this post was submitted on
426 points (60% like it)
1,238 up votes 812 down votes
shortlink:

WTF

subscribe1,971,417 readers

5,105 users here now

New Rules:

  • No screenshots (e.g. Facebook, Youtube)
  • No memes (or posters)
  • No rage comics
  • No politics / posts with political implications - Includes Activism, Call for public outcry etc.
  • No re-hosted web comics
  • No begging for upvotes
  • No links to reddit
  • Personal information is not allowed and will be removed, repeat offenders banned
  • Links to facebook are not allowed
  • NSFW posts must be tagged or will be removed.
  • Gore and Porn are not by default WTF, consider posting the more extreme stuff to /r/spacedicks

All (& only) things that make you say WTF. The moderators of /r/WTF reserve the right to moderate posts for not being WTF and would be more appropriate in more relevant subreddits.

Thanks to licenseplate for the excellent logo & thanks to humansmartbomb for the previous logo

Please DO NOT post personal information

Such posts or comments will be removed and offenders may be banned. This includes anything hosted on Facebook's servers, as they can be traced to the original account holder.

Shout Outs:

/r/weird

/r/creepy

/r/creepy_gif

/r/offbeat

/r/WTFart

/r/NSFW_WTF

/r/sfw_wtf

/r/BugWars

/r/awesome

/r/toosoon

New: /r/mildlyinteresting

New: /r/FanTheories

New: /r/tifu

Exceptions to the rules can be granted by the moderators; The moderators of /r/WTF reserve the right to moderate posts and comments at their discretion, with regard to their perception of the suitability of said posts and comments for this subreddit. Thank you for your understanding.

a community for
to anything interesting: news article, blog entry, video, picture...
message the moderators

MODERATORS

reddit is a source for what's new and popular online. vote on links that you like or dislike and help decide what's popular, or submit your own! learn more ›

425
426

New York Times art swipe? (imgur.com)

submitted ago by undiscoveredlama

all 69 comments
sorted by:
best
best
top
new
hot
controversial
old

[–]ackshunpact 233 points234 points ago

Yeah what kind of artist uses a photograph for reference?

Back in the old days they would just kidnap some little girl off the street and scare the shit out of her for like....an hour just to get this drawing done.

[–]AnNoYiNgUsErNaMe 38 points39 points ago

Then kill her so nobody else can use her as a reference.

[–]TubbyandthePoo-Bah 9 points10 points ago

Copyright: Serious business.

[–]GreenStrong 6 points7 points ago

From what I learned getting a degree in commercial photography, the photographer should get paid for a commercial image derived from a photo, although the pay rate would be much less than if the photo were licensed as is. For example, Shephard Fairey got sued by the photographer who produced the reference for the famous Obama "Hope" image, even though the illustration was much better than the photo. (Criminal charges resulted from the artist attempting a coverup)

If the image is released anonymously as a meme, a respectable commercial publication should choose a different stock image, so they can licence it properly, instead of having an unpaid rights owner out there with a possible claim.

[–]Erinaceous 5 points6 points ago

It's much less cut and dried than that when it comes to illustration. If Fairley hadn't fucked up his case by destroying evidence it's quite likely he would have been able to claim fair use because of the transformative nature of his work on the image. One of the reasons his case was important is that it would have set a legal precedent for transformative works as fair use. Part of the problem with fair use defenses is that they are usually settled out of court which prevents clarity over what constitutes fair use. This ambiguity gives tremendous power to those whose who make aggressive copyright claims that encroach on the intellectual commons.

[–]GreenStrong 3 points4 points ago

It's much less cut and dried than that when it comes to illustration.

Just to clarify that first line of your excellent comment, my original point was in relation to commercial (advertising) photography. You're probably quite right that editorial illustrations have a much better chance at a fair use defense.

[–]BBQsauce18 1 point2 points ago

Pictures for lazy?

[–]andruis 1 point2 points ago

I love sarcasm.

[–]universepants 0 points1 point ago

Heaven forbid an artist be good enough to draw a sad girl well without any reference.

[–]skippppp 140 points141 points ago

OP. Sit back, look at what you posted, then look at the top left at the reddit alien, and ask yourself: Did my face look like that when I saw this image?

Because this is surely not even close to being anywhere near "good" content for r/WTF.

[–]ManMadeHuman -2 points-1 points ago

Devil's Advocate post:

From the sidebar, "All (& only) things that make you say WTF."

People have different levels of what make them say WTF. If the first thing they thought was WTF to what they think is theft of an image, then may think this is where they would post it as opposed to r/pics.

As far as my opinion goes... i really don't care either way.

[–]FappingAsYouReadThis 10 points11 points ago

The moderators of /r/WTF reserve the right to moderate posts for not being WTF

Speaking of WTF - what the fuck, mods? Come on, get with the program.

[–]Lurkerhereduh 0 points1 point ago

I don't think the 12 or whatever mods can handle nearly as much bullshit as WTF produces. It's like the epicenter of everything not the fuck.

[–]alfiekong 0 points1 point ago

Completely agree and clearly a lot of people who don't comment much either do because this sort of content gets upvoted on a regular basis.

[–]CherryValance 31 points32 points ago

In art school we were taught that you're only as good as your reference is obscure.

[–]Gfrisse1 22 points23 points ago

As an Art Director in Chicago, way back in the day, it was common knowledge that "the best Art Directors are those with the oldest morgues (reference photo archives)."

[–]PuroMichoacan 0 points1 point ago

Bet your met my teacher Dan Wood.

[–]being_ironic 0 points1 point ago

why is this guy downvoted? Is it not true? or did somebody climb off the wrong side of the bed this morning... Mr. Mean mousie click downvoter

[–]fuck_your_dad 2 points3 points ago

WHAT? A DOWNVOTER??

I'LL GET THE PITCHFORKS, YOU GET THE TORCHES

[–]being_ironic 0 points1 point ago

But my dad's dead.

[–]brickstein 8 points9 points ago

Good artists borrow, great artists steal

[–]LeonTheWorst 4 points5 points ago

To quote S. Jobs quoting Picasso

[–]derangedhyena 6 points7 points ago

...because artists using reference material is wtf? No.

[–]backstab -2 points-1 points ago

the hands/forearms are a direct trace. http://imgur.com/bs2cd

[–]derangedhyena 2 points3 points ago

You can't directly trace a photograph into lineart as such, it still has to be interpreted. In addition, artists who are skilled enough can eyeball things with great accuracy. Especially the part they're needing to reference (i.e. the bunched hands.)

That also isn't direct. Most glaringly - the right (her left) palm extends further down and is at a different angle in the illustration. This looks like the artist was just looking for quick fingers reference, that's all.

[–]BLVD 1 point2 points ago

this is more wtf than the original submission.

[–]mike808hawaii 4 points5 points ago

Have you never seen a girl do that with her arms and hands?

[–]ZorroMeansFox 12 points13 points ago

Devil's Artvocate: "I think, as the girl's expression and her eyes are so different in the drawing, and as the background/surroundings are so specific, it can honestly be argued that the photo was just being utilized as a 'physical reference' for the (second) artist. The story being told by each picture seems different enough in tone --and the psychology of the story that's (seemingly) being 'illustrated' in the hand-drawn picture looks so archetypal-- that the altered use seems pretty legit."

[–]Laboratory 5 points6 points ago

That isn't devil's advocate. That is a pretty conservative take on copyright. Even if the drawing were the same as the photo, using a photo as a reference is well protected.

[–]ZorroMeansFox 2 points3 points ago

Yes, it IS a pretty conservative take; but it's one that can be advocated, (Beelza-)Buddy. The question, in this case, would be one of "substantial alteration/difference" from the original. And, as I attempted to argue, there is a huge difference between the meaning, tone, style, and "facial expression of the key figure" --enough so, that an entirely new work was, arguably, generated (--certainly more so than, say, putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa...which has already passed the "new works" test --albeit, as a "parody or commentary"). Protection is a matter for argument in the Law in this particular case --and all I was saying is that the argument could (and would) be made.

[–]RalphWasntHere 12 points13 points ago

How the fuck is this WTF?

[–]andrasi 18 points19 points ago

What is WTF about this again? Reported

[–]shaggyzon4 2 points3 points ago

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3qu3b1/

[–]christophla 2 points3 points ago

What else do you think a scared girl would look like?

[–]Obsidian777 0 points1 point ago

Art imitates life. Just look at all the crap Andy Worhol pushed out.

[–]HomieDOESPlayDat -1 points0 points ago

Truth.

[–]Moarwatermelons -3 points-2 points ago

So Brave.

[–]sausagelady 0 points1 point ago

This sucks as WTF and should be moderated for deletion. OP is a faggot per usual.

[–]PantsMcShirt 1 point2 points ago

It's funny that I see a crucified rapist, a vagina full of scissors and some kind of blood clot afterbirth monster on /r/WTF but this still qualifies as WTF material.

[–]sgtpepper6344 0 points1 point ago

Shepard Fairey probly has something to offer on this one . .

[–]LessThanHero42 0 points1 point ago

And what is she doing in the Tardis?

[–]being_ironic 0 points1 point ago

This is not stolen artwork, this is an illustration with hurried effort to conceal its reference. If you don't think reference material is honest in the illustration industry, then just about everything is stolen. Why spend hours establishing the perspective and physical reality of your background when you could crop in a photo of buildings and draw it.

This illustrator's mistake was making his trail obvious. Why not flip her direction, warp her posture, swap her face? Do something to hide your process. That's all.

[–]backstab -1 points0 points ago

for comparison

[–]wayndom 0 points1 point ago

The kid swiped the pose from the Times...

[–]tubbsmcgee -1 points0 points ago

Slow day on WTF I guess.

[–]magp13 0 points1 point ago

Did OP credit the Illustrator? Also, What is the context for the Illustration? What was the article for?

[–]cefarix 0 points1 point ago

WTF is up with all these non WTF posts on /r/WTF today.

[–]SpaceOdysseus 1 point2 points ago

First of all, not WTF. Second, artists often use photos as reference. Third, the sketch is a lot different than the photo. Fourth, fuck you.

[–]gloomdoom -1 points0 points ago

It's fine to reference images in artwork. Shepard fairey got busted for reproducing a copyrighted photo and claiming it as his own. There really is no fine line here. You either copy it and infringe on copyright or you're influenced by it and you interpret the photo in your own way and it's not illegal.

Fairey wasn't smart enough to cover his tracks. He has over a decade of stealing the work of others, he finally just got called on it by someone who had enough money to challenge him on it.

[–]AnorexicBuddha -1 points0 points ago

This post is pointless. And why is it in wtf, again?

[–]Melaronius 1 point2 points ago

This is not /r/WTF content....

[–]Villainsoft 1 point2 points ago

So, basically portrait artists are "swiping" the image of the subject too? Reference photography for illustration is pretty standard practice.

[–]backstab 0 points1 point ago

the hands/forearms are a direct trace. http://imgur.com/bs2cd

[–]Villainsoft 0 points1 point ago

Yes. Tracing is not swiping something though. Its the reason why lightboxes exist.

[–]unbuiltnuke -1 points0 points ago

http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/354/018/b57.gif

[–]ENTimate -2 points-1 points ago

If I draw a little girl in that pose, I'm copying some bullshit photo? Not /r/wtf worthy either.

[–]nosehat -1 points0 points ago

They are not all that similar really

[–]riversofgore 0 points1 point ago

WHO THE FUCK GIVES A SHIT? This is NOT WTF. The mods must take Sundays off.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. © 2012 reddit inc. All rights reserved.

REDDIT and the ALIEN Logo are registered trademarks of reddit inc.

π Rendered by PID 23199 on app-114 running 2c0449c.