Inktober Book Plagerism Accusations

xin li · 1 Sept 2020, 10:08

@Nyrryl-Cadiz just keep drawing, just keep drawing...

Nyrryl Cadiz · 1 Sept 2020, 10:41

@xin-li haha thanks

StudioHannah · 1 Sept 2020, 13:50

I came here looking for some sane conversation, and found it! Thank you! I've been upset about this whole thing, because I really like Jake, and I respect Alphonso, so it's sad seeing these accusations unfold and cause so much anger in the art community. It will end eventually - everything does - and I hope it ends well. I hope. Still, there are going to be people who irrevocably dislike Jake and boycott Inktober no matter what happens. Alphonso probably did more damage than he realized.

I also made a video about this that I hope is ok to share here. I want to be fair to both artists, though I do have a definite bias toward Jake because of how long I've been lurking around YouTube and SVS. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GCWSBuTKPs&lc=Ugz3ffqfJk67EKJMTkJ4AaABAg

Thanks for making this thread, Lee. I hope Jake sees all the love he's getting in here.

carrieannebrown · 1 Sept 2020, 15:52

@Nyrryl-Cadiz it's genuinely stressing me out too! I'm worried about being in the public eye in the future now. I tried deleting my social media apps to stay out of it but it didn't last long . I don't want to argue with strangers on Instagram but some of the comments really wind me up!

Nyrryl Cadiz · 1 Sept 2020, 15:55

@carrieannebrown I TOTALLY AGREE! It's frustrating

danielerossi · 1 Sept 2020, 19:56

@StudioHannah Just a side note: I came across your video a few days ago and enjoyed it very much. Not only did you raise excellent points. I got curious and watched your Inktober one. I’m still laughing at “you insult me, you insult my dog!”

George Broussard · 1 Sept 2020, 22:22

@StudioHannah said in Inktober Book Plagerism Accusations:

I also made a video about this that I hope is ok to share here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GCWSBuTKPs&lc=Ugz3ffqfJk67EKJMTkJ4AaABAg

Good video.

It's going to now ultimately come down to Chronicle lawyers looking over both books and rendering a decision. That's just how it's going to go. They may well want to change some pages. If they delay and change pages this will hurt Jake. If they cancel the book this will hurt Jake (likely being responsible for paying back advances).

Suing people takes a lot of money. I doubt Jake or Alphonso either one will initiate action on the other one, themselves. You can vaporize 100k in no time.

I still think Dunn acted rashly and caused damage to Jake's reputation and even monetary damages with potentially unfounded accusations.

Jake either blatantly copied the book. Unlikely as he knows what would happen and there's no history of anything unethical in his past.
Jake got lazy and when writing it flipped through some books for "what are good textures to put on these cubes?". That's not even lazy. That's essentially research and inspiration and there are 100's of sources online or in books of textured material forms.

I think you have to give Jake the benefit of the doubt here. He's a pro, he has a high profile and he full well knows what accusations like this can do to a career. He's not stupid enough to willfully do this or even be lazy enough to do it. I'm sure nobody ever thought anyone would care about some textured cubed or value charts etc. It's silly to even consider it.

As it is, Chronicle and Jake have little choice but to fight. Chronicle may throw their hands up and just say "not our fault" leaving Jake holding an expensive bag, legally.

So it comes down to how Chronicle reacts. Will they stand behind the book and Jake or not? All we can do is wait to see their response.

John Roberson · 2 Sept 2020, 05:54

Omg thank you! I just discovered this video today and at first I thought it was just a clickbait title having followed both artists for some time. But then I started watching. Dunn seemed so adamant in his accusations and the people in the comments seemed to mostly agree wholeheartedly. But I just couldn’t see it. It’s been on my mind all day.

Everything he was pointing out was stuff that I’ve seen or heard repeated over and over at various points in my art education. And Jake’s layouts, while perhaps a bit derivative in a broader sense, seemed different enough from Dunn’s...at least from a layout and design standpoint. I watched it 3 or 4 different times and kept pausing it at certain points trying to understand. Every time Dunn would point something out it just felt to me like he was claiming ownership of the art fundamentals themselves rather than outlining clear examples of outright plagiarism.

And sooo many people seem to be supporting his accusations without question. Beyond just empathizing with how Jake must be feeling, the implications of how Dunn handled this and the arguments being presented leaves me feeling very unsettled. By what it means for art education and for the overall art community. And it’s part of a larger unease I feel about our current cultural climate and how we address conflict on a fundamental level. But seeing that at least some people were feeling the same gives me some solace.

Julia · 2 Sept 2020, 16:02

@Coreyartus don't appologize! I am the one who owe you an appology if I made you (or anyone else) uneasy!

You did make reference to the imperfection of your statistics in your first post due to the random and small sample of the profiles you looked at. You did a great job and you are maybe right! There might be a trend... but we don't know for sure. I am quite sensitive to generalisation and I thought, if someone young comes and read that thread, s/he may have a misrepresentation of the inclusive spirit on the forum!

Let me tell you a personal anecdote : I was born and educated in the French countryside. In France, American movies used to be dubbed and titles translated from English to French (for exemple, Die Hard became "Piège de cristal" litterally "the crystal trap" in reference of the glass building where most of the movie is shot). Once a famous and trendy Parisian journalist explained on TV that movies were not played in English and subtitled (as opposed to dubbing) because the French people in the countryside don't understand English. I was a teenager and I was learning English at school like anyone else of my age in France. And yes, my understanding was not perfect. And yes, in the countryside we don't have an easy access to culture (to museums, or even sometimes to movie theaters). But this journalist had sarcasm in his voice and made me feel dumb. It may seem silly but it hurt me. Since then, I have always been careful to treat people equally and I am mindful of generalisation. My motto is Socrate's famous quote : I know that I know nothing!

I hope you (and others) didn't feel attacked, that was not the purpose of my post.

I read here and there that people feel stressed. I am sorry to read this and I am glad we have a safe place to discuss the topic and release the anxiaty. I too empathise with Jake, whose level of stress must be up to the roof.

Joey Wall · 2 Sept 2020, 11:34

If nobody gets sued, it will work out
good for both parties i think.

No such thing as bad publicity, ill buy both books now but had no plans too

Shyam Sailus · 2 Sept 2020, 13:33

@Lee-White Hi Guys, a friend of Mr Jake Parker from India named Kesh Posted a Video titled "My Thoughts on the 'Inktober' Controversy" in his youtube channel check this out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdCffP8BBg8

Geoffrey Gordon · 2 Sept 2020, 14:35

@Shyam-Sailus Just finish watching his thoughts..... I really like Kesh, someone I have found really approachable. He has a really balanced explanation that is fair and accurate. I love how he explains the mob and individual opinion contrast and why we need all the facts.

Personally I am behind Jake parker all the way, yes I am picking aside. To quote from Smallville Lex Luthor says "A person isn't who they are during the last conversation you had with them - they're who they've been throughout your whole relationship." - by Rainer Maria Rilke. Yes I love this show. Jake cannot be suddenly evil when his character has been kind and giving all along.

Its funny though... the more famous you become the more people tend to despise you too," its kind of a tear someone else down to make yourself feel better about your own mediocre life" syndrome. Why cant people just be happy for others. I believe we all blossom at the right time for us in our lives sometimes its sooner sometimes it's later.

On a side note, I have bought a few of his classes ...He currently is running a drawing camp 14 modules covering foundations, design, and creation. I got it at a steal of $55. https://www.keshart.in/drawing-camp1 I share it because his courses are really cheap but packed with good value for those who have not purchased art lessons.

Svslearn is great but I have found spreading my education between Udemy , Skillshare, 21 draw, Keshart, Mitch Leeuwe and a few other places help broaden your understanding when you see art taught from different viewpoints.

That's my rant on the situation, figured its probably safest here.

Ps @Jake-Parker I hope you are doing okay and this works out soon for you. You have my support.

Joanne Roberts · 2 Sept 2020, 14:42

@Lee-White When all the dust settles and the time is appropriate, maybe a similar topic could be featured on Three-Point perspective on how to handle negative feedback on social media, professional courtesy, or online rights, and of course what to do when you think your copyright is being infringed upon (or vice versa). Thanks for taking my suggestion into consideration. By the way, thanks for taking care of this tough thread with such grace and level-headedness for your friend and colleague at a time when he needs it most. You are leading by example and it is much appreciated.

Lee White · 2 Sept 2020, 14:59

@Joanne-Roberts Thanks! It's a tricky area for sure! I think that would make a great podcast. Maybe VERY far in the future! : )

Pamela Fraley · 2 Sept 2020, 23:08

@NessIllustration you’re right. There won’t be any fixing this for some people. If Jake does have a case for slander and defamation etc, I hope he pushes for Alphonso taking down the video and posting a new one (linked to all of his social media accounts) detailing exactly how Jake’s book is not a plagiarism of his book. If Alphonso is wrong, he should publicly apologize, admit he jumped the gun, and recognize how destructive it is to respond emotionally on the internet, especially when you have a following as big as his. I don't doubt that a lot of people will still see it all the way they want to. But, Someone needs to try to help people learn something from all of this about the cancel culture of the internet. And about Generally seeing people in one dimension.

VeronicaMui · 2 Sept 2020, 23:57

@hakepe I feel the same.. even if he had a real issue he went about it in completely the wrong way - gave no opportunity for a discussion with the artist and just went straight to blasting loudly on the internet. It really made me angry considering the trend to ‘cancel’ people online - no consideration for the possible repercussions of his actions in the case that Mr. Parker is found at no fault (and I do believe he is at no fault)

3 Sept 2020, 00:43

This post is deleted!

xin li · 3 Sept 2020, 08:53

@Shyam-Sailus thank you for sharing the video by Kesh. I really appreciate his message towards the end of the video To quote him here:
"People make mistakes. Does not matter who make mistakes. If any one of them came out to be right, I really hope you forgive the other person. Because we all make mistakes."

dickdavid · 3 Sept 2020, 18:25

Personally, as it's been articulated here, I feel accuser has made an unwarranted proprietary claim on basic fundamentals of art that have been published over and over for years.

I've been trying to hold back my opinions (on social networks) and let the lawyers and copyright specialists work this out. I feel that this is clearly a situation about different points-of-view. The problem with sharing accusations like that online, is how quickly the information, especially the wrong information, gets spread and trolled through social media. It's the game of telephone, but with severe consequences.

For example, I posted the 2020 Inktober prompt list on my personal IG account, and one of my 'friends' posted this:

"Unfortunately the man who runs Inktober plagiarized a black artist in his book AND sued successful artists participating in this event for money. I won’t be participating this year."

I gave her clarification, but I feel the damage has been done AND on a larger scale.

NessIllustration · 3 Sept 2020, 18:34

@dickdavid Exactly, people are getting their facts SO wrong and rushing to cancel a human being and Inktober over half-baked assumptions. It's maddening to see this unfold, and it's really scary to see how precarious all of our careers are. We're all one misunderstanding away from losing it all.