Forums » RP Discussion » Help me find a picture for a character?

I was inspired by a certain picture to make an unlucky black kitsune character. Problem is that the picture in question was used in a youtube video and it has lyrics over it. I tried to find an unaltered version of it that I could make a link to the the profile, but had no luck whatsoever.
Things I tried: Google image search, Yahoo image search, deviantart, and photobucket.

Here is a link to the youtube pic

Before anyone asks, no I don't think asking the person who used it will work as it looks like they haven't been active for a few years

i did find this

wrong link hang on

i had something but i lost it... i'll find a lineart of a 9 tail fox and color it for you if you like

Good luck with finding an image that works for you! I know finding a good reference is a pain in the butt.

I also strongly suggest to both of you to make sure you have permission to use any of the artwork on your character profiles. Using artwork without permission from the original artist can be very damaging to the artist and even be illegal. It can also have negative consequences for your RPR account, so it's best to always doublecheck before you use something just in case!

I beleive that what you were looking for is this: http://jeeraf.deviantart.com/art/Kyuubi-68845834
But as said above me, if nothing more, you should provide name of the artist/link to him/her in the image description.

Just in case it wasn't clear from Sanne's post, giving credit isn't sufficient. If you don't have permission, don't use the art. Doesn't matter if the artist was last active last week or last decade.

The only possible exceptions are release licenses. If the art is released in to the public domain by the creator, then anyone may use it. There are also certain versions of the gpl that allow usage under certain conditions, such as crediting, sharing under the same license, not altering the original, or any combination of these. In this case, be sure you're familiar with the license the work is using - and it's still polite to get permission regardless.

I wasn't planning on posting the image in the profile. Instead I was going to provide a link to the image. That way people can see where it came from and who it actually belongs to. The only artwork I actually have posted on the profiles is stuff I commissioned or got permission to use.

I said, if nothing more, give the link/credit to artist, like if you can't get in touch with the artist or if you read that they automatically let use their artwork for non-profit uses. That is all. But, yeah, that info should be checked.

I always suggest that if you can't get in touch with the artist, don't use the image at all in any way. The reason for this is simple: the artwork might be paid for by somebody who commissioned the artist, or the image may depict an original character that belongs to somebody else.

Even if you link back, it's still wrong to use the image. You'd be cheating somebody out of their money or using someone else's character.

As an artist with multiple original characters who's drawn them and obtained commissioned art for them, I would be incredibly upset and angry if somebody took, for example, Zaiha's image and said "Hey, this is what my character looks like. I didn't draw this and have no rights to this image, but just imagine this!". It's hurtful because Zaiha's design represents who she is in personality and it depicts parts of her history and ancestry. To have somebody just take it because they feel like it without asking the artist or me if it's okay is a violation of my brainchild.

So no, I don't recommend linking if there's no other option left. In that case just forfeit using the image all together - THAT is the last option left.

There are plenty of beginning and cheap artists who will draw for free or super cheap. All it takes is some poking around on DA/FA/IB/wherever you go for your artsy needs.

If you want high quality art of your character, you will have to work for it somehow - either pay an artist, do a trade with them, or learn how to draw yourself. Just please be mindful of taking art from others. People have stolen my stuff before, and it really does hurt, even if they don't intend to hurt me and think they're doing the right thing by crediting me or linking to me. Linking to me has never softened the blow of seeing someone use my character's pictures. It's unpleasant and unnecessary.

My best experiences have been with people who sent me a message and asked "Can I use this art of yours for ____?". They were super nice and I was able to help them find some art they could use without upsetting me or anyone else, and they accepted a 'no' when I gave it. Heck, in some cases I even got a commission out of it and had the chance to fully customize their character's picture to how they wanted it!

To make a long winded post short, I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad, I just hope it's easier to understand why these things that seem like good deeds don't really work out for most of us. I'm 100% convinced a lot of people only mean well and don't realize how hurtful they're being, which is why I'm being so detailed here.

I think that we're getting off-topic here, but I always find that if someone uses a picture, they found it inspirational, they spun their own tale off of it, and the one who first imagined it, whether it's commissioner or artist, can/could feel certain pride (not saying it would outweigh the cons, just mentioning) that it made an impact, pushed someone to create, but what is more, if they've put it in Internet, they should know that it will probably be, even with permission, linked somewhere and then go off in the wide world, and, of course, it is hurtful if no one recognizes your work, but if there's linkback, the author gains more views and might even profit from the artwork further - more people might commission him/her.

As for commissions, some people simply can't commission or their imagination works that they can only work from pictures. Should they stop imagining/creating as a whole then, because they should not show what inspired them? But, yeah, quite off-topic, I suppose, this thread got its reply, and copyright issues could be whole other thread.

It's very much on topic to notify someone asking how to find an image for their profile what the legal issues are involved with finding that image.

Sadrain, the issue isn't even whether it's right or wrong to provide linkback, the issue is that it is illegal to use an image without the artist's permission, and not being able to contact them doesn't make it less illegal. Nor does being extra inspired by a piece of art. Still completely illegal regardless of how inspiring you found it. Moreover, providing a link back, or even saying "I claim no credit for this artwork" doesn't make it less illegal. The latter could even be read as an admission of guilt.

I don't think anyone is suggesting for a moment that people shouldn't be inspired! Just that you don't have to post the inspirational image on your own site. It's a simple omission that doesn't actually block any creativity whatsoever.

That said, it is SO SIMPLE and so natural to share stuff that we find fun or inspirational on the net that this line is easy to blur and get confused. I know I've certainly done it myself without thinking. We're just imploring some effort to think about the legal and human repercussions before simply Googling up an image, and to be aware it could get removed or have repercussions for your account here and elsewhere if you're caught.

Well I didn't use the image and I took down the images I had linked on other profiles.

Notifying might be on topic, but perhaps not making it in full-blown conversation and I will just end it on my end, expressing my opinion that I do feel it all very depends on the person (artists included). I would not mind my artwork being linked somewhere if the linker didn't claim it was theirs, not even image that I've commissioned as long as they didn't steal my whole character (as in, found the profile and copied it), but unfortunately that is where I find the line blurs - when people take one thing, and find more, they're tempted to take more. And I know artists who aren't so touchy about copyrights. I guess more people find that polite appreciation and spreading it is nothing bad. I just wonder when it will become illegal to post images/links in threads, send link to it in private message or in e-mail because the link appeared outside the original domain...

Sure, and if you post your permission for people to do so, with your terms for people to do so, you magically make it legal again for people to use your images with credit. That's what it means to use an image with permission.

The point is that one cannot assume that other artists are granting the same permission if they didn't post that permission or send you private, written permission, because you don't mind or other people you know don't mind "so long as you post credit".

@Katia - It's been really clear you are doing your utmost to obtain your images legally, and you get many highfives and kudos from me! It is actually rather difficult to do so in many cases, so you deserve props.

Apparently, there's been some misunderstanding here. I didn't continually say that it's good to post pictures with or without linkback (and without linkback, especially if you know the artist, it can be quite the shame on you). I was just discussing the law in general (which I felt we all were doing), as in, is it fair or perhaps it does more harm than good in some over-zealous cases, but since it is a law, you can think about it, but shouldn't break it, especially if it can get RPR in trouble. In my previous post I did say some and that is not assuming they all do, if they actually allow it they usually post it on their page, so, I wrote before you should check artist page if there isn't info on that if you're interested in using the image.

Thank you for clarifying, it was extremely unclear what point you were trying to make. I know personally I wasn't debating the fairness of the law, I was just trying to notify the community what it was regardless.