Is doing USD art commissions allowed on FFXIV?

[Bourne_Endeavor]

I never copy/trace/fan-art, because those things are boring to me. But if another artist wants to--why hate on them?

Because they aren't an artist. They've a thief. How does this even compute? You claim people have lost their passion for art yet think it's perfectly okay someone literally copy your work? It's one thing if they look at your drawing and attempt to recreate it with their own flair (i.e., not trace), but another thing entirely if they simply try passing it off as their own.

It's only a problem if you let it be a problem. It's all about how you let other people affect you. Don't let other people dictate your happiness and enjoyment. Own yourself, or else you're letting them steal more than just your art. ^.^

What??? o.O

Let's apply this warped logic to say, a household item. If someone stole your PS4, PC, money from your dresser, you'd just shrug it off, "Oh, no big deal. People just do things like that ^.^" I get trying not to let it ruin your passion, but people can still be happy with their craft and equally pissed off when someone steals it. I've had someone copy my character wholesale once on a RP forum. I was neither amused nor forgiving about it. They didn't ruin my enjoyment of RP though. They were just a thief, which I called them out on.

I mean, to each their own, I guess...

[Miste]

I still love art, but the art community just pisses me off sometimes. It's like somewhere along the lines people stop doing art as a passion, and it becomes an ego-trip. Such a buzz-kill. I never copy/trace/fan-art, because those things are boring to me. But if another artist wants to--why hate on them? Art is about fun.

I don't even consider myself an artist nor was I ever any good at drawing, but you seem extremely out of touch with reality?

Sure, art can be fun, but you seem to forget that some people live off being an artist? It is literally their livelihood and provides them with the necessities of living like a roof over their head, food, and clothes on their backs.

Someone stealing someone elses art can have a bad impact on them financially. If someone steals someone elses art and tries to sell it or trace it they are taking profits away from the artist who drew it.

How can you be this out of touch??? Ego-trip? Nope, just needing to LIVE and make the proper profit off of THEIR OWN WORK instead of someone else stealing any of it.

[HyoMinPark]

It's only a problem if you let it be a problem. It's all about how you let other people affect you. Don't let other people dictate your happiness and enjoyment. Own yourself, or else you're letting them steal more than just your art. ^.^

No, it’s a problem.
You’re essentially saying that stealing someone else’s art is okay.
You’re essentially saying that plagiarism of someone else’s writing is okay.

It’s not okay.

It’s funny that you say art is your way of creative expression—that it’s a reflection of your heart and your soul—but then act as if someone stealing your art isn’t them stealing those pieces of yourself you previously claimed is in it.

Please, take a few seats.

[JackHatchet]

What??? o.O

I feel like you forgot to read the part of my post where I said digital theft of non copy-righted art doesn't take from the artist. The original is never altered or removed in any way.

Sure, art can be fun, but you seem to forget that some people live off being an artist? It is literally their livelihood and provides them with the necessities of living like a roof over their head, food, and clothes on their backs.

People who do fan-art are doing so by copying the idea/design of another creator. Therefore they can't legally profit off the work, because they're effectively stealing the idea/design from the original creator. So for anyone who does fan-art for profit to bemoan piracy--it's a clear-cut case of hypocrisy.

It’s funny that you say art is your way of creative expression—that it’s a reflection of your heart and your soul—but then act as if someone stealing your art isn’t them stealing those pieces of yourself you previously claimed is in it.

Creation is fun, the finished art piece is just a byproduct of creating. No one can steal the process... Unless someone let's the actions of another deter them--which is what I find strange.

[ChaoticCrimson]

I've had my art stolen and reposted as if it was the offender's own work. I once attempted to do generic commissions years ago on a blog, only to have some troll blog try to "call out" my post as having stolen their "work" and claiming to have the physical "original" copies of my examples, which were very clearly digital works, some of which were even pixel art. They were very easily debunked in their claims, however the experience left me too upset to continue pursuing commissions from that point on. Don't try to tell me not to "stress out" about someone claiming another person's work as their own. For many, it's not just a hobby; It's their livelihood.

In any case, in regards to the topic, I'd agree with others that it's probably a bit of a grey area, but might be okay as long as you're not trying to draw attention to it through official channels such as here or in-game. I mean, it's not uncommon for artists to sell fan art at conventions and the like so as long as you're not doing anything like trading your work for anything in-game and the like I don't think it's technically RMT.

[JackHatchet]

For many, it's not just a hobby; It's their livelihood.

Except when it comes to fan-art. Which is again, I'll repeat, the stealing of another's concept and design. Which is just as bad. I was trying to point out the hypocrisy of such thinking, and then saying that people who draw fan-art shouldn't feel guilty about piggy-backing off another creator's work--because art should be about fun. Which is why people draw fan-art. They draw fan-art for fun!

People just like to assume that it's ok to draw fan-art, because it's 'for fun,' and those artists make so much money anyways--it probably doesn't hurt them. But the moment someone tries to steal their work--all heck breaks loose! And you can see those reactions clearly in this thread so far. But the bottom line is, when it comes to 'stealing' -- people can't just say "my stealing is ok, but other's stealing is bad" and that's the problem I have with the art community. Either be ok with all (non profit) stealing like fan-art, fan-fiction, tracing, ect, or start policing yourselves and call out fan-art as theft of concept and design.

Regardless, it's not salt off my back. But all this gray area is exactly why it's an issue.

[Sigma-Astra]

Except when it comes to fan-art. Which is again, I'll repeat, the stealing of another's concept and design. Which is just as bad. I was trying to point out the hypocrisy of such thinking, and then saying that people who draw fan-art shouldn't feel guilty about piggy-backing off another creator's work--because art should be about fun. Which is why people draw fan-art. They draw fan-art for fun!

People just like to assume that it's ok to draw fan-art, because it's 'for fun,' and those artists make so much money anyways--it probably doesn't hurt them. But the moment someone tries to steal their work--all heck breaks loose! And you can see those reactions clearly in this thread so far. But the bottom line is, when it comes to 'stealing' -- people can't just say "my stealing is ok, but other's stealing is bad" and that's the problem I have with the art community. Either be ok with all (non profit) stealing like fan-art, fan-fiction, tracing, ect, or start policing yourselves and call out fan-art as theft of concept and design.

Regardless, it's not salt off my back. But all this gray area is exactly why it's an issue.

Boi, I've been in the industry for 9 years. Please, check yourself out the door before you think you know better than a professional.

Tracing doesn't take effort, maybe time, but that's it. Anyone can be given a pencil or paper and told to trace something, there's no skill involved whatsoever.

Art is a career choice and not just a hobby and if you want to not care if people steal your stuff, great...have at it, glad you don't have pride in what you do then, but some of us professional artists do and we would like to be treated with respect.

You don't walk into an office and steal your buddy's paycheck off of his desk, so you shouldn't waltz onto the internet and steal someone's talent, claim it as your own, and then try to profit from their skills because you don't have any.

Plain and simple.

[Sigma-Astra]

I guess digital art theft doesn't bother me at all unless it actually affects me.

And herein lies the main problem and until it happens to you personally, maybe not preach your ideas as correct when they are not.

[HyoMinPark]

People just like to assume that it's ok to draw fan-art, because it's 'for fun,' and those artists make so much money anyways--it probably doesn't hurt them. But the moment someone tries to steal their work--all heck breaks loose! And you can see those reactions clearly in this thread so far. But the bottom line is, when it comes to 'stealing' -- people can't just say "my stealing is ok, but other's stealing is bad" and that's the problem I have with the art community. Either be ok with all (non profit) stealing like fan-art, fan-fiction, tracing, ect, or start policing yourselves and call out fan-art as theft of concept and design.

Clearly, you don’t understand the difference between someone creating a piece of fanart/fanfiction “for fun”, and an individual taking a piece of artwork—the physical work of art—that someone else made and claiming they made it.

There is a difference between someone creating a non-profit piece of fanwork (art or fiction), and someone taking the work someone else did and saying “I did this!” Fan artists and fanfiction writers typically do not claim ownership of characters and/or concepts that they have borrowed from an original work. They do, however, claim ownership of the piece of work they made with their hands, be it artwork or prose.

Tracing is something entirely different. At least fanart and fanfiction reflects the artistic style of the fan artist/writer; there is clear creativity involved in the production of it. Tracing is just you laying a sheet of tracing paper over someone else’s piece of work and copying it line by line, stroke by stroke. It’s the same thing as me opening my Harry Potter book and typing word-for-word Chapter 1. There is no originality or artistic flair to tracing, and I don’t consider it a legitimate piece of fanart.

I drew a Sailor Moon sketch. I never tried to sell it. I drew it “for fun” (since you’re all about the fun). I never claimed that Sailor Moon belonged to me; back when I did fanart, I always gave appropriate credit to any characters that didn’t belong to me (not that it needs to be said that I’m not Naoko Takeuchi, since that should be fairly obvious). But the art I produced with my hands did belong to me—the physical sketch belonged to me. Someone else taking my art and trying to pass it off as their own fanart creation is wrong—because they didn’t draw it; I did. And it’s not hypocrisy to be angry about it.

[JackHatchet]

Boi, I've been in the industry for 9 years. Please, check yourself out the door before you think you know better than a professional.

Nice response. It doesn't add anything to the discussion though. You tell me to check myself, and your best counter-point is "boi, I'm been around a long time." There's more than enough people in this world who have experience in a field who are completely clueless. Just look at American politics. Why don't you check yourself with some examples?

And hey, if you make a living off selling your own original ideas that's cool. But if you're saying that you make profit by selling copy-righted fan-art--then you're tip-toeing the line. Which is fine. You can break copy-right law. Just as long as you're cool with other people breaking the copy-right law too. Just don't be one of those "I hate art thieves, but then go on to steal concepts and designs for fan-art." I was calling out hypocrisy, and the only reason you could be so emotionally upset about it to personally attack me is if you feel like you're guilty of the actions I was calling out.