Can I Make Paintings from Reference Photos in Books or Field Guides?
Can I Make Paintings from Reference Photos in Books or Field Guides?If I am using reference books or field guides for my artwork is it a copyright infringement if I pick some of those images and transform them into a larger work using a different media, placing those re-drawn images in various places within this larger work? I know many artists who use various references for this purpose. Have you seen any instances of this where it became a problem for the artist? Would this be considered transformation? With the field guides being marketed as a reference tool, would I have more of an argument for it being an allowable use?” — KevinAnswer: Unless the photographer has expressly given permission for a photograph to be used in its entirety, reference photos (whether on the web or in a book) are there only to provide information and inspiration and should not be copied. Such as the characteristic shape of a particular type of tree, the texture of a rock, the colors on a butterfly’s wings
