The subject is ART

(UPDATED 15/3/17)

I wrote this at 3am please excuse my poor writing LOL

So recently I have been seeing a lot of questions and opinions on the subject of style, colour pallets and referencing.

Here’s my take on the subjects, coming from my experience as an artist, going to an art institution, learning art in primary and high school art classes and listening to other people’s learning experiences.
Edit: Omfg I forgot to add that my mum has a masters in fine arts as well /smh sorry mum LMAO

Copying styles

In literally ALL of the art classes I have been in, I have been taught one thing over and over again. Copying. So why are we being taught copying despite what a few people on the internet have said? This is the reason I was able to gather;

Copying a style is not seen as bad thing, because unless it is your intent to pretend to be them (which it usually isn’t), it is seen as a very useful way of developing your own style.

Whether it is in art class or not, we as artists all start off copying a style. Some start off copying what they see in real life, others copy anime characters, and others copy picasso. We copy what we take an interest in. Styles that we admire at that time are a big influence on our own self development as artists. We start noticing other artists in similar categories and learn from them. We begin taking bits that we like from multiple styles, and we begin creating our own style. However I do personally recommend not copying only 1 or 2 styles, you should be seeking inspiration from a variety of styles, this will help you out the most.

But this development takes time! Some artists are able to get it sooner than others, but that doesn’t mean the others are wrong to continue using references or studying people's styles. Like everything, we all have our own pace in the learning process we call art.

Good examples of copying in art schools / art programs on TV:

• We were given books on famous characters with instructions on how to draw them

• We were given a picture and told to replicate it - to learn different techniques

• We are taught on TV how to draw animals, people, buildings etc - all with that artists artistic style (can vary from realism to cartoon/anime)

• When I was studying in Japan, my art club teacher told us to try and replicate each other's styles as an exercise to pick up new techniques and see our own mistakes

So if you see an artist you think is “copying a style”, stop and think to yourself before calling them out for it, and remember that this style is more than likely temporary as they are still finding themselves. Rather than scaring them off art forever, try and encourage them to keep developing!

Colour pallets

You cannot own a colour pallet. This isn’t arguable. There is not enough colours and aesthetic colour combinations out there for the amount of artworks produced. By law you cannot own a colour pallet just as much as you cannot own a single colour.

This was shown in a case from when Cadbury chocolate tried suing an off-brand chocolate for having the same colour scheme as them. The law dismissed it because it’s absurd to think you can own colours.

However, if the design and where the colours are put are the same, then it can be questionable and can be considered plagiarism. Although this is completely subjective.

Referencing

REFERENCING IS NOT TRACING. I REPEAT. REFERENCING IS NOT TRACING.

Please stop referring to it as if it is tracing. Referencing, throughout history, has been an unwritten rule of artistry, it’s something we all should do when learning.

Referencing goes hand in hand with getting inspiration from style. It is a good way to understand what you are looking at and by all means an amazing way to learn and develop your art. Even experienced artists who you would think don't need references anymore use references.

Another point I'd like to make, and I cannot stress this enough but; Realism is not the only form of referencing.

Yes, it is good for realistic bodies and shapes. Yes it is good for movement. Yes it is good for understanding shadows and light. And yes, it’s always cool to go back to basics.

But that’s only one spectrum of art. Art isn’t a concept that should be kept in a small box such as realism.

There are surrealist artworks, anime artworks, fantasy artworks etc. Several versions of art that do not follow the natural order of realism. These bend and warp our ideas and give us endless possibilities of what can be produced through the power of imagination.

So if you find a style outside of realism you dig, it’s actually a great idea to use references in that style to help develop your art!

I hope this will help stop misplaced stigma on these subjects as well as encourage budding artists (such as myself) to keep creating without feeling trapped because of a new social misunderstanding and falsehood.

I’m not touching on tracing in this, since that’s on a whole other level and would need to be discussed in detail.

Thanks for reading if you made it to the end LOL

Issue resolved [update]Oct 14
Update: The issue has been resolved! It was sorted out with civil conversation. I definitely see sincerity and they are taking it into action, which is some very great attitude, so please respect them.
However, I'd like to address something about "Imitation v.s. Inspiration" in general, since I've been seeing a lot of similar cases, and this is not directed to any individual. 
According to a post on vanseodesign, "Inspiration is defined as the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially creative. On the other hand, copying is defined as an imitation or reproduction of an original."
Many of the time people were not aware of the fact that they are "too inspired" to a point that is imitating/copying. Therefore, I strongly encourage anyone who is engaged in any kind of creative activity to read this article: 

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