Read the Fine Print - Using Designs by Other Artists in Your Artwork
Break out your bifocals…
Are you a details-person? Are you one of those rare unicorns that actually reads the entire manual from cover-to-cover before trying to put together your newest thingamajig?
Well, I’m not.
The older I get, the more I just want it to work out of the box. Life’s too short, you know? 🤷🏾♀️
But, this was one of those cases where I had to pump the brakes…and if you’re anything like me, you should too.
Using The Work of Another Artist
I’ve never used the work of another artist or designer in my own artwork…
Until I started lettering.
Then, I found a bunch of brushsets, backgrounds, mock-ups and the like that just made getting to the lettering easier and way more fun.
But, if money enters the process in any way, you’ve got to be careful…or it could cost you big.
Case in point, I bought the digital, chalkboard background for this piece on Envato Market by an artist named Braxas.
It’s going to be used on the cover of Helpful Living Magazine for the month of November.
This cover came about when an old college friend of mine reached out about having done the cover herself and suggested the idea to me. She was always a good friend and mental health is so important these days, so I was happy to volunteer!
I bought this background ages ago for personal use, so I had to scour my email to find the receipt.
Lo and behold, I had only paid for a regular-schmegular license. That’s not a surprise since I was only lettering just for myself at the time. But, that standard license did not allow for the transfer of any monies with the use of this background. Instead, I had to purchase the extended license since the editor intends to sell copies of the magazine.
Some items have a standard license that allows you to sell a limited number of items before having to purchase an extended license. Many items that you can buy for digital use in your artwork from sites like Design Cuts even come with a built-in extended license. But, in general, even extended licenses can vary from one to the next. It’s good to get into the habit of reading them so you know what can and can’t be done with the work, even after you pay.
Check out these extended licenses from three familiar sources of design work:
Aside from the possibility of taking a financial hit when using another’s work without the proper license, it can just be a bad look. Most everyone wants to receive some form of payment in exchange for the work that they do, and no artists wants their work devalued…which is exactly what’s happening when there is no proper payment, whether you will receive payment due to the use of the work or not.
You definitely have to be cautious when using another artist’s designs in your work.
A word to the wise…
Read the fine print.
