoms should be reported to dA immediately to support the original creators.

1.4 – Screenshot recolours versus tracing – what’s the difference?


Please note that I hate deviantART’s policy on tracing – mainly because it is ridiculously hard to explain and contradictory. When I try to explain the difference between edits and tracing to a deviant, only 0.5% of them understand the difference and I get very frustrated. Because of this, please bare with me as I try to explain this.

About 70% of the time I inform recolourers that what they are doing is wrong, they automatically link me to a person’s page and say ‘THEY DO RECULURS, BAN THEM!!!!!!!’

A vast majority of the time, the person they link to is a tracer. Thus begins the extremely repetitive task of explaining the difference between the two.

To explain the difference, I will use this screenshot from Bleach of Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki. (Ichigo being the boy and Rukia being the girl for those who are unfamiliar with Bleach)

:bulletred: You have an RPC (Role Playing Character – what many people title their recolours as) based from Rukia Kuchiki called Aukir Iuchikk (see what I did there?), so you have no desire to edit Ichigo. Therefore, you trace over Rukia Kuchiki, adding whichever features make your character different from her. (For example, longer hair, change of clothing) You have traced poor Rukia half to death to make her look like your totally original RPC, so surely that is acceptable?

Wrong.

Ichigo and the background are still untraced, therefore the deviation is still breaking copyright. In short, tracing a certain part of a picture where there are parts that are clearly not traced is not allowed and is considered to be an ‘edit’.
:bulletred: If you trace Rukia to high heaven and simply crop Ichigo out, this is not allowed as you can still see the untraced background and is considered to be an ‘edit’.
:bulletred: If you crop the image so that it only includes Rukia and the background and trace the both (including the edits of Rukia to make her look like Aukir), it is acceptable.*
:bulletred: If you trace the entire image and make the necessary changes to Rukia, it is acceptable.*

* = Okay, this is where explaining gets hard (and I mean really hard). Tracing does not mean outlining something. Let me show you some examples:

    :bulletred: This would not be allowed as, although it is outlined, you can still see the background/original colouring.
    :bulletred: This would not be allowed as, although the clothing/hair and other features (most importantly, the skin – the most important feature in spotting a recolour) are edited, you can clearly see the original background.
    :bulletred: This is allowed as there is no trace (pardon my pun) of the original screenshot – the background included has been traced.

Please note that proper tracing is extremely hard, if not impossible with Paint. All of the legible traces I’ve seen have been done using either Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Flash or Adobe Illustrator. To ensure that traces are legible, they open up the screenshot, open a new layer, trace the screenshot on the layer, import the layer to a new document and do the colouring via eyeballing the screenshot. This process can take a few hours, wouldn’t you rather do better things with your time than trace existing artwork? Life’s short, darlings.

I will make a cup of authentic Irish tea for anyone who didn’t get confused reading this section. Thanks for confusing my brain, dA.

1.5 – F.A.Q.s


I stated in the Artist’s Comment that the original screenshot belonged to the creators of Naruto/the series used. Surely, that means I’m not breaking any copyright?
I know you mean well, but sadly that’s not the case. These following FAQs will answer this question:
:bulletred: FAQ #306: Does "Crediting" let me use whatever I want?
:bulletred: FAQ #257: What sort of permission do I need to use someone else's work?
:bulletred: FAQ #193: How do I prove that I had permission to use someone's work?

Why do you only refer to Naruto and Sonic recolours/edits in this article?
Naruto and Sonic recolours/edits are the most commonly found on deviantART.

How come my recolours were removed from deviantART and x’s wasn’t?
There’s a high chance x’s ‘recolours’ are traces and these are allowed on deviantART. However, if you genuinely think that something is a recolour and not a trace, report it to deviantART using the ‘Report Deviation’ button.

Also, please read FAQ #302: Why did I receive some sort of administrative action when someone else did not?.

Okay, I’m reporting the deviation, but what do I report it under?
Report it under Art Theft (General) and select the Other box. I would rather keep actual art theft in the Art Theft box.

Rawrrrrrr imma angreh im gonna keep uploadin ma reculurs evrytim da removes dem.
You, my friend, need a dictionary.
If you keep uploading removed deviations, this will result in a suspension and eventually a ban. Please note that once you are banned from deviantART, you are banned. If you are caught making another account, you will be banned on that account also.

You only reported my recolour because you hate Naruto!11!!1!!!1!
That’s true, I hate Naruto, but that doesn’t mean I want valid fanart of it to be removed also, does it? Don’t be petty and accept that what you are doing is wrong.

I found something that looks like a recolour, but I’m not sure if it is. If I report it and it’s not a recolour, will I get in trouble?
Of course not! dA will just reply to you with a note stating that the report was invalid. However, if you don’t wish to disturb the admins, feel free to note me and I’ll take a look at it.

I love doing recolours, but I accept that they’re not allowed on dA. Where do I upload them?
Photobucket would be an ideal place for recolours. If you feel that your recolours aren’t getting enough publicity, you can always link to your Photobucket album in your journal.

Are recolours allowed in Scraps?
I’m afraid not.

I saw an unedited screenshot of a game/anime, is this allowed?
Just like edited screenshots, unedited screenshots are also not allowed. Report them and they will be removed.

What if someone recolours official art, is this allowed?
Nope. An example of official art is shown here. As you can see, it is clearly not a screenshot, yet would still be against the rules to edit/recolour.

Are recolours/edits of fanart found on deviantART/other websites allowed?
Recolours/edits of fanart are dealt with more severely than screenshot/official art recolours. Include the link to the original image in your report and the image will be removed faster than you can say ‘1337 paint skillz’. However, if you are the owner of the art which is being recoloured, it will be removed even faster thanks to the newly added Theft of MY art section.

I know I’ve seen the base fanart before, but I can’t remember where it comes from. Is there any way to track down the original image using the recoloured/edited version?
Yes, there is. TinEye is a handy website which serves as an image search engine. Sign up to it and you will see what I mean!

1.6 – Recolours – the aftermath.


First of all, kudos to you for being mature in the matter. A lot of recolourers I’ve met don’t stop until they’re banned, so your maturity should be rewarded with cookies. :cookie:

For the few mature recolourers I’ve met, they are always puzzled about their next step on deviantART. During their time of puzzlement, they always say the same thing:

But I can’t draw!

I’m sorry, this is deviantART, not deviantDRAW. You don’t have to be able to draw to submit.

Here are some tips for those who want to post something other than recolours on their page:
    :bulletred: Write fanfiction involving your RPC. If you feel that you need critiquing/help, the Literature Workship is there to provide a helping hand to you.
    :bulletred: If you still want to colour, you may want to find blank lineart on deviantART and colour it. However, you must: a) Check that the artist allows it – and – b) Link back to the original lineart in the Artist’s Comment. (This isn’t necessary, but it’s a simple courtesy.)
    :bulletred: If you want to draw, there are many users and guides devoted to improving artist’s skill. If you want to improve your drawing skills, Artist’s Hospital is a club which gathers tutorials/offers advice.

There are many more things to do here on deviantART, you just need to find what suits you best.

Other FAQs to note:
:bulletred: FAQ #8: What does deviantART consider to be Art Theft?
:bulletred: FAQ #572: What does deviantART consider "Fan Art" to be?
:bulletred: FAQ #157: Can I use things created by other people in my submissions?

Thanks for reading this monstrous guide. Favourites and comments are very much appreciated!

Devious Comments

:icongothic-pyro:
Win.

This is a great article.

:trophy:

--
"Who? Who is but the form following the function of what and what I am is a man in a mask. " - V

:groups:#DisgruntledDeviants You know you want to. :eyes:
:iconangelkitty765:
Nicely written. :nod:

--
Click the link. Wait dont. Don't do it. Click the link. [link]
"It takes a dumb person to recognize a good book, but a smart person to recognize a bad one"
I'm Simon Cowell's Spawn of Evil.
Happy Holidays <3
:icondantesgirl:
Thank you very much, m'dear. :hug:

It would've been so much better if the external links actually worked. :faint:

--
Dr Cox: "If they took all the porn off the internet, there'd only be one website left, and it would be called 'Bring Back the Porn dot com'."
:icondantesgirl:
Just like you! :flirty:

Damn those external links. :shakefist:

--
Dr Cox: "If they took all the porn off the internet, there'd only be one website left, and it would be called 'Bring Back the Porn dot com'."
:icondantesgirl:
Thanks lovely. :heart:

--
Dr Cox: "If they took all the porn off the internet, there'd only be one website left, and it would be called 'Bring Back the Porn dot com'."
:iconscumicons:
:flirty: Oh I'm not perfect :D but thank you >w<
what external links? O_o
:icongothic-pyro:
They just hate you.

But for serious. This is awesome.

:heart:

--
"Who? Who is but the form following the function of what and what I am is a man in a mask. " - V

:groups:#DisgruntledDeviants You know you want to. :eyes:
:iconshahrezad:
O_O; None of the links worked when I tried to click them ...

--
Life.
Sometimes its a bitch
Sometimes its an Angel.

~BlueDevilHunter
Creator of following message:
:ohnoes: I'm part of the 2% of DMC fangirls that's NOT into yaoi!
 

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