#artintegrity

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the state of the art community and how we, as creators, sometimes lose sight of what really matters. Art isn’t just about the followers or the fame—at least, it shouldn’t be. But there’s this growing trend that’s becoming impossible to ignore: Tracing, stealing, and essentially leeching off the hard work of others.

This person (revheadarts on Deviantart and revhead_fanarts on Instagram) is out here tracing over original art just to make it look more “popular” and likeable.

Honestly, love, tracing isn’t art. You’re literally stealing someone else’s hard work and slapping your name on it to get likes. That’s not talent, that’s manipulation. 🙃

And don’t even get me started on how they’re only drawing ideas from free bases they find online. There’s absolutely no originality here. They can’t even be bothered to come up with something fresh or unique—it’s all just recycled rubbish! I find it funny they call themselves „scrap junkie“. Sooo relatable.

We’ve all been inspired by something or someone, but there’s a big difference between drawing inspiration and copying. Artists build on ideas, sure, but we also need to respect the originality of others and be mindful of copyrights and creative ownership. ✨

What’s worse? Their characters are literally blends of already existing canon characters. Like, we’re talking about direct rip-offs, people. This isn't "inspiration," this is straight-up copyright infringement. You can’t just mash up a bunch of well-known characters and call it your own. That’s not how art works.

This person’s all about the likes, the fame, and the attention—just look at their social media. It’s all about the numbers; no heart, no soul. If they don’t care enough to put in the effort to be original or even respect other creators, why should we support them?

If you need more proof to believe me, just check the difference in their style. The change happened so fast, my brain just sent out a ‘404 Error: Unable to Process’ message.

Not to mention how their "fame" changed overnight once they started tracing the original artwork:

Revhead_fanarts has been known for tracing ever since their existence and this community is not the only one he has been deceiving. This is just one example among many (traced art on the left and a movie scene on the right):

It’s unfair to real artists when tracing is seen as equally valid or praised because it undermines the dedication and time they pour into their craft. While Revhead can produce content in minutes by tracing (noticeable in how frequent they post, which is every day); true artists face hours of practice, learning, and refining their technique, often without the immediate recognition they deserve.

Tracing might create fast results, but it skips the growth process that shapes an artist's unique voice. It’s disheartening when the effort and skill required for original work are overshadowed by shortcuts that don’t reflect the real work that goes into creating art from scratch.

Yes — Nads6969 (Nadia Stepputat) has been called out publicly as a longtime tracer/thief. She’s accused of maintaining a decade-long legacy of tracing over others’ work and republishing it, sometimes even in her private boards. artistsaware.com+1 Her actions have been documented: traced line for line, repeated unauthorized use, and attempts to deny or shift blame when confronted. Facebook+3Tumblr+3DeviantArt+3

So yes — comparing me to that is a serious allegation. But here’s where you’ll see the difference:

The first image I posted is lovingly drawn, personalized, with clear choices in design, shading, and character expression — not some traced overlay doing the bare minimum.

The second design (skull + crescent + florals) is stylized and conceptual; it’s not a redraw of someone else’s line art, it’s a composition woven from symbols and intent.

Just because someone has a name in common with works that get seen doesn’t mean they share their habits or ethics. What Nads did was built over years of copying others — patterns, poses, traces — and when caught she often responded with lies or denials. Facebook+3Tumblr+3DeviantArt+3

So no — I don’t accept being lumped in with her methods. My art speaks with its own voice. If you want to compare, bring evidence. But don’t pretend similarity in fantasy + feminine aesthetic equals theft. That’s lazy.

The last two pictures are from 2013 and 2025 , both different and the one on the right clearly is more stylized .