So, I’ve had this post stewing for a while, trying to figure out exactly what I want to say and how to say it, because I’m a little worried that it needs to be said.
The short version? Don’t steal art.
The long version?
Well, the long version starts with a caveat: a lot of people are more conscious about this than they used to be! And sometimes people don’t know about it and just need to hear about it! But here’s the problem with the art theft I usually see in the book blogging community: it’s usually fan art, and it’s usually unattributed (and no, “credit to the artist” DOES NOT count). I see it on Twitter, and I see it in blog posts where people just make lists of their favorite books and characters. I also see it on Pinterest, but Pinterest is a minefield of stolen work, which is upsetting.
A lot of artists rely on having their name attached to their work in order to attract paying commissioners. On top of that, most artists I know dislike it when their work is reposted to any site without their explicit permission, even if there’s a link back to the original source. Traffic is really important to artists, and it should be on their terms.
So! Here’s a handy guide for not stealing someone’s work, and how to approach asking permission to share an artist’s work outside their chosen platform.
STEP ONE
Whoa, neat! You love this art you just found of your bookish OTP and you want to share it! If you’re somewhere with a reblog/retweet function, USE that. Reblogging/retweeting is intimately linked to the source, and remains on the website that the artist originally posted to, directing people back to the artist. It is NOT the same as reposting, which involves saving the image and reuploading it so the source appears to be your own account. Reblogs and retweets are awesome. Reposting is not.
STEP TWO
Oh no, there’s not a reblog-esque function! Or you want to share it on your blog! Now what?
For starters, DON’T REPOST IT. Never skip right to that. Instead, see if there’s a message function, or if the artist has some other point of contact. Then, send a polite message, something like the following, but more specific to whatever you’re looking to do with their art:
“Hi, I really love your art of [WHATEVER YOU LOVED]! I was wondering if it would be okay for me to share it on [PLATFORM], as [USERNAME ON THAT PLATFORM]. If so, please let me know what you’d like to me use as the source link! If not, I understand. Have a great day!”
Simple, polite, to the point.
ALTERNATELY, some artists will post in their FAQ pages a notice to NOT repost, or instructions for how to do so according to their wishes. Always check for these, usually before sending a message. Really, messages should actually be for after you’ve looked for such a statement and couldn’t find one.
STEP THREE
Now, this goes one of two ways.
THE ARTIST SAYS NO/DOES NOT REPLY: You’re done. Full stop. You do not repost their art whatsoever. If you really love it that much, do not include the art in your blog post or moodboard or tweet or whatever, but do include a link (and link ONLY) to the source. That way, you don’t repost their art, but you do direct some traffic flow to the artist.
THE ARTIST SAYS YES: Great! If this is the case, go ahead! Make sure you include the artist’s name/social media handle (sometimes both), a link to their site of choice which you asked for in your message, and that you have permission to share the image on your account, whatever platform that may be. I recommend keeping the email you got permission from/screenshotting the message and saving it, just so you don’t mix up who gave you permission for what, and you can say confidently that yes, you did in fact get permission.
A caption reading “Art by [ARTIST], shared with permission” that makes the artist’s name into the source link is usually acceptable.
STEP FOUR (OPTIONAL)
Do you really love the artist? Do you have a little extra money? If you can, and if they are open to commissions, commission something from them! This is a totally optional step, but if you can afford to do it, it does help artists out a lot. Keep in mind, though, that if you ask about commission prices and cannot afford them, do not say “oh those are such high prices.” Instead, say something like “Okay, thank you. I can’t afford that much right now, but I’ll keep you in mind in the future!” It’s much more polite to say you can’t afford that at the moment than to complain about the prices, and it implies that you value the artist’s work instead of implying that you don’t think the time and effort they spend is worth the amount they’re charging.
If they have a ko-fi or Patreon and you can’t afford a full commission, considering leaving them a few bucks. If you can’t do that, but they do have commissions open, consider reblogging/retweeting/linking to their commissions post to spread the word, and hopefully someone else will be able to buy some art.
On the whole, I promise it’s not that hard to avoid using stolen art. Ask permission, and if you can’t even find the original artist, even after doing a reverse image search through Google, just don’t repost it. And try not to link to reposted art. Giving reposted art attention is a huge disservice to the original artist. If you aren’t sure if the post is original, look for signs of a watermark, or check and see if the source has a relatively consistent style in their other works, if they have other works at all. If the style is all over the place, they might be a repost account, especially if you see watermarks with a lot of different names or handles. If it’s consistent, then you probably have the original artist. If there are tags, original artists will often have a tag just for their own work, while reposters usually just tag according to the contents of the image or popular tags without including a personal art tag.
Go forth, and attribute your art properly!
This is a really interesting post. I’ve never thought of this before and I really appreciate you bringing an end to my ignorance! I’m definitely going to be keeping this in mind from now on. Thank you for spreading the word on such an important topic, and discussing it in a productive way 🙂
I’m glad you think it’s helpful! I know that a brute approach ruffles more feathers than it smooths, but I felt like this had to be talked about, so it’s good to know you think it was productive and that you’ll keep it in mind. 😊
This is SUCH AN IMPORTANT POST! Having come from the gaming industry where it is widely known that you credit the artist and don’t make changes with their explicit permission, I have been a little shocked seeing how rampant unintentional art theft is in the book blogging community.
Right??? I had my start in fandom by and large, and one of the biggest lessons learned (or ignored, depending on the kind of person you’re talking about) was not to repost anything without going through all the right channels! It baffles me how often I see uncredited art in the blogosphere after coming from an environment like that, which actively reports reposters and works to make sure everything is properly credited.
Agreed! I appreciate you making this – straight and to the point. Honestly I think people just don’t know here, I have seen images used from Google searches that aren’t marked as free for use and I hope people don’t get dinged. Because sadly this goes beyond artwork…
It’s funny because I commissioned some artwork from an artist friend of mine on a game we play for SCAREtober and I have been literally nagging them to upload it themselves somewhere so I can drive traffic to them that way.
Hopefully… There’s a bid legal dimension to be wary of. Maybe I’ll make a post on free resources next!
Oooh, hopefully they do!
Yea definitely, I am probably going to make a post about the dangers of just taking stuff from Google at some point because your post inspired me.
That’s a great idea!
Good idea!! I’ll keep an eye out for that. Looks like between the two of us, we’re going to cover some crediting basics, huh?
This is a really helpful post, especially for new bloggers! I used to do it a lot back when I first started (I think?) because there weren’t really any posts that was telling me HOW and I would have loved to know how I could have approached the artists back then. 🙈
It’s surprising how often people say “DON’T” without offering “do this instead” along with it, so I’m really glad you think this is helpful!! Pointing out a problem needs to also offer a fix where possible, and I hope this helps some folks out with their art posting habits.
I completely agree! We always get told DON’T do it, but with a no, there’s usually an alternative solution.
Exactly. Nothing gets fixed after a DON’T unless you know there’s another path.
Wow, I’m still kinda new to blogging, and as much as I link back to the original source, I’ve never actually thought to contact the creator (not sure why, it makes complete sense). Thank you for opening my eyes to this!
Not a problem! It’s a step a lot of folks don’t know to take. Some people don’t even know to look for a short notice that says not to repost art/how to repost art if the artist allows it. All it takes for most folks is just to learn these things the first time and go forward with them afterwards.
I really appreciate this post. It’s already difficult enough for independent artists to make money off of their work, but of course, people are going pirate/repost their creations because “it’s on the internet.” I’ve been guilty of this too, so I think this is a great reminder to respect that the artwork came from hard work, and the least you can do is ask permission and respect the artist. Terrific post!
I’m so glad you liked this post. I’ve got some artist friends, so it’s close to my heart and something I’ve learned a lot about. Delighted to hear it’s doing what it’s supposed to!
I’m so glad I came across this post because I didn’t realize it at all! I assumed giving credit would have been enough. Thank you for writing this!
I’m glad you were able to find it! I know it’s a topic that doesn’t always get talked about, so I’m always happy to hear it when someone finds it useful. 😁
I agree that a lot of people really just want to share something beautiful that they found, but they don’t realize that sharing (even with a link) is not okay without permission. Thanks for pointing this out!
Enthusiasm is good, but credit is better! Happy to bring this up. Thanks for reading!
It’s so important to credit artists for their work. Thanks for sharing these steps!
No problem! Anything to help artists get the credit they deserve.