Artists who copy tattoos/styles

[BtcArt]

Damn... That thing blows me away. I mean everyone knows that Filip Leu is a genius, but I am just astonished at how readable that is with the amount of color and the subtlety of the black. I mean that thing is busy as fuck and you can still tell exactly what is going on in any given point of the suit. Like... damn!!!!

I could not agree more.

[Graeme]

Damn... That thing blows me away. I mean everyone knows that Filip Leu is a genius, but I am just astonished at how readable that is with the amount of color and the subtlety of the black. I mean that thing is busy as fuck and you can still tell exactly what is going on in any given point of the suit. Like... damn!!!!

I will also say that one of the things that really floors me about his tattoos, especially when you see them in person, is how well they sit on the body. His tattoos look like they belong there, and have always been there, if that makes any sense.

[cltattooing]

I will also say that one of the things that really floors me about his tattoos, especially when you see them in person, is how well they sit on the body. His tattoos look like they belong there, and have always been there, if that makes any sense.

Oh, totally. Sometimes with larger work I like to do that little view finder thing with your hands, and just look at part of the suit or sleeve or pants as its' own tattoo. How the placement and movement interact with that specific area. And yep, Filip's are on point throughout.

Oh and I guess the limited palette really helps too. There are really only 3 colors in that whole suit.

[peterpoose]

who did the copy?

Domantas Parvainis :)

[theZoo]

Well I guess I don't think of it from a necessity stand point, more from my personal standpoint. For example, if I were lucky enough to get a tattoo by Myke Chambers next year, I would like to have him initial it with 14, not so people would know it was Myke's work but for me as if it were a commissioned painting.

There's no Point, as much as a dislike Myke chambers he does have a distinct enough style that you don't need to get it timestamped or whatever.

[Herc]

I can see how people want other peoples tattoo, thats just the way it is. For most people, they dont think about it being rude to take other peoples tattoos because they will never meet the person they copy the tattoo of. It should be the tattoo artist who should be the one to say no to the customer .

[peterpoose]

Lol just happens Den Yakovlev just did my tattoo on someone else, dont know why somebody would want the same tattoo as someone else :)

Mines the one on left by the way :)

[motsimus]

That's such a shame @peterpoose ,looking at them closely yours is still the better of the two

[Gregor]

Wow @peterpoose did den do yours too ? did the dude on the right pick this from dens portfolio or something ? you would have thought he would have more integrity and change it up slightly , poor show

[tatdatass]

Very touchy subject I have actually been to court for. It use to really bother me when others would not only copy my work. But they would use my actual work for their advertising. Its even trickier with tattoo work as many assume it is all fair game. These are reasons/excuses I have heard. Isnt tattoo flash all about copying other Artists work? (My answer: Yes but I purchased that flash and have permission to use) Anything on the net is fair game! I suppose if you water mark the work then it is an implied copyright of sorts.However some judges will even laugh that out of court. There was a case with Andy Warhol copying a Campbell's soup label. A famous court hearing that apparently changed everything for artists after that. Like when a cover band plays your song. "Its considered a tribute or Artists rendition" Andy Warhol won that case even though his painting was an exact copy of the Soup can. It was considered a tribute/ Artist interpretation. Even under copyright laws it had enough differences to not infringe. Andys Painting was on canvas and not a can, his painting was done with oils and not ink, his was hand painted, his was larger. Thus enough differences that it did not infringe on any copyrights. A copied tattoo may look exact however a good attorney could find the 7 differences. may be 7 lines that are slightly different sized. maybe a different needle or ink brand was used, maybe it was a different size person, with different skin type. "NOT worth fighting as they will find differences". Something even more disgusting is that if the person copying your work posts to a time stamp website or uses in advertising before you. Its considered thier work. "Ive actually been sued for using my own work in my advertising" So be sure to get proof you are the first by posting your work on a site that keeps track of the date posted. There are free copyright sites just for this, also water marks are free as well. Or I believe photobucket, Youtube and other big sites automatically keep track of the dates you post a picture of your work. Sorry to babble so much but I thought maybe this could save an Artist from the hell Ive have to go through.. One last thought is that tattoo customers will many times bring a photo of a tattoo they want. In these cases I do understand how tempting it can be to copy. Especially if your rent is due and the customer wont let you change it. What I tell customers is that I dont copy other Artists work out of respect. But I can design something similar with my Artistic style. (Still copying the premis is unethical in many ways but one can not copyright premis " The concept" ) Thats why when someone created the first feather to bird tattoo a million others had their versions of it. Or the lace face dead women tattoos. Most dont give credit to the originator nor do we usually even know who the first was.) Its all a fine line and letting it eat us up is a waste of time. I try and take it as a compliment and move on

[peterpoose]

Wow @peterpoose did den do yours too ? did the dude on the right pick this from dens portfolio or something ? you would have thought he would have more integrity and change it up slightly , poor show

Nah mine was done 2 years ago by Dmitriy Samohin, this was done recently :)

[hgiles]

If this notion were translated to another art form, say music, then it'd be like a pop-wedding band playing Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" at a gig. It happens all the time. And the public tolerates it, or they wouldn't hire said band in the first place.

Sadly, this is largely the state of American consumerism. I remember hearing folks review concerts/shows they've been to and most of the time when someone says "but it sounded nothing like the CD recording" then they are dissapointed. Many place too much value in the product rather than the process.

Oh and btw, though those tattoos may 'look' like Shige's - they don't feel/emote like Shige's. But yeah, most people can't tell that difference either, nor care.

Merry Christmas.

[Gregor]

I was thinking about it too. When you have had your consult and you then go to the shop and see the drawing for the first time its like the best surprise ever. I can understand that when someone then copies that how shitty it would feel.

[haervaerk]

From what I understand, copying has always been an issue. In the Hori Smoku documentary, they mentinon that Sailor Jerry sometimes deliberately made mistakes in his flash, to fool copycats into doing them. I recently read in Jon Nordstrøms "Northern Tattooing", that the old timers in Nyhavn often made their flash kinda shitty, with much less details than the actual tattoo for the same reason. The internet wasn't an issue then, but now we have photoshop, so who's to say that an artist couldn't alter a picture of a tattoo a tiny bit before uploading it to instagram...

[NERD RAGE]

now we have photoshop, so who's to say that an artist couldn't alter a picture of a tattoo a tiny bit before uploading it to instagram...

Now I want people to start photoshoping subtle penises into the photos they put on line so that they get copied.

[haervaerk]

@NERD RAGE Haha, my thought exactly :-D

[Shannon Shirley]

flash is to tattooing as standards are to music, shapes and formulas, composition to leap from. Plagarism will always exist. Its part of cultural growth.

[Graeme]

@Deb Yarian wrote about this for TAMblog:

Flattery, Thievery, Or Just Plain Business? | TAM Blog

[CultExciter]

Hide your sources y'all!

[passive jay]

What do you consider copying? I found the design for my last tattoo on the internet but my artist made some changes.

the original drawing from the internet.

finished tattoo.

[passive jay]

would you consider this copying? I found artwork on the internet that I liked and the artist changed it to make it more suitable as a tattoo.

the original art.

the tattoo.

[CultExciter]

would you consider this copying? I found artwork on the internet that I liked and the artist changed it to make it more suitable as a tattoo.

I'm more appalled that your artist packed white in the eyeball like that.

[passive jay]

I'm more appalled that your artist packed white in the eyeball like that.

why is that? I am not sure I understand the objection.

[Deb Yarian]

Thanks for the mention

[MoistTowelette]

why is that? I am not sure I understand the objection.

People here are way more traditional biased. It's a waste of time posting your tattoo here. Though as I mentioned in the other forum, I like it.