| Artist's weblog |
No more idle art...The dreamer should be a pioneer; the strophe should mean something. The beautiful should be at the service of honesty. I am the valet of my conscience; it rings for me: I come. "Go!" I go. What do you require of me, O truth, sole majesty of this world?
-- Victor Hugo, "Minds and the Masses" |
The origin of the comic:
For years I have thought to myself: "I'd love to create a comic strip, I have so many good ideas...." However, one hurdle stood in my way. My complete lack of any drawing talent. Sure, I could find someone else to draw the pictures, but cooperation takes time, effort, and there would likely be arguments. I need complete creative control, and I know that.
Recently it occurred to me, why don't I just borrow other's artwork, to illustrate the comics? Sure, there is this legal hurdle called, "copyright." However, copyright isn't forever. It expires. Anything created prior to 1923 is in the public domain. While this limitation excludes work such as MC Escher, much of Picasso, and several other major 20th century artists, there is still a large amount of work to borrow from. I decided to give it a try.
One note about photography. There is, naturally, no legal issue when the photography is my own. However, I have utilized photographs of a few famous sculptures. These are photographs I have found copies of on multiple websites, and while I do not believe they are technically in the public domain, I don't know the photographer, so I am unable to query for permission. If the owner wishes me to cease using their photograph, or to give them credit, all they need to do is ask.