Selling Fanart, Copying infringements, Art Theft

I found this really helpful guide that I think everyone should know about. I've seen a lot of controversy over these subjects and instances lately and there have been many people being upset, or who are infringing on others, etc. So I found this guide that is extremely helpful for everyone. Spread the word!

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AS FOR TRACING OR HEAVILY REFERENCING:

Most tracers are not trying to profit from a traced paper with their squiggly lines and all, but are usually trying to learn by seeing how the lines connect. Tracing can actually be a good thing, as the deviantart FAQ states, because it is a good tool for learning. You can't actually do much with traced art anyway, and most people just upload it because they are looking to fit in somewhere and are inexperienced. Art teachers encourage their students to copy the way the art teacher does something, because that's how you learn. Only once the student has a general feel for drawing what they've already been taught can they develop their own style. It's nearly impossible to develop your own style if you don't even know how to draw in the first place. That doesn't take away from the fact that it does make other people feel like their art is being stolen, and at the very least the person tracing should give acknowledgement to the original, but tracing or heavily referencing is very beneficial to the person doing it if they use it for personal use only and give credit where credit is due. This is something most art teachers will tell you, because no art class that I've ever been in has tried to show everyone how to create their own unique style, they've just taught them their style and the students eventually develop their own style after they get down the basics. I don't know anyone, besides beginners, who trace. And usually the reason why they trace is because they are beginners trying to learn the basics. That doesn't mean you have to accept that they trace your stuff, but it should be treated less harshly than actual illegal activity. I know it doesn't feel nice to have something traced and I've been really upset about that in the past too, however I've changed my opinion on it after reading deviantarts FAQ and what it had to say about it and now I take it with a grain of salt. It's less upsetting when you see the reason behind why people do things. You still might not like it, but it's better to go a little easier on the topic of tracing when comparing it to something like art theft.

Here's what deviantart says about tracing/heavily referencing:

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Copying can elicit strong emotions, but n

Again, I'm not trying to minimize those who feel upset about others tracing or heavily referencing their art. I only hoped that this article would give you a little more understanding and make you feel a little better about the issue. My recommendation is to alert the offender that they should give credit where credit is due and that what they are doing offends you-in a respectful manner. Civil and respectful communication should minimize this issue, if both sides understood each other better. And then again some people are just going to be jerks anyway, but a lot of them are simply ignorant.