Fueled By Coffee & Rage🔪

Due to the inconsistencies in style her style, I had suspicions that Ariel might be tracing. Deciding to look further into it, I came across a stock photo that looks remarkably similar to this piece of hers here:

From then on more and more evidence of her having traced many, if not all pieces of her art began to emerge. Not only has she been tracing various stock photos:

She used one of the stock photos to trace a commission for tumblr user @looktothehorizon

She’s also traced non stock photography

T.v screen caps

And different other people’s artwork, one belonging to tumblr user @elvishness and another who I couldn’t find the source for.

Referencing photos is an excellent tool for every artist. I once had an art teacher who told me that you should never draw something unless you have a reference to look at. I don’t really believe that’s necessary, but her point was that there is this culture that’s recently arisen online in which referencing pictures reflects badly on someone’s skill. Every time I reference a picture from sight only, I worry that someone is going to come along and do exactly what you’ve done to this artist. Plenty of artists have taken pose or piece inspiration from stock photos or other artists, and I’m curious as to why you’ve chosen to attack this particular artist for something so common.

I can tell you that artists reference things differently too. Some trace, some simply eyeball it. The link you put up is simply one way an artist can reference. 

The artist you talk about in your initial post simply used photos as references for for her fanart. If she had simply redrawn the same people in those pictures or used the same subjects in the other art shown, but she’s clearly changed the subjects at hand and used a different art style to call these pictures her own.

Anyway, a great example of one artist ripping off another is the below gif. The below example is art theft. The stuff you’ve posted isn’t. 

I use references. A lot. I’m still uncomfortable with proportions in my less-cartoony style and using those references is how I improve. Every reference I use is either from free stock, stock I’ve paid to use (which is NOT as expensive as OP makes it out to be), pose reference libraries, or other sources such as pornography (live action).

But you know what? That’s why I’m so open about using them. Hell, on my commission page I openly offer slight discounts if someone comes to me with a good free stock reference for a piece they want done.

Posts like these demonize artists for trying to use every resource available to them in an attempt to improve their craft. Posts like these try to ruin artists’ reputation for no obvious gain. They are malicious. And it scares me that people think these callouts are okay.

You know what else pisses me off? This line right here:

Due to the inconsistencies in style her style, I had suspicions that Ariel might be tracing.

People change the way they draw all the time, and it’s not always some gradual improvement. Using my own stuff as an example? I have two very, VERY different styles. Both of which are constantly shifting and evolving. I’ll figure out a new way of drawing eyes that I like, or some such thing, and it’ll be night and day from piece to piece.

Saying “inconsistencies” in the style prompted you to spend what must have been HOURS hunting down the references used for each of these images is an excuse. If it makes you feel better, all power to you. But what this post comes down to is this: The OP wanted to hurt this artist. I don’t know why, and quite frankly I don’t care.

I hope whatever misplaced sense of justice or victory they got from it was worth it, because this shit doesn’t fly in the artist community. 

OP: You will be proven wrong time and time again, and each time you will circle back with the same “I’m right you’re wrong lalala” logic.

Referencing is not art theft. 

Whatever crusade you were trying to start against this artist has failed.