At 1/14/26 06:54 PM, Kecchi wrote:

At 1/13/26 11:26 PM, Dolorious wrote:Small necro

Was wondering about all the hub bub about this thread. Was looking for reference photos online of concrete architecture and woods for ideas on the type of environment I want Kirie Bonin to be in. I noticed some of the photos said licenceable and decided to look into if their were copyright laws around using photos as references.
All to find that there is copyright laws to using photos as references. A lot of arguing about that topic. Particularly on looking at whatever reference photo and the threshold that it is transformative enough on whether if it's grounds for suing or not. I found the topic quite interesting but also a big headache like all copyright law discussions.

On one hand I can understand the effort it takes to get a photo depending on where it was taken. But on the other hand there's a lot of effort in art as well. And artists especially when learning NEED to look at references of some kind to improve and or get a better idea in their head. A lot of the great art that is made by great artists have looked at references. Whether it's for observing the lighting, shapes, anatomy and poses. It provides important visual information when making a piece. And usually those pieces end up pretty transformative.

Hell earlier when I was looking at Oddlem's art critique thread. Oddlem straight up said the pose for the character was a bit off because Oddlem didn't use a reference iirc. Even commented that with a proper reference, the pose would've looked better. And there are many more examples like that. Like if you're able to make the perfect pose, perfect anatomy and perfect environment all just in your head, no references. Then you're likely an anomaly that would've probably been on Stanlee's Superhumans. Which I think is a couple of people with that capability irl? Some guy that was able to draw entire cities to the most accurate detail on a wide canvas based off memory in his I think? Really impressive stuff.

Anyways all this had me wondering on how much beef there is between the two communities because of this? (Well at least God isn't going sue humans for using his earthly creations as reference or taking photos of it.)

Copyright law is one thing but I don't think I've seen a substantial amount of photographers running after people who reference their pictures. I've seen a handful sure but it doesn't seem like an actual rampant issue especially where artists are referencing pictures all the time. It's a very weakly enforced law imo.

And yeah the art scene has some beasts for sure. For me personally, I think the photography equivalent to artists making stuff from thin air is probably photojournalists. There's a Vietnamese guy who ran a photo development store awhile back in a city near my area and he was running around when he was 12 years old shooting pictures of conflicts during the Vietnam War. Literally doing all this while getting shot at. Wildly cracked. Just insane photographers who will put themselves in gnarly situations yet have the cool state of mind to get well composed images. Dude I could never. I barely feel safe with my camera out walking through the bad part of town. I also highly respect film photographers who get so into it that they straight up become chemists with how they process their own photos. There's just amazing people everywhere being cool as hell in their own way.

From what I've seen, there's not really beef imo. They don't seem to interact at all actually. Though they often seem to borrow ideas from each other. There's a lot of cases where photographers make their photos look like drawings. Szilveszter Mako is a photographer that comes to mind where his recent photos remind me of David Lynch's drawings. He has other stuff that look like renaissance paintings. Artists also do a bit of mimicry often putting camera lens artifacts in their drawings like chromatic aberration, foreground and background blur from the lens' focal length, light glares, etc. Or artists taking design/composition reference from photography kinda like Araki taking inspiration from fashion editorials for some of JJBA's character designs and key artwork. Seems like a symbiotic relationship tbh.

At 1/12/26 11:19 PM, Skoops wrote:I find that it's usually a misdiagnosis to say you can't draw because you're not manifesting some magical drug-like euphoria melting away all obstacles to drawing and making the act itself flood your brain with so much dopamine, you'll cry with joy at every pen stroke.

Usually you're just out of practice and your internal filter is preemptively vetoing your ideas because they'd be too hard to draw. You don't need passion or inspiration, you just need discipline to draw when you're not utterly overwhelmed with the desire to do so. People that wait around for a magic feeling to lift them out of their slump will be waiting a long time, and they're not going to be particularly good if it ever comes. Those sparks of inspiration last like five minutes before the weight of actually doing the work sets in, so you might as well forego all the little rituals and kabuki dances trying to trick your brain into feeling inspired and just learn to draw without it.

Those waves of inspiration do come, but you need to be in the water already if you're ever going to catch one.

At 1/8/26 01:44 PM, Toxic-Tin-Can wrote:I think Hatred might fit? Admittedly, you're not a monster in the fantastical sense, but rather a remorseless, genocidal serial killer. It's essentially a spiritual successor to the original Postal, but without any of the whimsy. Only AO-Rated game I can think of that's not porn, simply because of how violent it is. There are games that are in-arguably more violent, but considering you're actively encouraged to brutally kill innocent civilians for not much reason, chances are the more grounded violence and completely impartial murder hit a little too hard for the ESRB. If you wanna give it a try, I'd probably look into who was involved in the development of the game before deciding whether you want to support them. I don't have any strong opinions regarding the individuals but I can understand why someone would be put off.

At 1/7/26 12:27 PM, Vinity wrote:

At 1/7/26 12:15 PM, Dolorious wrote:Also something a bit off topic. Vinity are you still using a mouse to make all those pieces? If you still are, get a drawing pad or tablet whenever you can. It'll save your wrist from torture.

You might not know this, but I'm from Venezuela, one of the worst-off countries on the planet economically, and since the US pulled its stunt, things have gone from bad to worse. I was hoping to get a tablet two years ago, but they don't sell them in the city, and the prices outside of here are insane. So, a tablet or pad will have to remain a dream for now.

Unlike others, I'm already used to using a mouse. I don't have any pain or anything; I used to, but with experience, you find ways to draw comfortably. I also draw with my phone now, by the way. My last piece (and actual pfp) was done that way.

At 1/1/26 01:14 PM, Vinity wrote:

At 1/1/26 03:14 AM, Stratotoshka wrote:What kinds of elements (besides popular characters of NG and NSFW) do you think or deem as cool? esthetic? Or appealing to your taste? i get that NG users have a very specific interest palette, unlike Deviantart or Reddit Users, which is very broad and would accept/like anything at the minimum.

A perfect way to fail is to always have your mind on fame. You make NG users sound like a stereotype. This place is special, but that doesn't mean we all share the same brain and have the same tastes. In NG, people like to collaborate with everyone and are passionate about seeing what others are doing, which is why they also like the community's personalities—because they're here. And don't even get me started on the NSFW content (E-rated thread).

That is why I use NG as my primary success indicator, if my work failed here, it might as well have failed elsewhere. This could be a great exercise to push my skills and work to the fullest. That is why I made this post, I want to know why you would favor an art? What aspects make you rate said art with the value you think it deserves, and on what reason do you follow said artist?

If that's how you see NG, it's a little depressing. My favorite art is that which I KNOW the artist truly had passion and enjoyment for. They weren't seeking fame or glory, just sharing what they loved, their creations. They didn't care if others told them to do this or that; they did what they wanted, and they have an audience that supports them. And I also like those who create continuous content ^w^

I planned to get frontpaged at least once in my lifetime. I know there exists one unmaterialized artwork that is worthy of it, but in order to achieve it, I need to synchronize myself with the nature I currently live in (New Grounds). I may not be a professional artist who could create high-grade art (even their lowest grade still looks high-grade), but I am willing to put in pure high effort for this.

You don't need to be a professional to get a frontpaged work; I got eleven in 2025. Enjoy what you do, experiment, and one day someone will notice the value in your work. Taking the easy way out is a great way to lose respect and dignity.

Thanks for spending your time reading my post, I appreciate all kinds of response here.

you are welcome!

At 1/4/26 05:28 PM, RedWonder8 wrote:

At 1/4/26 04:36 PM, Dolorious wrote:Alright here's the finished interpretation.

https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/dolorious/blighted-light


What I listened to while working on this.

this is SUPER cool! I love this! I really like the star things that the snakes come out of that's super cool

At 1/4/26 01:30 AM, OviManic wrote:

At 1/3/26 11:52 PM, Dolorious wrote:Had the habit of mindlessly just going full murder hobo on everything in games like Skyrim. Didn't matter if they were peaceful or hostile. I just attacked everything on site. Kept wondering why the Jarl and some other NPC's just refused to stay no matter how many times I downed them.

What pisses me off so much about Skyrim was me believing it follows Grand Theft Auto rules until I get the rude awakening of seeing characters, especially ones I hate, refusing to die! There was this aristocratic family from a town they’ve completely dominate in the game and I wanted to get rid of them. Once I discovered I couldn’t, I was left asking “What, I can kill dragons, giants, and demons, but not THESE chuckleheads!?”

At 1/2/26 12:37 PM, Karrvin wrote:

At 1/2/26 12:33 PM, TurkeyOnAStick wrote:

At 1/2/26 11:01 AM, Karrvin wrote:
I remade the image.

https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/karrvin/uncanny-valley-attempt

This is going to have to be taken down from the art portal since it’s your face photoshopped on an album cover.

I’m posting because I don’t see how this is to do with the uncanny valley, either. You’re
using a photo of your own face, not something that closely resembles your face.

Also, is the deletion concerning my face for privacy purposes, or is it because Newgrounds is about drawing?