Oh joy... It has finally happened to me too. My dear DA friend coveredinice recently found one of my pictures in someone's Photobucket account. I will not provide a link because I don't think that's a very professional way of  dealing with this and it wouldn't solve anything anyway.

Instead, I sent them an e-mail that I put together according to Photobucket's sample Notification of Copyright Infringement and I hope they will remove the picture soon. Then again, I have never dealt with something like this before so I'm not entirely sure that this can actually solve the problem.

Has any of you ever been ripped? I sincerely hope not, but if you have, would you share your experiences with me and the other deviants reading this journal? It would help us a great deal.

Also, if you're fed up with discovering your works on Photobucket (it's the first time for me but I'm already fed up) please read this news article and sign this petition. Thank you!

EDIT (a few hours later):
I really can't complain. I just received a reply from Photobucket's Designated Copyright Agent saying that the image in question has been removed and I have seen it with my own eyes too. I'm just glad that I didn't have to go through a lot of hassle.

I have never denied permission from anyone who wanted to use any of my works on their blog/website/etc. as they usually wished to promote my art. I will continue to act in the same spirit in the future. I only ask people to ASK for that permission and let me know where, how and even why they wish to use my works, and also to credit me. (Making money of my drawings is a different thing though...)

This time, however, I had not been asked nor credited, which is why I decided to take action. I just hope it won't happen again. Heck, I wasn't even in hysterics when I received news of this happening to me. I just raised my eyebrows, read all the relevant information I could find and wrote an e-mail, all the while believeing in the power of politely calling Photobucket's attention to the situation and hoping for the best. And it worked.


Now on to something more cheerful...

Hi guys!

Let me tell you about an excellent web novel I've been reading since October 2007! The title is Thorns and it's being written by a fellow deviant thundercake, also known as A.P. Hill. She's a really lucky lady as she possesses both gifts of writing and drawing. Her story is captivating, her characters are round and lifelike, and her illustrations show us a glimpse of the magical universe she had created when she came up with the idea of the novel.

Right. That was my official opinion, one I would give if I had to write an essay on the stuff, and even though every word of it is true it still doesn't express my enthusiasm. So instead I'll just grab you by your collars and not let go until you go and read all chapters because it's seriously the best thing I've read since Harry Potter!!! It jumps-starts your imagination, it makes you laugh and leaves you craving for the next chapter! In short, it's not something you'd want to miss.



Allow me to quote the author herself:

"A young girl who failed to become a sorceress and was bound by a spell to slavery tricks an entire university of sorcerers into believing she's the avatar of a goddess. She leads a group of them on a journey to find the one spell that could free her from her bonds, in a complex hoax involving goddesses, lies, betrayal and a terrifying mist that threatens to wipe out all magic on earth."

And here are the novel's main characters:


Now on to the usual collection of my current favorites on DA. I hope you'll like them and check out the rest of their gallery.

Take care!

---Izar