Since no one really cares about Art Theft

Here is some fun stuff
Steam Punk- Airship [link] or [link]

Here are the words to the song:
Our fires high and the airbags tight
Food's low but the skies are bright
Props spinning all through the night
We're low on cash but seen another target

Goggles down and the cannons up
My blood starts pumping as I drain my cup
I give the wheel a spin and I turn this girl around
We're way above ground but we're closed in on our target

Flying Jib is filled with air
East India ships filled with despair
We even up, her broadsides bare
Our cannons flair but its just a show of muscle

Steady on, she doesnt need to burn
She tries to flee and she tries to turn
Grappling fire, we latch her hull
Shes starting to roll, but weve got her on a leash

With a crew of drunken pilots
Were the only airship pirates
Were full of hot air and were starting to rise
Were the terror of the skies, but a danger to ourselves now

Expendable crew starts to reel her in
Our swords are sharpened and we're ready to sin
Im three miles up, we're about to swing aboard
My tether's made of leather so Im not about to fall here

A swish of air and my boots hit deck
No cash, no fuel, no not a speck
Our grape shots made this bird a wreck
And a glance below deck shows a crew of nuns and orphans

With a crew of drunken pilots
Were the only airship pirates
Were full of hot air and were starting to rise
Were the terror of the skies, but a danger to ourselves

This is an update about some silliness that is out there.

- made the following statement.
Using art on the web for a personal cell phone skin is hardly stealing. Fundamentally, it's not any different from using it as a desktop wallpaper, or even putting it in a DA favorites gallery Though posting an image of it online, especially without a credit, is rather low.

I totally agree with on the credit part for use online. I also agree with the wallpaper, DA favorites. I don't agree with using the image for a cell phone skin without the artist permission. It is not fundamentally the same. The difference is the desktop image is for personal use. The DA favorites are for personal use. An image turned into something commercial, like a print or skin, is NOT personal. If DA offered SKINS, you could get the artwork from here and the artist would be compensated.

What if the art is from the greats, or some of the living artists like Michael Wellan, or Boris? If I use an image from them, is it stealing? I'm only using it for my skin. Is the picture available for sale as a skin by the artist someplace else for a higher amount then what I can have it made, so I will have it made myself - Is that stealing?

On a bigger picture, you can extrapolate this way - I want 10 copies of the image.
I think they are super cool, my friends like it, and I am selling them to them for a $5 profit. Or better yet, I got 20 copies since the first 10 sold so well, I am selling them on E-Bay for $5 above what I can get them made at.

Lets take it another step, I want my Team Logo, say the Packers, on my I-Phone Skin and I can download the image from the web, have the skin made. I have a friend who loves it and pays me $50 for the skin because he is such a Packer fan. Now do you start thinking license infringement, or copyright infringement? Or, do you start thinking $$$$ can be made off my friends, and maybe E-bay?

There are others who think this way. They sell T-shirts with works found here at Deviant Art on E-Bay. There are guys there whom I know has stolen a couple of my friends cartoon works, which has forced him to watermark and post crappy versions of his work so it doesn't get stolen.

Be aware - the internet is not a FREE resource for businesses and people trying to make a fast buck. The businesses of the world want us to think it is. It is the reason I post at 72 DPI, and watermark. If you really believe the world is that innocent, I welcome you to continue to live with your blinders on.

As a heads up, there are Russian websites who are not regulated by anyone who surf for art to be downloaded to cell phones, computers, and such. They usually charge basically a US $1 for the download. Does the artist ever see the money? I think NOT. Is it stealing? YES, it is stealing for the sole reason that it is NOT for personal use. They are making money off someone else' hard work.
It never fails but every years this topic comes up.
Internet business ethics and morals -
What is on the web is free. What is on the web is mine. What is on the Web free to be used in anyway I see fit. I can sell it, use it, and make money off it as long as no one catches me.


Original - theme
Well it never fails, I have an idea and it hits me in the face.
I had this idea of making Laptop Skins from my works. It is the newest craze out there and I figured, since I had the time I'd look into it.

WELL.......................................
It appears Deviant Art is one of the open art areas for people to get free artwork for their laptops, IPODs, IPhones, or whatever. As long as the image is 500K and high quality - over 200 DPI, it free game.

LAPTOP SKINS PLUS - [link]
I was reading their examples of, "How to make laptop skins."
TIPS FOR FINDING SKINS [link]
IPOD SKINS [link]
The second image in this post is from a fellow artist here at Deviant Art

This pages describes HOW TO MAKE LAPTOP SKINS [link]
The discussion is about half way down the page. It doesn't say to use the artwork, but we know better.
"A website that might also inspire you is deviantart which has lots of work by other graphic designers to look at. There are so many great sites to provide additional help all you need to do is search “hotoshop tutorials”. One of the most popular is the PS roadmap. As a rule of thumb, your final image (jpeg) for a skin should be close to 1 MB or more, or it might be a little grainy/blurry. You can probably get use 500 kb or more for cellphones, but not less.

Take a looks a see what you think - Deviant art should get into this area of making skins for Laptops, IPODS, and IPHONES. It would be nice to make some money off the images they are stealing.

Happy Days - Mike