Purchasing stock to use for illustration references?

SBibb · Aug 30, 2013

I'm used to the concept of purchasing stock images for use in photomanipulation, and how licences work for using on a book cover but not selling on t-shirts, but what about when using stock for illustrated references?

Say I wanted to reference a picture for a specific pose or to use in a larger illustration. What size of an image would I need to buy to make the reference (since photomanips use size for resolution, but a pose reference might not need to be as big), and would it have the same requirements for selling prints of the final result?

Are there better places for finding photo references than traditional stock sites?

It's a thought that struck me earlier, and I wondered how others worked with this concept.

Gale Haut · Aug 30, 2013

This is a huge gray area. If you have the rights to use an image in the work, then a derivative of it in the form of an alteration or a referenced piece should be covered. Be careful if the rights clause contain something like "not as is." If the reproduction is a spitting replica you might be seen as using it as is, but that is splitting hairs.

You also want to be careful about using a stock reference to create an original image for mass distribution. You better feel confident that your original work really is original from the subject, because purchasing 99.9% of stock does not grant rights to commercial distribution.

For other pose resources you can also search through morgue files, commons and files released as "pose references" to the general public online. There are also reference sets available for purchase.

SBibb · Aug 30, 2013

Gale Haut said:
This is a huge gray area. If you have the rights to use an image in the work, then a derivative of it in the form of an alteration or a referenced piece should be covered. Be careful if the rights clause contain something like "not as is." If the reproduction is a spitting replica you might be seen as using it as is, but that is splitting hairs.

You also want to be careful about using a stock reference to create an original image for mass distribution. You better feel confident that your original work really is original from the subject, because purchasing 99.9% of stock does not grant rights to commercial distribution.

For other pose resources you can also search through morgue files, commons and files released as "pose references" to the general public online. There are also reference sets available for purchase.

That's what I was wondering about, since I know a lot of the stock I've seen says it's okay to use in book covers, where the content being sold isn't reliant on the stock itself, but not on mugs or t-shirts, because the value comes directly from the original.

I'll have to look up the pose references available and see what those are. I've been thinking about using references to get practice on drawing sketches, but I wanted to know to what extent I can use sketches I've drawn based on other poses.

Thanks.

Polenth · Aug 30, 2013

You can also take a camera wherever you go. I have a ton of photos that aren't much good as photos, but they're great for basic references.

Gale Haut · Aug 30, 2013

SBibb said:
That's what I was wondering about, since I know a lot of the stock I've seen says it's okay to use in book covers, where the content being sold isn't reliant on the stock itself, but not on mugs or t-shirts, because the value comes directly from the original.

Well, actually what I meant by mass distribution was if you were planning on selling the image commercially as a stock image, not as a part of a physical product. There is a big difference as your selling a mug as opposed to pixels, and the stock sites that you are using should explicitly state limitations for physical products that display the image.

Basically these stock sites aren't going to sell their product into becoming the product of their competition. Does that make sense?

SBibb · Aug 31, 2013

Gale Haut said:
Well, actually what I meant by mass distribution was if you were planning on selling the image commercially as a stock image, not as a part of a physical product. There is a big difference as your selling a mug as opposed to pixels, and the stock sites that you are using should explicitly state limitations for physical products that display the image.

Basically these stock sites aren't going to sell their product into becoming the product of their competition. Does that make sense?

Okay, I see what you mean. Thanks for the clarification.

You can also take a camera wherever you go. I have a ton of photos that aren't much good as photos, but they're great for basic references.

Hehe, good point. You'd think I'd remember these things with a photography degree, but then I focused on the photoshop part of things.

Gale Haut · Aug 31, 2013

SBibb said:
Hehe, good point. You'd think I'd remember these things with a photography degree, but then I focused on the photoshop part of things.

It's almost like camera phones were made just for this purpose. lol

Purchasing stock to use for illustration references?

SBibb

Gale Haut

waxing digital artistic

SBibb

Polenth

Mushroom

Gale Haut

waxing digital artistic

SBibb

Gale Haut

waxing digital artistic