Stealing Other people\'s Ideas

[Shadow]

When You see that someone else has done something with a model (amzing conversion etc.). What do you do?
a) un ashamedly steal the idea and claim that they copied you!
b)Do the noble thing and simply admire it
c)Do the same thing yourself but admit that you were inspired by someone elses modelBlack
Just wondered what kind of resonse I\'d get. \'Cos, lets face it, we\'ve all seen simple but effective conversions we would have liked to have done.

 

[airhead]

Mostly B

Sometimes C, never A:moon:. Wish I had more time for C.

Even if I try C, it hardly ever comes out as a \"copy\". I will still throw some of my own into it.:idea:

 

[the.super.hamster]

Mostly B but more C\'s now as my skills are improving. Never A. For one thing, the pieces I admire are so much better than I could hope to do (at least for the moment!)

 

[Errex]

Mostly B

But then again, I\'ll try and improve on what I saw. Back when I began painting this things, I did conciously try and duplicate the look of the mnis I\'d see on White Dwarf and such. this helped me a lot in acquiring the basic techniques.

Nowadays, I have gone a different way. If I see a mini I like and also have on my pewter pile, I will paint it with a different color scheme, and trying to make it as unique as possible.

As far as conversion work goes, I try to keep it subtle, or with no modification.

 

[idahoan]

There\'s nothing wrong with using others ideas unless you don\'t give proper credit. Even then, this is a big world and there is a thing called the collective subconscious. Lots of folks have similar ideas and don\'t act on them until they see someone else\'s work as inspiration.

I mean, what the heck is CMON for if not to learn techniques and borrow ideas?

In a more general sense, we need copy-cats. John Deere did not invent the plow, but he did make it better.

 

[Chrispy]

In the art world, you can still steal other people\'s ideas, but make them your own and totally different. For two examples:

In Cubism, Picasso influenced Matisse and vice versa, but their works are unique to them. Picasso liked dealing with more subdued tones and provoking ideals, and Matisse like bright colors and everyday situations.

NMM. Who knows who first did this? But every one has their own way of doing it to make it look good, so can you really call it one person\'s technique?
Only if it\'s a blatant rip off should people get upset. And only really get angry at another if they stole someone\'s pic and posted it as their own.

Some of us are more inclined to sculpting and invisioning what can be done with a mini, while others have to be inspired.

 

[Corvus]

I use a lot of minis on this site as a source of inspiration. Most often I take a good look at pictures when it comes down to color schemes or specific colors of certain parts of a mini (for example: a belt, a feather, etc).

But because everyone has his own technique for shading and highlighting really stealing paintjobs is nearly impossible in my opinion.

Stealing conversions and diorama ideas is something different: for example copying an action pose of a mini, or a situation in a diorama. I don\'t think I would ever do such a thing...

 

[Beelzebrush]

There is nothing wrong with copying peoples work if it\'s a learning process. In some art colleges you have to copy works by well known artists in order to better understand the technique. Obviously ripping peoples work and claiming it as your own is a definite no-no.

The other thing I think is worth mentioning is using imagery and schemes created by, for example GW. Someone at some point has devised various SM chapters, LOTR schemes, and other gameworld imagery which you almost have to copy due to the nature of the game. This seriously reduces the creative process but makes the figures slot into a preconceived world (makes em easier to sell too :flip: ).

 

[freakinacage]

oh chrispy, you really know how to prove a point and with such excellent examples! you never fail to amaze me ! back to the topic though, i mostly admire but if i\'m feeling adventurous or expecially envious, i will try and do something similar either in my own style or improve it a little (in my mind anyway - each to their own and all that). however, i will never deny that i have nabbed the idea, heck, most of my more interesting stuff has come from another source in some way. but then we get onto the \'nothing is original\' topic again.???

 

[Beelzebrush]

Chrispy... If you compare the early cubist work of Picasso to Georges Braque, the similarity is astonishing. The reason being they shared a studio and both deeply influenced each other and both are considered great artists.

 

[Sturmhalo]

Originally posted by Chrispy
NMM. Who knows who first did this

I first saw NMM (though didn\'t know it as NMM) back in the early 90\'s in White Dwarf. They painted a Blood Angel marine captain using that technique rather than paint him using gold metallics. I doubt GW were the first to use it though.

Best way to learn is to copy other peoples ideas. Try something new that you\'ve seen in a mag or on CMON, but find your own way of doing it and just add it to your repertoire of skills!

 

[vincegamer]

I usually try to do something no one else has done before.

I do almost no sculpting/converting, but I have copied a painting idea. The only one I can think of I wrote the painter first saying I really liked it and how did he do it, and would he mind if I coppied the color scheme on my figures.
But \"ask permission first\" was not one of the options.

If anyone is curious, I\'m referring to the color of the armor on my high elves
here
Which idea I got from this far better piece
here

 

[AAvH-Darkblade]

99% of the time I just admire and take inspiration or try and learn new techniques from what I see here.

BUT...I did have a moment....no inspiration, at a total loss as what to do for my own Slaanesh Champion. THEN...Voila! Inspiration...two Champions found here...geniuses, brilliant and inspiring. I went to work.

My inspirations :idea:

Jericho\'s Slaanesh Champion which we got to watch develop via WIP pics and Forum discussions until it was done. Inspiring and cool.

Shroud\'s Champion and Attendant A very cool back story and conversion idea.

Where this inspiration took me, with due credit given

Slaanesh Chaos Champion, Path to Glory

So, every now and them, something is so cool you just have to try it and make it your own. But give credit when it\'s due.

Thanks for the inspiration guys.

Cheers, Darkblade

 

[Big Mean Elf]

NMM & C...

First off NMM has been around forever,in modern pop culture you could see it all over \"Heavy Metal\" mag covers in the 70`s & 80`s in 2 D art...paintings.

I`ll have to say that I do \"C\" as all artist are inspired by other art,to a degree.

..but I would not say it is stealing,it is reacting to the world around you,the guys that know me here know that I do all original conversions,and as I improve more and more of my work is becomeing sculpting,things in my head...so I try to be an inspired original artist!

...blah blah...
lol:bouncy::flip:

Peace!

 

[Beelzebrush]

NMM is just an illustration/fine art technique that\'s been around hundreds of years. Any metal in any painting uses NMM. Only difference is that it\'s applied to a 3D object instead of a flat image.

 

[number9]

studying other\'s accomplishments, and emulating the effect on your own, with your own models, potentially improving upon it, and passing it off as your own work, is called learning.

For Example: I like the way NMM looks. I study some examples of other\'s work. I determine a method based on that study. I paint NMM on one of my models.

-----------

studying other\'s accomplishments, directly and minutely copying their work, and passing it off as a work of theirs, is called fraud.

For Example: I like Jen Haley\'s models. I study her techniques and color choices obsessively until I can almost unerringly replicate her painting style. I try to pass off one of my models as her\'s.

------------------

studying other\'s accomplishments, isolating their style and technique, directly copying it and claiming it as your own, thus devaluing the original accomplishment, is stealing.

For Example: I love Jen Haley\'s models. I study and emulate them determining how she paints the way she does. I paint a model in a very similar style and claim to be the originator of that style.

------------

At least that is my take on it. The statements and examples are probably a bit naff and oversimplified but I never really gave the notion much thought. I figured there was little to \"steal\" from the miniature paitning community and that we were all basically following the topmost statement; learning.

 

[barkel]

theft by painting

I\'m still at the point in my technique developement where I steal ruthlessly. Ok, it\'s not ruthless and I\'d never even consider taking credit for ideas that aren\'t mine. But I do sample, or imitate, or borrow... whatever.

I have a Josef Bugman figure that I got just because I liked the Eavy Metal version of him. I painted him almost exactly like I saw him in the Warhammer 5th edition book. The only thing I changed was the color of his axe handle. He actually came out quite well.

I also find, from time to time, that I have more unpainted models than I have ideas for. So I\'ll surf these pages to get inspired.

I\'ve also seen many, many instances where an artists take one model and then add the tiniest piece from another model and call it a conversion. Is that original? I don\'t know.

And finally, consider that two people may get the same idea independantly of each other and present them at different times. Just because one person presented his original idea after the first person presented the same original idea, does not mean that the idea is stolen. It\'s just suspect.

The books Candide and Rasselas were both written in the 17th century. The were released within 6 months of each other (back then that was really fast). Both books are very similar in theme. But rather than thinking one author stole from the other, most historians think that both authors were similarly inspired by their times. We all live in the same world.

Well, some of my points have already been covered by other people, but I maintain that I thought of them on my own.:innocent:

barkel

 

[Flashman14]

I don\'t think it really could be called stealing at all.

I someone paints a picket fence white and so does the guy across the street nobody\'s gonna sue. Can you sue Burger King for stealing the idea of putting pickles on their hamburgers? What about the guy who made a blue suit - do all blue suit makers have to credit their orginator? Can\'t be done.

For painting figs, there\'s no technique that can be defined in a legal way that can be construed as possessible.

Even NMM - that\'s dependant on the use of grays, (blues) white = all those are un-ownable . . .

know what I mean??

 

[Big Mean Elf]

You Nut!!

...LOL!

Originally posted by barkel
We all live in the same world.

Well, some of my points have already been covered by other people, but I maintain that I thought of them on my own.:innocent:

barkel

lol:flip::bouncy:

 

[tabithatan]

......

I think its okay to copy an idea as long as you give credit when it is due.... like mentioning where you got the idea from especially if ur copy looks a lot like the original... I think its jus a common courtesy to do so