Art theft, in general, is a prominent problem that many artists face at some point.
There are a lot of posts on Tumblr that detail this problem already. Yes, I have seen the common view as well as a few ‘fine-line’ opinions on the matter. But for this post, I’ve decided to talk about art theft when it appears in roleplaying.
Where do we see art in roleplaying?
Art appears in many ways on Tumblr. It can be sketches, doodles, or full images posted for characters or fandoms. It can be gifs or icons to use in threads. It can also be the images that appear on each blog. From the blog’s dash icon, to sidebar, to the theme and pages.
There is a difference between using official art and fanart or fan-edits.
Official art comes from works that appear in the different types of media (i.g. anime/manga, tv shows, or promotions). While a lot of official artwork might not be public domain, it is commonly accepted for people to use it for graphics, icons, or even gifs.
To put it simple, using official art is not viewed as stealing. However, fanart or fan-edits are viewed differently than official art.
Fanart and fan-edits (edits of any original art) are not protected legally as official artwork is. Artists and many others hold all fanart and fan-edits as being the property of the person or people who create them. Thus, no one should take fanart or fan-edits for use without expressed permission of the creator.
How is fanart and fan-edits stolen?
Reposting on Tumblr without getting the expressed permission from the artist. There will be some people who say sourcing the fanart makes this okay. However, no one should ever assume this! If you have not spoken to the original artist and gotten their permission 100%, do not repost fanart that is not your own, even if you plan to source it.
Icons. Roleplayers liked to have small images of their face claims to help express their muses in threads. However, I want to explain this in two parts.
Part 1: Many muns will go out of their way to customize their own icons for many reasons. Maybe one mun wants to stand out with their unique images. But a big reason is to prevent anyone from just using their icons. Depending on how the icon is made, a lot of time goes into making these small images. From specific sizes to editing to adding watermarks. The more customized a icon is, the easier it is to tell if someone takes and uses it without permission.
Part 2: Icons made from fanart. This kind of relates to the ‘do not repost fanart without permission’. If you do not have permission from the artist, then you are stealing their art when you make icons from it. Icon making often involves re-sizing and altering an image. So, essentially, you are butchering someone’s fanart for a small images that you are going to be reposting often (if it’s used for roleplaying). Just don’t do it if you’re not going to have permission.
Fan-edits. I’m not sure if this term is used by other people. I phase it to stand in for things made from official artwork that doesn’t really fit as original fanart. This can be icons, graphics, or just altered official images. Treat this as you would treat fanart. Someone does take the time to create fan-edits. And, yes, they can get upset if someone else uses these fan-edits without the creator’s expressed permission. So just don’t take anyone else’s fan-edit for icons or any blog image unless you ask the person who made it if you can.
Do no steal fanart or fan-edits.
Do no repost unless you have permission. Sourcing does not count as permission.
Do not use fanart or fan-edits if you do not have permission for: icons, dash/blog icon, sidebar, theme, or pages.
If you disagree with this, then consider talking to different artists. See their views and opinions on the matter. Imagine if you created a fanart or fan-edit and someone took it without asking you.
Regardless, stealing art for any purpose is not right. It happens in many ways in roleplaying. Thank you for reading this post. Also, check out this post as it helped guide me on outlining mine.