Art Theft Drama and Plans to Make it out for Pico Day

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Sabrina @Sabtastic

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Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

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Art Theft Drama and Plans to Make it out for Pico Day

Posted by Sabtastic - March 13th, 2012

Word of warning to my fellow artists: Watermark your shit.
I'm the biggest hypocrite for this, because I never do, but I get my stuff stolen pretty frequently because of it.
So save yourselves the grief. It's a pain in the ass to deal with. Trust me.

"Welcome to the internet", I guess, eh?

On Saturday, the last art submission of mine ended up being photoshopped and posted all over sites like Reddit, 9Gag, Funnyjunk, Imgur and a few other sites a few days ago. I ended up losing out on over 100,000 potential viewers in one day, just because I made the rookie mistake of choosing not to watermark. It shouldn't have been a surprise to me, seeing as it was a 'meme' related art submission, and those things spread faster than herpes at an orgy, but it caused me a lot of grief

The "theif" ended up photoshopping my web signature and name out of the image, essentially claiming anonymity and/or ownership. Of COURSE, that was the version of the image that got crazy popular. I tell ya, nothing grinds Sab's gears like art theft. -- If you're an artist yourself, you will understand fully. It makes you never want to share your own work on the internet ever again.

AAANYWAY. Enough of my bitching and groaning:

Any of my fellow Canucks making it down to Pico Day in Pensylvania this year?? I'm really trying my darndest to save up this year and go! Drop me a line if you are, because we could work something out in terms of travelling - wouldn't hurt to have a travel buddy, save for the fact that you might be an axe murderer, I suppose.

Looking forward to seeing some of you there!!

Oh. And here's the picture that ended up all over the interpipes:

Art Theft Drama and Plans to Make it out for Pico Day

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MindChamber 2012-03-13 11:03:35

people will do anything for attention, even if its unwarranted.

The result if this reality show generation I guess.

Sabtastic 2012-03-13 11:03:35

Yeah. I really lucked out this time.

In a way, I guess I should be grateful because more people ended up seeing it, so this summer when I sell the stickers, I might get a few extra bucks because of the people who recognize it!

Ockeroid 2012-03-13 11:04:52

You do have to just accept that if it's a meme thing, since that's just what they are and how they spread anyway. IMO it's flattering more than anything else, since that's only going to happen if it something people like enough

Hopefully getting money together for Pico Day my self! so fingers crossed we both see each other there in the end (and you don't get axe murdered)

Sabtastic 2012-03-13 11:04:52

True, true.

The only reason I was so choked about it was that I eventually planned to make money on these things as stickers for my local animethon during the summer. Aside from all of the attention it ended up generating, I panicked, thinking that no one would be able to trace the image back to my gallery (because the dickbutt photoshopped the sig + website out) >.<

Luckily, some really nice guy ended up standing up for me on 9gag and it generated so much controversy, that I got a majority of the watchers / credit I wanted!!

Check out his really nice post:
http://9gag.com/gag/3287424

Luis 2012-03-13 11:39:13

I tend to agree with Ockeroid. Meme's in general are by nature supposed to be passed around. The fact that the creator of it is faceless is part of what makes a meme a meme. Like that nyan cat shit, who actually bothers to actually trace back who actually made it, it just spread like wildfire, with more variations than anyone could ever imagine and it reached a meme status where the piece itself is super recognizeable but the person who created it is faceless.
Meme's are a strange bi-product of the internet, i wish i could conduct like a study and write a book on them. Its like such a weird internet phenomenon.

Regardless, yea it doesnt hurt to watermark your stuff. Unfortunate that its come down to this but then again we live in an age where information spreads so fast and you can never put a pulse on what the next big popular thing will be.

Sabtastic 2012-03-13 11:39:13

No doubt -- I never thought about it that way.

I watched a neat little video the other day involving memes; it explained how detremental they are to the creative communty as a whole, and how much they suck in general, so I felt like a total putz for even trying to participate in the fad. lol

Vid related:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L mjiTduSe0

Do you think NG will ever add a watermark function? -- I'm not saying you guys need to.
(Honestly, I've never had a problem with art theft here) But it'd be a pretty useful feature..!

I'd be proud to slap the logo on my art if I had the chance. c:

ZaneZansorrow 2012-03-13 12:24:28

Ehhhhh, watermark( -__-)......but I'm too lazy.

Sorry to hear the whole theft thing though.

Sabtastic 2012-03-13 12:24:28

It's k.
I survived. lol

Thanks for checkin' in! :P

Tyler 2012-03-13 13:31:46

the risk of traveling with a murderer is part of the thrill, I say.

and I haven't been killed yet.

Sabtastic 2012-03-13 13:31:46

.....YET. o___o

Delamortes 2012-03-13 13:50:57

You didnÂ´t do pedo bear? Hes a meme right?

Sabtastic 2012-03-13 13:50:57

Shoot. Pedobear would fit perfectly with Ursaring or Teddiursa! o:
Ah well. I've already got a handfull of ideas in the making, so I probably won't end up doing a Pedobear one.

Comick 2012-03-13 14:40:49

Uh...you do realize you're bemoaning the "theft" of a series of drawings about meme faces which are being stolen from something else and then pasted on POKEMON which are also being used without any permission and breach of copyright... and then you are going to sell these as stickers and make money which is then profiting off these two things you didnâEUTMt create. Haha talk about the most hypocritical journal post ever.

Sabtastic 2012-03-13 14:40:49

I'm fairly sure it isn't against copyright to draw fan art of something. :\
If I literally copy-pasted the rage-faces onto official images from Nintendo/Pokemon, there might be a problem. People sell Pokemon / Anime / Videogame fan art at Comic/Anime Cons all the time... Do they not?

From what I understand, I'm still abiding by "Creative Commons" by posting the sources to each rage face I referenced, and each Pokemon. I'm not claiming ownership of the original material (Pokemon or Ragefaces) in any way. Just ownership of the image I've drawn.
Correct me if I'm wrong-- :\

Come to think of it, links don't work on the NG version, so the references aren't listed on there, but it is on DeviantART. I'll fix that up post-haste. :o

Spazkid 2012-03-13 14:50:59

Honestly this is really stupid, Why not avoid meme culture all together? Its a cheep and overused way of pandering to your viewers. Memes are the lowest form of comedy and literally are put into stuff for extra brownie points. Id say Make Your own stuff and benefit off that. You have the Artist fitness and show ALOT of potential and I hate seeing that wasted on this rage face nonsense.

Sabtastic 2012-03-13 14:50:59

AWW - You're such an ego booster!! ;____;
THANK YOU!

I have a guilty confession, though: I've ALWAYS pandered to my viewers... :|
All 'dem titties you see in my gallery? I'm straight as an arrow. Drew those ENTIRELY for views.
(What a shocker, right? lmao) All 'dem vidja gaem characters? For views. All 'dem anime chicks? ... Views again.

Allthough, I'd be lying if I said I didn't actually enjoy all of the tv shows/comics/games they were associated with. I've just always been aware of the sad but unfortunate truth of 'fan art' an how much more popular it is than original material. In an ideal world, I would only be drawing original characters and stupid comics about my everyday life. lol

Cheers. :B

Peglay 2012-03-13 16:11:26

Even my shitty art gets stolen some times :(

Sabtastic 2012-03-13 16:11:26

YOUR ART IS THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF. DON'T EVEN---! D:
It is -so- not shitty at all.

If I were an ignorant internet art theif, I'd be all over dat shit.

Jazza 2012-03-13 16:48:26

hey dude, I saw your pic on NG before I saw someone post it on 9gag and was annoyed for you >:C

Anyhow, Myself and a few other Aussies are making it to Pico day this year too so if you can make it, it'd be great to give you a high five in person :)

Sabtastic 2012-03-13 16:48:26

You're shitting me!! That's awesome! :D
It must cost a fortune to fly out from Australia, though..! D:>

Either way, I look forward to seeing you there for sure! :D
Thanks for the support, as usual, too! <:)

BSTHEDOG 2012-03-13 18:27:07

Heh thats why I make stuff that looks like shit! Just kidding. But yeah, It really ticks me off when somebody just can't even think of their own shit. What ticks me off even more is that they have the liberty to call it their own, too

Sabtastic 2012-03-13 18:27:07

lol well, technically I didn't really even think of my own shit, either.. XD
It is a parody of two pretty popular things, after all..! :P I simply mushed them together!

But I know what you mean. It still stings either way, when it happens.

Also, PFFSH. Your art does NOT look like shit. D:
JEEZ. You guys are so hard on yourselves..! (You did say you were kidding, though, so okay. :P)

FrozenFire 2012-03-14 00:20:42

I am going to Pico Day so if you are there I will probably make a fool of myself to make you laugh.

Sabtastic 2012-03-14 00:20:42

lol I'm fine with this. :P
Did you go last year, too?

Loki 2012-03-14 03:14:50

Usually I go to Philly for Pico day... but sadly not this year, as I'm waiting for an U.S. visa. :(

I wish I could meet you though!

Sabtastic 2012-03-14 03:14:50

Aw... Crappy...!
Don't you just need a passport?

I'm fairly sure you only need a visa is if you plan on staying there long enough to get employed in the US.
I could be crazy, though. I used to live in Quebec, and they have the craziest exceptions.

Vandal2 2012-03-14 03:56:25

That Gyarados, Sab. Dat Gyarados.
It amuses me to how good of an artist you are, a treat for the retinas, to say it short.

Sabtastic 2012-03-14 03:56:25

lol Thanks, man.
Glad you enjoyed it!

Better yet, glad you enjoyed it enough to comment. :B
Cheers.

SubparTony 2012-03-14 11:19:36

That pic is great.Too bad you this fuck destroyed your work.

Sabtastic 2012-03-14 11:19:36

Yeah.. As an artist, unfortunately this happens all the time.
Usually I'm not lucky enough to find out about it, either.

Thank God most art theives suck at Photoshop, so it's usually obvious when you're looking at stolen art.

x-factor11 2012-03-14 13:11:48

That's no good!

Gotta get clever with the watermarking, like hiding things inside the images themselves to reveal that you in fact made it.

Sabtastic 2012-03-14 13:11:48

Usually I am sneaky with my watermarks, too! ><
My left 4 dead stuff (and most commissions) have hidden 'sab' tags in the smallest, most unassuming places.

That's always the best, though.. When art like THAT gets stolen--You catch the thief red-handed, ask them if they drew it, and when they say 'yes', you point over to the hidden 'Sab drew this' tag written in tiny letters with a big-ass shit-eating grin on your face.

Justice is served. lol

VidGameDude 2012-03-14 14:21:57

Whoa whoa whoa whoa...
tom said they weren't having pico day at Hq building this year; did he change his mind?
if so, can you pm me details?

Sabtastic 2012-03-14 14:21:57

I haven't heard about where it's going to be officially, but I assumed it was the HQ--? Maybe ask Tom?

NitroEye 2012-03-14 18:48:53

I normally hate meme-related shit, but damn this looks good.
oh god squirtle's face is killing me.
anyhow, I wouldn't worry too much about the whole theft crud. Most of the time when something get's popular, people usually find out where the content originally came from one way or another and it all gets sorte..
>Reddit, 9Gag, Funnyjunk, Imgur
oh THOSE assholes? Ok you might be getting the shaft from those guys, but most of the time people find out who made what one way or another.

Sabtastic 2012-03-14 18:48:53

True, true. I just read somewhere that this just recently popped up on iFunny.com and Imgur as well.. At least it's entertaining enough to spread like chicken pox in the first place. Can't do too much to stop it at this point.

*forced awkward thumbsup and reluctant grin*

ThyReviewer 2012-03-14 19:48:31

Gyarados looks no different than it does with its mouth closed in the game or the shows.
Voltorb looks like it's aging severely, so it decided to be a suicide bomber.
Geodude looks like a legless sushi chef.
Snorlax has the munchies for the millionth fucking time.
Mr. Mime is Mr. Mime.
Charizard was epic, but Raptor Charizard the Savior takes the cake.
Gengar is still a dick.
Mewtwo is screaming over being captured again with a Master Ball. No lazors detected.
Bulbasaur evolved into Bulbatroll.
Charmander and Squirtle are dead on fucking sexy, and they know it.
Pikachu is mad over the fact that he has to deal with Ash in the shows where as he could have been with the original Red in the show, but noooooo.
Prof. Oak is still giving away level 5 Pokemon he owned for about 20 years. What a dick, he didn't train them during those years.
Cubone got so fucking depressed that he expanded his skull over his entire head. He wants no oxygen to enter his lungs.

Indeed, I liek.

On to the actual message of the post: it isn't right for some random fucktard to mess with other peoples work. You just don't do it, it isn't right. I'm pretty sure they could have at least drawn something half decent, but it isn't like they had to steal something online and claim it for their own. That's like me taking a picture from deviantart and cropping out any signature, if any, and slapping my name onto it. It's bullshit and I can't believe people get away with such things. This is what SOPA should have done instead of trying to control the Internet and censoring it, but the governments don't even know how to control themselves. Anyways, sorry to hear the bad news, and hope things will get better next time.

Sabtastic 2012-03-14 19:48:31

lol! Fuck, man.. I love your reviews. XD
All of the descriptions listed above are 100% accurate.

Kinda sucks that it had to happen like this, yeah...
I guess if I can put an optimistic spin on it, I technically got more people to see my art in the long run. Some dickbutt plagarized my work, yes, but at least he liked it enought to take it in the first place. :\

Cheers, and thanks for the always entertaining review!

f12guy 2012-03-15 00:37:57

I fucking hate sites like 9gag or funny junk just a bunch of thieves and copycats Abusing old memes to death.

Sabtastic 2012-03-15 00:37:57

That was the impression that I got, too. :\
The older, more responsible users of 9gag seemed to be really helpful, though..! They seemed to be super supportive and apologetic when they found out the art was stolen. They even took the time to stop by my gallery to say sorry for the trouble.

But yeah, totally. Fuck Funnyjunk. lol The users on that site take my art all the time.

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