Post #652661 by woofmutt on Wed, Sep 19, 2012 11:50 AM

"Throughout history, its long been established that one artist's work often becomes inspiration for another's. Sometimes though, it's just a shameless copy. Is that bad?"*

Yes, if the intent of the copy is to pass it off as your original. The eBay mug above is clearly a lousy copy of the original.

If the work is inspired or influenced by another's it gets a little harder as to whether one should point a finger accusingly or gesture referentially.

The Trader Sam's mug above was possibly inspired by the Squid design but the end result is so different that I wouldn't say it was a copy.

If the copy is done for personal reasons (either "I can do it better!" or "I can't afford an original T. Kee Klishae painting, so I'll make my own.") I see nothing wrong with that other than a complete lack of creativity or imagination.

When working in a style such as Tiki, which takes its source inspiration from a particular area and/or era, similarities of design and imagery are going to happen. Especially if you factor in shared backgrounds and influences of the artists.

I've seen people claiming "Whooze Itt is ripping of Soin So!" because of similarities in the work. But when I look at the same work I think "Whooze Itt and Soin So obviously share an appreciation for early Whatsis Name's illustrations and Cartoonamajig Studios animation."

Any decent artist or crafter will cite another's work as inspiration if they know they've been inspired by it. Unconscious influence is real, creative types take in all sorts of information that they're consciously unaware of.

There is also the possibility that an artist or crafter didn't realize a piece which inspired him/her isn't some old bit of Tiki junk or ancient cultural item but is the work of another artist. Especially on the Internet people are pretty lousy about attributing work they use or share with others.

I always try to cite my source for an image or quote and to name the creator of any artwork I post. But I'm pretty rare in that regard, even among creative types. If the people who create work themselves don't take the time to give credit to other artists and crafters it's highly unlikely anyone else is going to bother doing it.