Questions about making 40k art.

[CHIAPETOFDOOM]

Heya folks,

I do alot of artwork and I was concidering trying to make a doller or two on the side making some 40k related works. If I were to make some 40k related artwork and try to sell it, would that be illegal? I just wondered how the rights worked and everything or if you folks knew?

Thanks for your time!

[Lord Commander Erus]

Sadly, yes. The IP works so that if you make a diem off GW's ideas, they can sue your pants off.

[hairyyahoo]

unless you're good enough to sell to them?

p.s-welcome back to the boards

[Torquemada Coteaz]

Yes if you are REALLY good, send a resume type thing to GW.
Probably nothing will turn up as of yet, but you'll probably get a few commissions from them in a few years time.

[CHIAPETOFDOOM]

We'll that puts me in a sad state, I really wanted to make some big battle scenes and wars. And make a little money too. Maybe I'll just settle for letting them hang in my house heh. I don't know if I'm good enough to work for Games Workshop yet

Thanks for the input fellas, I appreciate it!

Thanks Hairy, I visit a fair amount, I just watch and don't say a whole lot.

[Torquemada Coteaz]

Well here's the other thing:
You CAN get around it.
If you just sell it to a friend or something through private dealings, GW can't really do anything about it.
If you decide to produce a lot of prints and sell a lot of them, especially at a specific physical or electronic location, then GW WILL have a problem with it and WILL nail your ass.

EDIT:
Basically, you can't go through major or public venues, and there shouldn't be too big an average volume being trafficked

[precinctomega]

It is not, whatever GW's legal team likes to tell people, illegal to sell original works of art based on Games Workshop's IP.

There are dozens of people who make a reasonable income from selling artwork based on IP from Lucasarts, DC, Marvel et al and Games Workshop is no different.

Your artwork is a valid interpretation of a concept. It's like saying you can't sell a copy of Picasso's Guernica because his estate can sue you. It can't (although, obviously, trying to pass it off as the original will get you more than sued!).

You are perfectly entitled to sell original works illustrating Ultramarines, Dark Angels, Orks, Eldar or whatever you please. You are also - again, despite what GW's legal team insist - allowed to take commissions to paint interpretation's of GW's IP. This includes painting a Space Marine army for someone else, say - something that GW's legal page suggests is unlawful, but which is, in fact, a good source of income for a number of the world's top painters.

What you cannot do is make prints of your original work and sell those. Nor, of course, can you claim GW's IP as your own and all sources of direction inspiration should be fairly quoted.

Regards,

R.

[Torquemada Coteaz]

Wow really?
Thanks man I didn't know that.
Most people tell me somewhat differently (i.e. what I said before)

This can mean swell things hehe...

[precinctomega]

I should add that the market for GW fanart is pathetic.

R.

[SteveBerenyi]

while that may be PO, i would gladly take all submissions you may have CHIAPETOFDOOM for our online magazine

really i would.

[Ion Raptor]

I'd like to see some of your work, doom.....if your good enough you could maybe, sorta, perhaps.....create artwork depicting our homegrown Chapter?

[Word Bearer 81007]

or at least post somethings on the forum for us all to gock at.

[precinctomega]

Anyone want to see my stuff?

Also, Dark Magenta magazine is always looking for new artwork, too.

R.

[Ion Raptor]

why wouldn't we? start posting!

[Lord Commander Erus]

Depending on your prices and the quality of your work, I might be interested.

[CHIAPETOFDOOM]

Sorry I didn't even see this thread was still posting replys, my mind kind of wanders off to college and stuff, I didn't mean to ignore folks ,heh

I'm not really good with posting stuff, I'll ask my friend whose better with computers, and maybe I can draw up a few things and you can get an idea of what were dealing with.

[Lord Commander Erus]

That would be most excellent.. I'm in need of some good artwork actually

[DeAd_cOmMaNdO]

Originally Posted by Lord Commander Erus

Sadly, yes. The IP works so that if you make a diem off GW's ideas, they can sue your pants off.

only if they find out

[Wakim]

Originally Posted by DeAd_cOmMaNdO

only if they find out

Exactly.

I know guys that have made some dcent bucks out of 'not so decent' sellings

[Torquemada Coteaz]

And yet you still talk about it here...
(Keep dealings to emails and IM please, hehe, that way we can't be affiliated.)