Copyrighting Your
Art Images
Is it really worth the
time and energy?
© by Carl
(CAKUart); all rights reserved
For some artists,
copyrighting their art images is of major importance. I can
appreciate why artists may want to protect the identity of their
art and images by having a "© copyright 2009" watermark.
But are we just wasting time and energy on something that cannot
be completely protected?
I can tell you first hand that I have been at fault in the
past with concerning myself with a copyright watermark on my
painting images.
Then one day I was doing some research and accidentally discovered a few of my
own art images on other websites.
I've even had an
artist blatantly copy one of my paintings and pitch it off as
his own.
Gosh... what a dirt bag! (But hey, perhaps my art is that
good others want to claim it as their own).
It was then
that I began to realise that we artists will never be able to stop
the thieves.
Thieves will always be one step ahead, because dishonestly
requires more work than that of an honest person.
If you need some reassurance
about the whole copyrighting your artwork images issue, just remember
that nobody can ever really copy what you do. You are the artist
and the owner of your work.
The fact is... your
art images are simply too small to be copied and printed into
re-productions.
Additionally, image
thieves won't see any real challenge with you having a copyright
watermark on your art images. If they are savvy with Photoshop
they can remove the watermark quite easily.
My point is, don't
waste your time and energy with worrying about watermarking your
images.
One of the reasons
why I do not use a copyright water mark on my painting images is
because art needs to be in full view on the internet without
obstruction. It's harder to sell art via an image, and so the last
thing you want is a copyright logo spoiling your artwork.
Just focus on
producing quality artwork and focus on your target buyer. Provide
images of your work that they can appreciate without any
obstruction.
Remember your
prospective buyer wants to be able to see your art clearly in
order to appreciate it properly.
So here a few things
to remember when posting images on your website:
-
Keep your images
files sizes small (100KB or less is a good size) as this will
assist in your images downloading quicker for your viewer.
-
Ensure that your
images are clear.
-
Use an
International copyright law disclaimer at the bottom of your web pages.
-
Know how
to photograph your art successfully to ensure your
prospective buyer can appreciate your art properly online.
If you are still
worried about having your artwork images copied then all I can suggest
is don't post your art on the internet. This of course will limit
your global exposure considerably. So consider the alternative and
simply avoid worrying about thieves stealing your ideas.
Focus on your target
market.
Focus on producing
great work and your own personal success.
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