We had our first confirmed case of a member being banned for issues surrounding plagiarism, dishonesty, and posting of other people's work. This WILL NOT be tolerated. If you're found out to have violated these rules your account and all posts will be deleted. This site is a place for people learning the art of tattooing to share and help each other learn. Posting images of other's work is not only plagiarism, it's dishonest. There is no way to improve your skills if we cannot watch you grow as an artist. As a friend of mine always says, "it's about progress, not perfection."

On the subject of using another artist's flash design as your reference for a tattoo is absolutely OK, so long as you give credit and DON'T claim the "design" as your own. If a piece has been traced or reinterpreted please credit original artist and/or source. We believe that there is great value in studying, tracing & copying the work of other artists, past and present, but do not feel that Ink Trails is a suitable forum for posting such work unless it is clearly stated that the work being posted is a copy and is not to be entered into any of the competitions.

Most of the tattoo pioneers all drew modified variations on the same basic designs. Some even traced flash and colored it themselves. In most tattoo shops across the world, you can choose a design from the wall that has probably been redrawn hundreds of times, with subtle variations. The problem lies in taking credit for another artist's exact design. It's pretty simple, just use common sense.

I also want to bring attention to the fact that we DO NOT allow posting of any copyrighted materials on this forum. That includes flash, books/manuals, and videos that you do not own the copyrights to. People make a living from their work, and if it's no longer profitable to produce these materials, they will stop offering it. You know the drill.

Let's all strive to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity on this forum. Dig it.