I often get asked if we can use other people’s images, this is what this week’s episode covers.  

Copying images from others is a great way to learn and develop our art. But, we have to ensure we are not breaching copyright.

If you are copying the image for your own personal use, that is fine. As soon as you share the image publicly, or commercially you need to check the rights of that image.

Here is a checklist for when you are using images:

• Check the source of the image, is it copyrighted to someone or in the public domain?Use the reverse image tool to find the source of images: image.google.com
• If the image was created before 1923 or is an image so popular that it’s being used in multiple places, it’s most likely the image is in the ‘public domain’ and is free to use.  But, you still have to check.
• If you are unsure use a site that provides copyright free images:
• https://pixabay.com/
• https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary
• https://www.openculture.com/
• https://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online
• https://www.freepik.com/
• https://unsplash.com/
• https://www.pexels.com/royalty-free-images/

You can also download this amazing graphic from The Visual Communication Guy to help you: