# Plagiarism



## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

when 1st starting stickmaking what drove us to do it and what influenced ib the making of them?

Did we do it just by chance or did we see others work and decide to make one based on that sighting?

Do we copy others work without giving them credit for it?

did we look into what other people was doing? and did that influence us?

In other words did we steal there idea?

Do we use books to teach ourselfs to do stickmaking..

I dont think i did any of these for a start but now i use the net for referance material

and use carving books to develop my own skills ( which ar pretty limited)

But since i started stickmaking / carving my base skills have improved a lot , so by using a book although a teaching book we should give credit to the author of that book/video.

My ;atest project is alice throught the looking glass and my carving are based on that work, some straight forward copying although feel i have put my own ideas on it.So was this LEWIS CAROL idea or was it the illustrators idea for the charactures in it?

So how many of us have used other peoples ideas and not given them credit for it?


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## CV3 (Jan 30, 2014)

Guilty! I would say most of my carvings have been inspired be others work, pictures or patterns. While my carving may have my own spen on it I am using a book, dvd, or some resource. I may use a nose from one source, hair from another and eyes from a third, they are all things I learnd from some source. I have the greatest respect for those who can create form and function from their own imadjination. I lack that talent.


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## MJC4 (Mar 6, 2014)

I have bought and used carving instructional books to further my carving skills. If the intent of the book, DVD or tutorial was to instruct, than to copy the techniques to produce a carving is not plagiarism. To use the pictures in a book, images from the net etc.. as an inspiration for your own creation is not IMHO plagiarism.

Now if you purposely duplicate and represent a piece as your own, that would be is plagiarism.

As stick makers and wood carvers we are not stealing ideas or images to fraudulently call our own.

I mean, really who carved the first wood spirit, first bird, first animal image? Because we look at a picture to get ideas on form, are we stealing? Did the artists creating murals on the walls of the great cathedrals credit the first cave painter for the inspiration?

I could go on but I believe you get the gist of what I'm talking about.

I am an amateur wood carver, at best. Yes I was influenced to start carving by what I saw of another artists work. To say I "stole" his ideas is a stretch to say the least.


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## gdenby (Apr 27, 2013)

I think we all learn thru imitation. And later, by striving to emulate someone or thing we really admire. There's no fraud, forgery or plagiarism unless one tries to pass the work off as done by the person w. the established reputation.

For myself, I find I make progress when I get to the point where I know what to do, and begin to understand why to do that. The problem I've had w. the how-to books is that often they only illustrate a bunch of steps, but don't get at much of the underlying principles.


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## yaxley (Sep 4, 2014)

I do use the NET to search and find images that I need to use...although they fall into the "clip art" category.


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

It seems that all of use source ideas and information from either books or the net.

This is a natral way of working , some of my ides are a direct result from ideas of Shawn Cipa and was used as a instuction book , but like all ideas some stay with you to develop these further ,but the basic idea came from him. although he stated that these where based on ideas from notra dame cathedrall and couldnt name the origanl stone mason. or was it designed by some one else.

So now i take ideas from all kinds of images and mix them like feathers nose, eyes and skin textures.

The main thing is what can be done has been done , its just presenting it in a different way and improving your own skills.

so i am gulty of it all i suppose is using a photo stealing someones interlectural property or is it just part of referance work.

if a piece is mainly based on a particular work i think referance should be given to that person. if you know who it is?


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## Rad (Feb 19, 2013)

Unless you are making exact copies of copyrighted material and trying to prophet from it, I don't think you have to worry!
Maybe you should just turn yourself in Cobalt!


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

never make exact copys , usually add something of my own . its how we all develop in the stickmaking. but may use there idea

its only illegal if you try to sell it as a origanl and profit from it .

like painting you have to learn from the masters of the art. and i have a long way to go


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