--- In SkunkworksAMA_at_yahoogroups.com, "Tim" <iloveoynx@...> wrote:
>
> Ok this is for Jim-I started a thread of your art on fchan.us
> yesterday and a mod named falcon removed it claiming that
commercially
> available art wasn't allowed on fchan.He is a new mod and I explained
> to him that your art is allowed there and that you have even been
> known to post there but he refused to listen.Whats up with that?
I just checked Fchan, but it seems the moderator who did the removal
made an apology concerning this event. But his mistake is wholly
forgivable, given the precarious nature of the situation.
It's true that much of my artwork which gets posted these days is
still commercially available. In fact, I'd say over 90% of it is.
And while I have posted numerous pictures over the years (with
watermarks), some folks didn't think that was good enough. So they
obtained a copy of whichever folios caught their fancy, then proceeded
to make high resolution scans of the work. Obviously, my posts
weren't "good enough" for some people, so they had to ignore the "Do
Not Copy or Scan" info on every picture I produce, and promptly spread
illegally pirated copies of my stuff all over the internet.
Despite what some of the cerebrally-challenged pirates continue to
state (in defense of their habit, of course), this action has cost a
loss of sales. I had typed up a huge example of this some time ago,
detailing the cost involved in producing a portfolio, and clearly
demonstrating how the pirating had a negative effect on the sales, not
to mention the fact that all the money spent to produce the folios had
to come straight from my pockets. Piracy led to fewer sales, which
meant I was now stuck with stock I could not sell. That equals a loss.
Ironically , this led to me using the special anti-scan paper, in an
effort to halt the pirating. This paper, while mostly effective, has
cost me a few sales, since some folks get pissed when they discover
they can't scan the pictures onto their computer. I have little
reason to believe that these same folks would only keep the files on
their computer and not spread them all over the internet. After all,
they only have to send the files to one person. Then it's all over.
I don't like having to use the paper, because it does mute some of
the colors in the pictures. Recent adjustments in printing production
have been able to recapture some of the quality that was lost, but not
having a pure white background as the basis to lay the colors on still
darkens things up a bit.
I removed myself from the DNP list on Fchan, because that was the
only chan site which adhered to their rules and would not allow
posting of my work. But, having seen my work on every other chan
board on the planet, I figured it wasn't right to exclude Fchan.
After all, at this point, what was one more image board, right?
Unfortunately, by allowing my images to be posted, this seemed to
further add fuel to the fire. Folks would scan a folio as soon as the
damn thing came out, and promptly post it online. This was also done
with the comics I've produced over the years (despite the fact those
are clearly commercial works, and are still available).
There's nothing I can do about the pirated work currently floating
around online, therefore I don't object to it. I have no problem with
my stuff being posted online now, because I cannot halt what has
already happened due to careless behavior on the consumer's part. But
I _can_ prevent future works drom being pirated, and I will be taking
necessary steps to ensure they stay offline. This is not to say the
pictures won't be viewable online; they will be. But the difference
is, they'll be the versions I'll post.
Further steps will be taken to make future piracy of the art more
work than it's worth. But not to worry, man; folks will still see the
pictures.
Apparently, the moderator is aware that I do allow posting of my
work on Fchan, and yes, I do occassionally post stuff there myself.
Should one of the mods question this, feel free to show them this
letter or have them contact me. I'm an easy person to deal with. :)
--JMH, holy shit that was a lot of typing.
Received on Thu Jul 24 2008 - 02:37:32 CDT