I am an amateur in the creative business, and I enjoy creating media for friends and a few clients I find through freelancing. Being a full-time Biochemistry student, I think it would make much more sense to build a portfolio of art for these sites to earn passive income, instead of constantly looking for clients to create websites and graphics for. I am also thinking I will focus on vector art. One thing I have always wondered is can I trace a photo to get an outline of the subject, even if I don't have rights to the photo, and then sell the vector art I create from it? Thank you for any help!

-Paul Harris
www.vividvector.com

Hi Paul,

Vectors sell very well. Many artists have discovered that vectors move better than photos. I only do photography, so this is second-hand knowledge. However, it seems to be supported by people on the forums at ShutterStock, IStock, etc.

You should not trace a copyrighted image. It will net you bad Karma and is not permissible on some sites. It makes photographers really, really mad. I've seen a few forum posts where some photographer came across an image that had clearly been traced from their own portfolio. Much unhappiness, there.

Certainly you can use a copyrighted image as inspiration, but what you do should be different enough that the author of the first piece can't tell that you used it for your muse.

You might be able to find non-copyrighted imagery on sites such as FLICKr. You may be allowed to trace these images under some circumstances. Check, because it's not all copyright free. I would ask the artist/photographer for permission either way. My guess is that most amateurs would be flattered and happy to oblige...particularly if you gave them a copy of the vector. Whether that breaks the rules on any given site of the artwork being something you generated wholly by yourself is something you would need to look into on a site by site basis.

I hope this helps...

Good luck.

If you are looking to sign up for any sites, drop me an email (I'm easy to find via Google). I'd be happy to send you a list of site addresses to get you started.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Stock! Vectors are great sellers on most sites.
There are some great articles at iStock on how to get started and what to look out for with selling vectors.
www.istockphoto.com/article_view.php?ID=367

www.istockphoto.com/article_view.php?ID=180

Good luck with your journey and Have fun.

Yea, if you are good at vectors then you should have no problem building a great portfolio. You can't however use photo's that people sell on the micro sites. I have seen two users accounts closed because someone found a vector that matched their photo. I would use photo's from Flicker or Photobucket as you should be able to find just general shots people aren't selling. I wish you luck, send me a PM if you want any referral links to the stock companies. I currently work with 19, so I can let you know which ones I have been selling real well on.