Animation Source Forums

Ehh..well I don't draw much [and I suck!] so I wouldn't know unless somebody stole my art, I guess. xDD

I doubt that you suck as bad as me Chasity. Could I see a picture?

Well Its mostly peoplw who don't have a style and sleele others saying it is their own.

That's mostly what I've been saying.

Your right, I suck more! XD You draw good..and I don't have any pics..I rip them all up because there ugly, when I draw a pic that I think is good enough to put on here, I will. XD

LOL, well I hope that's soon!

So what about anime? Plenty of people sell commissions in that style, a style which originated from a single person at one point. So are all the anime artists wrong to sell their anime-style artwork? Same goes with Disney and Balto-style artists.

Styles cannot be copyrighted. This is because styles exist in the way one individual sees and recognizes them. In other words, I can think one person's style looks like artist "A", while someone else will think that the style looks like artist "B." For example, I've had people say my style looks like Disney, while others will say it looks like Don Bluth. And then there are those who say it looks like Balto. I myself don't see my style as looking anything like Balto, yet those few viewers do. Are they wrong to think it looks like Balto? No, because that is how they see it, even if I don't. It all comes down to what you as a viewer associates a particular image with and how you personally define a style.

Also, style is not something that you can up and one day say "hey, I came up with this new style, I'm sticking with it for the rest of my natural life...except for Tuesdays!" Style is something that you develop through repitition over time and the natural hand movements that you establish when you draw.

Just playing the Devil's advocate and giving another angle for people to look from.

No style can be COMPLETELY copied. Yes, some can be similar, but its not always intentional (its one of those "great minds think alike" deals) But if it is, then its not very creative is it? (unless its to purposely try to get close to the style of Lion King for example, for purposes such as movie-making and stuff of the like) Yes, style is something that needs to develop over a long period of time, but continuously copying another style to find your own does not contribute.

To add, there are tons of different anime styles. There's a difference in style if you look at Hayao Miyazaki's films and look at a show like Naruto. They look different style-wise, but is still anime since it originated from Japan (or wherever).

I never said it was.


Nor does it get you anywhere in a professional point of view. But still, even if you are "copying" a style, you are not copying it completely due to the fact that you see it in your own way, and interpret it as so. Yes, it may look the same to others because their minds see it that way at a glance, and that is where you get the perception of style from. But it is not completely the same as the person whose style is being "copied" when further analyzed. This is also why even in animated movies, which require many different people attempting to emulate a single style, there are slight differences depending on who worked on what. For example, in All Dogs Go To Heaven II, one lead animator drew Charlie with a thin, scraggly tail, while another drew him with a full, bushy tail. Do you notice it while watching the movie? Most likely not, unless you were specifically looking for inconsistencies. Instead, you see the character as having been drawn in one distinct style throughout the entire movie. It's the same as when you see the work of someone trying to copy the style of an artist you are familiar with; you recognize the similarities as a whole, and ignore the small inconsistencies, such as the way the public, familiar with the general style of a movie, didn't notice how Charlie's tail varied depending on who drew him in All Dogs II.


Exactly my point.

I see what you mean. It is how other people see it. Thanks for commenting!

No problem! Of course, while it's alright to take inspiration from others, just remember to work on creating your own individual way of drawing things as you develop your skills as an artist.

Exactly my point ;D

I'm just trying to get people to think and look at things from a different angle, since it seems that artists either think trying to draw in a certain style is an unforgivable sin, or don't know that it is frowned upon by the general art community and then feel like they have done something horrible when others confront them (it took me a while to realize this as well...a few years ago, I thought that it was flattering to show your idolization of someone by trying to draw like them, and no one said anything to me until the actual artist herself gave me some very nice tips to help me out). I'm also just trying to say that while nothing is ever original anymore in terms of how people view them, there are actually differences that should be taken into account.

Thank you for all of your input guys! I really appreciate it... especially coming from such great artists!