Using/Utilizing others' concept art for my portfolio!

sbiswas

I'm want to start working on my reel starting this month! Could anyone point me out to ethics and rules while using other artists' concept art! I mean I know it's a really wide topic, but something would be really helpful!

For example, I am aiming to create a sci-fi environment. So, I did a "sci-fi environment concept art" search on google and thousands of concept art pieces came up. I'm interested in about 30-40 concept pieces. I mean, I like the chair in once concept, the building arch in the other, the med room in the other and so on and on. What I want to do is I want to create a single (maybe more) environment which will consist of the elements I like/choose from these different concept art pieces i.e. essentially a mixture of different things I like into a single one piece.

So, How do I approach it? I mean should I just search for all the artists who's concept art I'm interested in and take their permission to use their art? Or should I just go ahead and and take interesting/nice pieces from different concept pieces (what I actually intend to do), finish my portfolio and at the end credit them?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Add3r

I usually take heavily influenced design decisions (big shapes, minor details, lighting, composition, etc) from different pieces of concept art and kind of collab with my own shape blockouts and such and create my own pieces. I will usually make an effort to contact the concept artist to make sure I can use their piece, and in what form I will be using it if I am directly building something out of their work. Its definitely a weird place to be if they do not respond, but you are set on using their work as a base. Most just link the artist's portfolio/name on the break down sheets and such if they do not have direct permission. A lot see this as a grey area of "right" or not, but as long as you make sure the audience knows you based it off of someone else's work and do not take credit where credit is due to others... I think you are totally fine.

pior

When you end up asking yourself if it would be best to ask for permission or not, that usually means that it *is* probably best to ask for permission.

sbiswas

@Add3r Thank you for your answer! I do understand you! Tell me one thing: should I include the concepts too that I took inspiration/ideas from along with the links to the artists' portfolio's?

Cay

Isn't it like the one who shot a foto is also the one having all the rights?
So basically if I took one as an inspiration for a scene it would also be the guy I'd have to ask for permission to use it.. but that's simply impossible sometimes.. especially if it's like 15 different objects mashed together in a scene..
it's so far from the original fotos that you don't need to credit anybody, right?

On the other hand if I take a concept from someone like Andrew Vlaskin and transfer it into 3d it would be much more reasonable to me? Because basically the whole design aspect was done by him and you just created it technically.. might be wrong though.

But apart from law and all.. starting off means you're happy if you can achieve a great looking asset technically, designing while you're creating often ends in failure. And if one asset doesn't look as nice as the "original" it shouldn't be a big deal to anybody.. it's not like it's hurting their reputation >.>

Add3r

sbiswas wrote: »

@Add3r Thank you for your answer! I do understand you! Tell me one thing: should I include the concepts too that I took inspiration/ideas from along with the links to the artists' portfolio's?

You could have a link to a separate page with the concept on it or the concept artist's portfolio, but I do think it is a good idea to have some sort of link at the least to the direct concept piece you based your work off of. Just make it clear who's work you are basing it off of, if it is a direct representation of the concept.