Okay I'm not one to complain but today I am. I have noticed lately when I browse some of my favorite sites that gals are not giving credit where it is due. When you use another designer's pattern, you need to give the credit for that designer who originally created it. Now I am one to totally understand forgetting to do that. I had created a doll and forgot to put the designer's name. Even though I had sold that doll, I went back when I discovered my error and placed the designers name in the description.Folks, creating a doll pattern from scratch takes a long time, a lot of work and a great deal of thinking. Not only does it take time but sometimes we designers have to go back and redo the pattern over and over to get it right. Some of my patterns have taken a week to create because I was not satisfied with how it came out and most of mine are simple, not as complicated as many of the others I have seen and used.
Above are some examples of dolls and items that have been made without credit given to the designer. Venus Mercantile created that wonderful bunny pattern and I created the nosegays. My nosegays were copied on a site that I am on and even though they are not copywrited I thought it was in poor taste to be so obvious about it. I have had several of my creations being sold and copied with no credit given to me. I have also found on other sites dolls that I new who the designer was but the creator of that doll made no mention of that designer, therefore inadvertently taking the whole credit.
I encourage you to not be afraid to give the credit where it is due. Why you ask, because it shows that you are a professional, that you respect your peers and that you would not want this to happen to you if you became proficient enough to create a doll pattern. I do understand that we all take bits and pieces from other artists, many are my muse for certain. One doll designer, Kentucky Primitives (one of my many favs) makes mice, I LOVE HER MICE ( I own one of her mice) but my mouse that I created after purchasing hers, does not look like hers at all. But she is my muse, my inspiration.
So, let those of you that you admire, inspire, not copy or take all the credit for a piece that you made, if you used another designer's pattern. Thank you!
