Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery?
Yes.
Sometimes it’s annoying to see someone post work showing off their skills when clearly they’re making a full fledged effort to mimic somebody else, but the fact of the matter is we are all doing it.
That doesn’t mean we’re all consciously trying to be like someone else but every artist in the history of time tries to relate their art to the world around them, the only difference between good art and bad art is how successfully the artist hides it.
For instance, when I take a photo that is an original idea, say a model shooting herself in the head with Silly String. A great idea and one I never, ever saw shot before. An original idea… at least I think it is… that being said I won’t be surprised when someone links me to a photo very similar to it (but I haven’t seen one).
The problem is not one single element in this image is a creation of mine. Silly String was patented in 1972 – five years before I was born, the model is an exquisite creation of God, and the satire of suicide by string is ironic only because of the more serious issue it alludes to.
My only contribution was to combine a bunch of elements (that are not mine) and show them in a new way. Technically I haven’t actually created anything.
Isn’t that all that art really is? A reproduction of some form of the life we know? Can we really claim ownership of that?
Well the answer is a resounding YES! We can copyright just about any artistic creation but where is the line between new and old? When does a portrait of another person actually become the artists‘ creation?
Before I had a camera I drew. That was my artistic release, and when I would draw I’d look towards other images to mimic. Just as a type of practice. I made this drawing in high school based on a beautiful photo in National Geographic. Not my creation but I did bring a new element to it, I changed the medium from a photo to a drawing… what are the ethics of that? Am I allowed to change someone else’s photo into another medium?
What about this drawing of Bob Marley I did during the boredom I endured at the outbound telemarketing job I had in High School? Who’s art is it? Is it the photographer that took the original image? Is it the drawer? Is it Bob Marley’s parents for giving birth to him? The question can get a little blurry… but the fact is I didn’t have permission from the photographer to make a work based on their photo, but does that mean I can’t draw it? Not at all!
That said the ethics in the art world are pretty well established. Drawings (and photos) that mimic somebody else’s creation are great for showing off and practicing technique, but you should never put mimicked images/photos/drawings in a professional portfolio (online or printed) and claim sole credit for the creation. That’s just not cool. But a personal site or a critique website where you go to learn? I think most people agree that’s fair game.
If you want to claim credit for work then make sure it’s not just a copy of someone else’s hard work and inspiration. Take something from the world around you and make it your OWN! If you really want a drawing to be yours you need to draw something that nobody else created without your help or input! Or if it is based on something at least bring something original to the table! It’s a lot harder to draw from real life but it’s a lot more rewarding… take this charcoal drawing I did nearly 10 years ago (not the greatest thing in the world but not half bad for a hobbyist).
My advice to you is to know the phase your work is in… if you are in the mimicking phase then don’t worry! Everybody starts somewhere, but just realize that maybe you aren’t quite ready to slap that “XXXXX photography” logo on your images just yet. Save that for when you start producing your own ideas, it’s much more rewarding that way!
PS – I looked quite hard to find the original photograph of the Lady in the Hat and Bob Marley with no luck… if you can find them post a link in the comment section, I’d love to give credit to the original photographers but I drew them about fifteen years ago!
EDIT July 30th, 2010 – It needs to be mentioned that I am not referring to ANY photographer I personally know, I have had multiple guesses from multiple people, “Is this about so-and-so?” or “Is this about me?” The answer is NO… it’s about nobody specifically! That said, we can ALL use a bit more uniqueness in our styles, myself included, so in that sense it is about nobody and everybody I know.
Great post, I feel like I’m in the mimic phase in my career. I am just a student after all. You get so worked up in the technical aspect that the creative part gets a little overwhelming. That being said, I have a hard time putting my name on any of my images right now because I feel like such a poser, but I do it on occasion. Friends ask for a blog because they want to refer me so I put one up, but I don’t feel so great about it. To the untrained eye my work is amazing, to me it’s very bland and unprofessional.
Becka – I love this statement you made, “…To the untrained eye my work is amazing, to me it’s very bland and unprofessional.”
I love it because that thought NEVER goes away! To a certain extent the better you become the more flaws you discover… to me, you making that statement about your work tells me you are on the right path. You realize you can get better, if you stop realizing that then you’ve plateaued… and that sucks!
Keep on shooting!
That’s awesome advice, Thanks Jake!
As one of those design school kids that could never quite land on a “love” I’ve been bouncing around the areas of art and design since before I can remember. This post just reminded me that whether I’m studying Landscape Architecture, Fashion Design, or figuring out how a damn strobe light works with my new camera, the principles of design are all the same — its all in the tools you use to express what you have to say.
My mom has told me, since I was very young that you can teach anyone to use a tool, but that you can’t teach someone how to see something fantastic and thus create good design/art/awesomeness. They’re born with that.
P.S. In the last 24 hours, I’ve read every one of your blogs…keep rockin’ it for us readers out here 🙂
I am a middle-aged, fairly established sculptor and have recently begun drawing nudes again. First as references for my sculpting and now more for the fun of drawing them. I enjoy extreme poses (physically challenging for the model to hold) and am struggling to find (& afford) models who can take the poses.
I recently ran across an artist’s anatomy book and a Yoga book with amazing photographs in them. I itch to draw them, but these would be works that would be included in exhibitions and I am unsure about copyright. I have no wish to infringe on another artist’s work. I would be using the poses in a composition and doing the drawings in an different media.
Whilst Googling the ethics of drawing from photographs, I found your blog. Can you direct me to any legal resources or give me advice on reproducing these photographs, albeit slightly differently in my own hand and medium?
I know you said it is fine in the ‘mimic’ stage of your career. But, I feel that if I put them on exhibition and for sale it goes a bit beyond that. These are particularly fine specimens of models and poses, presented in textbook formats. I would really like to include them in my works, but not to the point of blatant plagiarism.
Any thoughts or advice would be most welcome.
Thank you,
Kay
South Africa
Kay,
I’m not a lawyer so I can’t really comment on the legality of your question but in my opinion if your reference material is in an anatomy book for artists and you use the images as a reference for your art then it sounds like you’re using the book exactly what it was intended for. But that’s just me.
However, you may want to consider talking to art colleges nearby and asking for references for models they use in live drawing classes, you may be able to find your own models to photograph and use as a reference. That way there would be no question at all!
Jake
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