I'm putting on an art show in which I used others' photos for reference

[ScaredArtist]

What is the name of your state? Alaska

Aargh! I'm putting on my first art show in a month and like an idiot I had to stumble upon a website that states that an artist is not allowed to paint a photograph without express permission. http://painting.about.com/cs/artistscopyright/f/copyrightfaq5.htm

Is the world really THIS sick? I need to use photographs to know what things look like, and I can't always get permission! It's not as if I can go around photographing all the strange and beautiful things I read about in books and magazines!

I usually have an animal or a person I see that I want to draw/paint or I see a great image from a movie or a picture and I use photographs to ensure that the picture will actually look like what I'm drawing. That's the point. I usually make some alterations of the pictures, but no matter what, my pictures are never going to look exactly like the originals, so how can I possibly be violating copyright?

Regardless, I intend to go on with my art show next month, whether my art is deemed "legal" or not! I'm already committed and my 40 art pieces are my heart and I intend to express it. However, if I am not "allowed" to draw or paint what I want to, I will probably not be interested in selling my art in the future.

Someone please respond, I'm pretty upset and confused-
Brenda

 

[Crazed98]

Well that website answers your question.

Even though it isn't the exact same picture it is still violating copyright. The same is with plagiarism the words don't have to be exactly the same they just have to have the same basic idea relayed in the same manner.

But just as long as you didn't paint anything from a famous picture you should be alright.

From now on do what the site said take your own pictures if you need to be looking at something to paint it.