-----------------------------------

I would just like to say I am not stupid, I see what you are doing when you rip me off or Frankenstein together a drawing out of multiple drawings of mine (that is when you aren't indeed copying other existing work).  Inspiration is wonderful, we are all inspired by artists we enjoy. However when you blatantly rip them off and deny it to them it is like spitting in their face and then denying you spit directly in their face.  It is intensely insulting and would be less so if credit was given where credit is due.  Insulting an artist's intelligence by making up excuses, finding a way to blame someone else for your actions, and denying it when it is plain as day will only lose you their respect. I try being nice, I give warnings, and even okay it if a person has already done it. I just ask for a link of credit for what has been traced, eyeballed, and or borrowed even though I am not a fan of that. Now when you pretty much ignore this and then go out of your way to make it even worse by doing it again but even more so is really obnoxious.

If you know who you are and you feel guilty reading this then there is probably good reason, you are.  This should not even begin to feel like it applies to you if you have done nothing remotely like this. One time offenders hardly trouble me too much but when it starts happening more than once it is going to irritate me. If you want to grow as an artist, take the inspiration you get from artists you enjoy and grow it into something unique to you. Regurgitating someone's art comes with the price of learning to obtain the mistakes the artist makes.  You will never get better and never grow as an artist when you are ripping off other people's work. I have a million things to learn still and rarely leave my comfort zone; you will learn nothing by ripping me off.  By ripping me off just know you are ripping yourself off in the process and that praise you gain for what you did not do for yourself does not mean much.

I am not even going to deal with people who did this head on anymore because I don't like to be mean, I don't like conflict, and being direct and nice as I have learned gets me nowhere. Just know such foolish behavior makes me want to continue to improve my artwork by my OWN means not makes the mistake of repeating the mistakes of others by copying them directly into my work. If you think that this is somehow harsh, I can't wait to see how you respond to the next artist you choose to rip off. I just want to make it entirely clear I am not blind or stupid and I see it.  The insulting my intelligence to approach me in the way that has been done about it is the most infuriating straw that broke the camel's back about this whole thing.

The main purpose of this journal is to let you know I see it and know where every detail that has come from me came from in which picture and so on. No one is being fooled but you, so do yourself a favor and create with your own imagination and effort.  If referencing poses is your thing there is an abundant amount of legitimate stock made just for that all over the internet as well as DA.  Try and give that a go because (once again) I don't use it and you are just picking up all my mistakes by doing this. Copy all you like if you don't care to grow in anyway, but copy something that isn't mine please. Thank you kindly