As an artist, it is your responsibility to make sure that your creations are original, and that you are not taking credit for another person's work.
Whether you mean to or not, claiming that someone else’s work is your own (called “plagiarism”) is a serious violation of Canadian copyright law. Plagiarism and forgery can result in charges being laid, fines imposed, or damages awarded. So, you must be very careful to make sure that your creation[s] are original and cannot be considered plagiarized. Be creative!
Because winning contest artwork entries will be published and available to the public, the GTK Contest will make every effort to identify and remove entries that are plagiarized or could be considered plagiarized. However, it remains entirely your responsibility as the artist or the artist's parent/guardian/teacher to ensure that the artwork is original. Any plagiarized entries will be disqualified, and any copyright violation and resulting actions will become the responsibility of the artist or the artist's parent/guardian/teacher, as indicated on the entry form.
Before you start your artwork, think about what you are going to use for inspiration. Here are some ideas that will help you to avoid plagiarism:
(a) Take your own photo. Remember, the contest is all about going outdoors and experiencing nature for yourself. You will be able to find most plants or animals if you learn where to look. Once you find the species you have chosen, take lots of notes and photos. Learn as much as you can about the species before you start drawing or painting it.
If you’ve taken your own photo, you can copy it exactly, if you want to – you own the photos, and there’s no copyright on nature! Past contest winners have also taken several of their own photos (subject, backgrounds, etc) and merged the elements together into an entirely new picture. The photograph(s) must be included with the entry, so that we can verify they are your own photos.
We will give more consideration to your entry if you have gone outside and made an effort to take original photos and/or notes, and included these with the entry. Note: photographs taken of published reference material are not considered original.
(b) Use your imagination only and no references. You might prefer not to use any reference materials, or maybe you will go outside and sketch what you see directly. This is fine, but you must make sure that you are not creating your artwork based on another person’s work that you remember. If you do use any references, you must send them in with your entry, or it will be disqualified. Because this contest is all about getting to know the plants and animals around you better, we will give more consideration to your entry if you can show that you went outside to observe the species you are interested in. Try taking a friend with you, and asking them to take a photo as you sketch your subject; or, if you came across the species before (maybe on a previous nature adventure!), then you can include a photo from the trip where you saw the species.
(c) Use reference material from books, magazines, web sites, or other sources. If you do this, it is important to ensure that the drawing is significantly different from the originals. When you submit your entry, you must make sure that you include copies of all the reference materials used. Suggestions of ways to prevent plagiarism are presented below:
When using previous published reference material, either in books, web sites or other sources, please observe the following:
1. The style: The more realistic the drawing, the more care must be taken to avoid plagiarism. However, even abstract drawings should take into account the need to make changes when using reference materials, so that there is no correlation between the artwork and its reference[s]. If you place your artwork next to your reference material and it looks similar, make more changes to your drawing so it removes the similarity. Be intentional in making your artwork look different.
2. The subject: Examine the animal you wish to use. What is it about this particular reference image that is distinct? How is the animal/plant represented in a unique way? How is it positioned? Use different objects and items, or move them to different positions. You must make sure to draw your species in a different position (e.g. try flipping the animal so it faces left instead of right).
3. Groupings: If the reference artwork shows a group of animals (or plants), you must change the grouping. Take out some animals, move the animals around, and/or add in more animals. If there are three animals and one is removed, this is not considered enough of a change.
4. Backgrounds: It is important that you change the background behind the subject. This can be done by developing a completely different background, or by blurring the background and using alternate colors. Consider creating a larger or smaller background area behind your subject. Or, try using other reference material to create a new background.
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