Artists &Others!!! EVERYONE is Telling me...

[Former_Member]

Hello art fans and artists... I need some thoughts thrown at me. Everyone is telling me I need to watermark my art. I know my photos suck right now; that's not what I need advice on (I will be redoing them as soon as I can)... I am being told from a lot of angles that I should be watermarking my art pics... I originally have thought that a non watermarked image of my art is better because my pieces are so intricate and when I am viewing art or IF I was considering buying some I would want to look at the image in full. Not a big watermark over the image, for some reason that turns me off. And aesthetics of my shop are important to me. But am I putting myself in a bad spot not watermarking? I usually target customers looking to commission a custom piece just for them; but I am doing some other work at this time that I plan on selling the original of and possibly selling prints. Would I be wise to watermark from now on or should I just make the image not very big so they can't print it out or something? I promote all over the internet and people share my pics of my work and I don't think they'd love it or share it as often if it were watermarked but I don't know what I should do.

[SpangGangDesigns]

I would make the images large so that a customer can really get a good look at the detail. However, a faded watermark is a must, in my opinion. Not something that covers your whole piece - but something faded would protect you and your lovely pieces.

[Former_Member]

I find watermarks really off-putting and distracting but I understand they may be necessary. Just make them as unobtrusive as possible - maybe outlines rather than full-bodied type

[GhoulishBunnyStudios]

I started putting watermarks on mine but I make them really transparent so you can barely see it unless you really look. I hate the watermarks that completely obscure the artwork. But like Megan said, something unobtrusive should be okay.

[dalystudios]

I am not a fan of watermarks unless you are afraid of digital reproductions of your work. Nobody will get a decent print quality image of your work off an Etsy photo.

[Former_Member]

I watermark my photo's but it's off the bottom right so it doesn't distract the photo. I read an article on watermarking photo's (regardless of what you sell) and you should watermark it but make sure it's fainted and not distracting to what you're selling.

[SnarkFactory]

I don't watermark my pictures, I just use a small size low res file for my listing pictures. I did an experiment with one of my friends, I watermarked a high res (which is what I used to do) and asked them to try and photoshop the watermark out. They were able to in less than ten minutes. And, they didn't even use photoshop, they used the free version of picmonkey.com.


I think watermarks are a waste of time and could possible ruin your chances of making the front page. If you must watermark, you should probably still use a low res file due to what I mentioned above, though I think that's overkill.

[Former_Member]

I think I will continue on with just low res files. I know if I see somehting watermarked, I do not share it generally on FB or tumblr, or pin it or whatever...

[Former_Member]

Hi Tarren,

Each seller decides for him/herself about watermarks, but one thing to keep in mind is that a blogger or curated parts of Etsy might be reluctant to feature your image and promote your shop if your photos are watermarked.

[Former_Member]

Yes, and that is something that I rely on heavily to get my images 'out there'. So for now, I will not have one I think.

[SharonsCompendium]

I agree that it is better not to watermark your images.

My general feeling is that if somebody is going to steal your images, they'll find a way to do it, so why waste time and effort on something that detracts from your artwork?

The person who wants to buy cheap knock-offs isn't your audience anyway, and the person who cares about art and handmade and is willing to pay a fair price for it, isn't going to be buying from those businesses that do that sort of thing.

[TerraRhapsody]

I use a watermark on all my photography on an art website. I've had a lot of mixed messages for them- some people incredibly abusive that my work has a watermark, and some people like the creativity I use to add them.
I used to use one that spanned a chunk of the photo, and I got comments on how ugly it was, but at the same time, I could see it being posted over the internet WITH my watermark, so it was obvious where people had stolen it from or tried to claim as their own.
Now, I incorporate the watermark into the image, following lines or curves like this:
http://xerces.deviantart.com/art/Drive-185384391
http://xerces.deviantart.com/art/Crystalline-Beauty-188578759

That way, it's still there, still visible, but not obtrusive

[Former_Member]

"The person who wants to buy cheap knock-offs isn't your audience anyway, and the person who cares about art and handmade and is willing to pay a fair price for it, isn't going to be buying from those businesses that do that sort of thing."
Exactly this!

[dalystudios]

Yes, Tarren. What people seem to forget is that anyone with the intent to steal images has the ability to scan them from print media and get WAAAAY better results than they get from a 72 dpi image on Etsy. Unethical people will find ways to do all sorts of unethical things. You shouldnt have to deface your images in order to thwart them.

[Former_Member]

I use a watermark on my stuff, including my digital art site; I've even been featured at several other websites, including Histess with the Mostess!

Mostly, though, I use my watermark for social media reasons; if somebody posts my picture on Pinterest and it gets 10 other links from that post, the link could get broken along the line, and then people will like what they see, but be unable to find YOU to buy it! A small watermark on a diagonal in the corner is sufficient, that way people see your name and can go hunting for you!

[TagsForTails]

My images feature my shop name at the bottom but it doesn't cover the actual product. I do this so if it gets lost on pinterest someone can find my product. I figure cons are gonna steal my product if they want to....watermark or not.

[WillowLaneInvites]

I used to watermark my designs but I stopped for the same reason, I just didn't like it and I got a million emails asking if it is on the finished product. I just changed them to very low resolution images. I compress them for the web with photoshop so someone can try to print it but it's going to look terrible. Also, I could remove a watermark if I wanted too with photoshop, so I don't think its all that protective anyways.

[PithAndRootStudio]

I always thought it looked tacky and I know I've decided against featuring items in my treasuries because they had a big ol' watermark on them. As was already mentioned here, determined thieves can take the watermark off anyway. My paintings are so detailed and I use low-res images, so I don't worry about it too much. The images online are nothing compared to the real thing.

[Former_Member]

I only sell original art as it is now, though I am considering making prints of a piece I am currently drawing for myself... So it was never a big threat to me sice my target customers are looking for an original piece, and most of them have integrity. I get random people all over asking me if they may tattoo a drawing I made on their body. They don't HAVE to ask, it is so nice for them to, though. I appreciate it so much.

[PithAndRootStudio]

I agree! Isn't it funny, though, how unexpected it is when someone asks permission? Lol. It seems like visual artists are a lot more willing to let someone copy or imitate our work... I guess because we have an altruistic (and possibly selfish) desire to just have our work out there, making people happy, and to feed into collective creative forces... I don't make art that would make good tattoos, but if I did, I think I'd be honored if someone wanted to use the design. :)

[Former_Member]

" and to feed into collective creative forces.."

THIS especially.
I feel like anything I create is not really my own since I seem to pull my creative force out of the collective unconscious and we are all connected anyway. My art is not my own, it's for all of us and for me to share.