So far, here are 31 compilations of the photos\images that “crafters” have sorted.
Update: Merlin joins the list as images hit 45.
Copyright War: While some crafters’ who bought Sheena Douglass’ stamps are set to return the stamps for refunds, many artist who Sheena Douglass allegedly used their images/ photos are coming out and here are the compilation of the alleged images side by side with Sheena Douglass’ stamps
Oh these are only some of the images that have been copied. So far over 40 have been found.
Houchanda & Crafters Companion are selling Sheena,s samps this afternoon 3 .2.2019 at 2 pm. Does that give us an Angel Policy?.
I believe it is every stamp, die and stencil that needs to be investigated to determine the copyright owner. The number of found images is rising daily.
Such a shame. She is such a lovely lady, and gives so much pleasure to her fans.
I know ignorance is bliss, but maybe someone aught to have made sure about copyrights at the beginning instead of waiting for it to go ape..(did no one ask where her ideas came from?)
I am sure its all innocent on Sheena’s side, and hope the public won’t be too hard on her, as those on the internet are apt to be.. as they can hide behind the web mask and say what they like with no come backs.
Sorry – she’s been found out!
I know she stole images from an artist way before her days at CC. Just remember you don’t really know someone and how low they will stoop!
How can it be ‘all innocent on Sheena’s side’, when she herself has claimed to hand-draw ALL these images. I wish no ill-will to the lady but she’s proven to be nothing but a liar!
I disagree that Sheena is innocent in this , SHE was the one who copied images from here there and everywhere then claimed them as her own.
Not only is the blatant copyright theft but it casts doubt over all the artists that create stamps, stencils.
She is a disgrace to the industry, you cant accidently copy someone else’s work , she should have learnt that at school ffs
whether it is copyright theft entirely depends on the terms and conditions of the original image; at least some of above look like they are public domain ie ancient photos, know I was accused of using somebody elses work in a cutting file once and I couldn’t seem to get through to the accuser that the shape of a teddy bear was public domain.. accuser cited a stencil maker online like it was their design when stencil maker had used a public domain image just like I did and was probably used by hundreds of other people legitimately because its public domain.. not saying that is the case with all of sheenas but it would be up to the copyright owner to complain IF it goes against their terms and conditions, just saying as some people seem to take an absolute delight in tearing someone down given a chance, know same thing was done with stephanie weightman few years back based on a dubious interpretation of the facts, but that didn’t stop them
Ancient photos are not necessarily copyright free. For instance, the Bodleian Library reproduces and sells images from its extensive collection. They can do so because the image is either out of copyright, or pre-copyright having been produced before The Statute of Anne (Copyright Act 1710). However, the copyright of the resultant reproduction then belongs to the Bodleain and cannot be copied, no matter how old and out of copyright the original is.
The problem is, they are traced. Almost every one of hers can be laid over the original, and it matches. That’s not cool, no matter how you look at it.
It is doubtful they are traced it looks more like it has been done using photo editing software that has a function which turns a photo into a drawing. If you look closely you can see that details match exactly. I’ve seen overlays and they show that it is more than likely that is the case.
In this case these stamps were claimed to be hand drawn and designed by her neither were true as it has been shown these were digitally traced. Retrospective permission was alkegedly saught by crafters companion for some of the images but customers have no proof of this and were only offered refunds for one stamp and only to those who asked or may have access to internet. There are still many crafters using stamps with images that sheena and cc did not get permission for
I don’t understand this. It’s obvious that she has drawn these images from a photograph. Does this mean you aren’t allowed to draw freehand images of photographs. If so every artist student who uses photos from magazines Internet etc is guilty too. If they are hand drawn surely it his her work.
She has not drawn the stamp designs by hand she uses computer software to trace them all then gets them made into a stamp. All her new ones on create and craft have been proven with overlays to be computer traced. I can do it, you can and so can anyone with a computer. No one needs to be an artist to do it. They are not hand drawn at all. She pulling the con again and its disgusting.
Hand drawing for practicing or learning is not a crime as long you don’t claim it is an original of your own creation, nor sell the reproduction as your own creation.
A little unfair to cite all of these images as being unlawfully ‘borrowed’. I am thinking particularly of the locomotive, and various buildings. While I would agree that some of the others are somewhat dodgy, but not all of them are.
What I find the most fascinating is that the on the surface camaraderie of crafters is soon superceded by an absolute vindictive delight in dragging people down as soon as blood is smelt, not by the professionals, but by a certain section of the so called craft community; demanding refunds on the stamps etc is petty as far as I’m concerned and whatever sheena may or may not if done, think this whole thing reveals more about the heart of some crafters than Sheena, and tbh find that more disturbing than anything..
I’m not demanding a refund, I’ll just stop using the stamps. I’m not dragging her down: she’s done that all by herself by her fraud and deceit. I’ve always loved watching Sheena’s shows and, frankly, I feel betrayed.
No vindictive delight just a lot of stunned incredulity at the way she thought she could get away with it. I really like watching her demonstrations on YouTube etc and have learned a lot but will look at them with different eyes now.
The only person to blame is Sheena, I do not believe that she did not know what she was doing or that she made a “mistake” in using the wrong “inspiration”. Sheena has dragged herself down and she managed to do that without any help from anyone else. After all her time in the industry, 15 years I think, to claim she didn’t know that lifting the work of other artists and photographers without permission was a no-no just beggars belief.
I’m unsure why you would think that asking for a refund is petty, especially for those of us who bought many of her stamps to make cards etc to sell. My understanding now is that my knowing or having reason to believe that the stamp I’m using on the card may be breaching someone else’s copyright means I would be committing an offence.
Clive Couter Sorry but requesting a refund is hardly petty when hundreds of pounds are involved on something that now cannot be used.
Do not think its a case of cannot be used; doubt if selling a few cards at a craft fare or fete would warrant bus fare of the copyright police.. it is possible that sheena subscribed to photo/graphics website of which there are many and paid a subscription to use stuff for inspiration and there is also copyright conditions sometimes where adding extra value as opposed to selling something as is, as your own work is permissible.. I don’t know the ins and outs of sheenas use, but given that crafters companion have said they will try and get retrospective permission to use if necessary (ie permission may not be necessary in all cases in the examples given above anyways).. Just think the whole thing is an over reaction, I personally would forgive her.. her career has been compromised and yes she did bring it on herself, but everyone seems to think they know whats what in every case above using google image search algorithm like a modern witch hunt; she didn’t kill anyone for goodness sake.. to err is human, to forgive is divine, i do not profess to be divine but i forgive her, lifes too short for mob mentality, theres enough of it around already driven my inaccurate social media news masquerading as fact
it’s EXACTLY that, the stamps cannot be used because even the innocent buyer is in breach of copyright if they use them. She did not subscribe to websites she admits she doesn’t know where she got them from.You are wrong that adding something exempts you regardless of whether you are selling. If you copy a design by any means whatever then you may not even give it away, you are breaching copyright .Why the sympathy for her? She did wrong, knows it got caught. Where’s the sympathy for those who spent hundreds of pounds & now cannot use the stamps.?
Do you think Sheena cared while she laughed all the way to the bank over 10 years? I think not
At the end of the day she has done wrong! It’s that simple. If any of you think she hasn’t really need to give your head a wobble.
If someone burgled your home, would you suck up to them. No you would be upset and angry.And would call the police.
I for one am glad that the crafters who care for crafters have brought this to light. Well done!!!
Clive, once you know an image is copyright you cannot legally use it unless you have paid for a license or have written permission from the owner. Please do read copyright law.It is very specific & strict.
agree eg cat image above available online for USE with fee of £1.90 https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/diluted-calico-cat-sitting-on-fence-63839575?src=9mNC9owRdf1St8s7CFAknw-1-21
another (victorian image of girl with holly) link to public domain images scroll down to find same image that is free for any commercial use https://www.artsybeedigital.com/christmas-greeting-cards-vintage.html
Royalty free commercial use https://www.pickpik.com/pint-ship-california-bay-water-ocean-6298
could go on but think point made
Royalty free commercial use https://www.pickpik.com/pint-ship-california-bay-water-ocean-6298
could go on but think point made
Extended license/s for derivative works such as photo to lineart and manufactured onto ‘merchandise’ (stamps et al) would be required from Shutterstock which start from £285 (ex. VAT). Subsequently, any derivative works cannot claim copyright, the copyright remains with the original creator.
Pickpik appears to be a questionable source as no contact info is supplied and Terms are ambiguous and shallow.
Arts by Design is another questionable source. Their Terms state (snip) “As far as I could determine these are Royalty Free Images but I can not guarantee it.”
Replying to Anonymous – Extended licences are £285 for 5 images – yes 5 images that works out at £57 each. Copyright will always remain with the original creator no matter where images are sourced from – that is what an extended licence is – to be able to use the image to make merchandise not to buy sole copyright.
The same images are available on many other image sourcing sites for example – iStock, Dreamstime, 123rf, Vectorstock, Depositphotos – the same vendors sell them across many platforms. Different sites sell the extended licenses at varing prices and sometimes different terms, I found the same image with a full extended licence anywhere between £45 and £110.
whatever the ins and outs of individual images would bet that at least some of them are not copyright theft.. the picture of the car as far as I can find with google image search is from a car sales website and its a car, all makes of same car look the same.. before throwing the kitchen sink at someone, with all the dishes in, think it would be more responsible to know for sure the facts of every case; if sheena was lazy in the way she went about sourcing stuff without checking her responsibilities, think insinuating that all stuff above is beyond doubt illegal is lazy in itself, but doesn’t make such a good story, and as well as copyright theft there is such a thing as slander, just saying! whats good enough for the goose is good enough for the gander, and two wrongs do not make a right either. will leave other people to decide if any of us are qualified to be judge and jury; bring on the ducking stool, yay
I have watched Sheena Douglass on TV sell her stamps, dies etc for many, many years and bought some of her items.
It has always been stated that Sheena Douglass had ‘hand-drawn’ the images, which I personally thought meant, came from her imagination and not copied from any other images or sources, and I am certain that I am not the only one who was taken in by this. Even on Crafter’s Companion Website, (to date) it states that Sheena Douglass’ items are hand-drawn, therefore implying that they are all her own work!! (which is not true). The title of her products is ‘Sheena by Sheena Douglass’ which once again implies that it is all her own work!!
Whilst it is important that no copyright is infringed, I also think that when you purchase something that you are given to believe is Sheena Douglass’ work alone, and you find out that not the case, you lose trust in that person and product.
She stood in front of TV cameras and the public at craft shows etc, for many years, and said that she had hand drawn these images, but that was an exaggeration of the truth; she had copied the images and then manipulated them by adding or removing some aspects of the original image and she didn’t even give an acknowledgement on her products to those whose images they were, whether they were copywritten or not(!), therefore implying that it was ALL her work!!
Even if she returns, (having taken a step back from everything), once all of this has died down, I wouldn’t trust a word that she said!!
There are many, many crafters who have bought her products, which she will have made money from, by deceit.
Some of these crafters have made cards etc, using her products, to help raise funds for charities; Sheena Douglass’ actions have far reaching consequences!
just for the record, don’t have any problem with previous posters comments. I do appreciate it doesn’t make up for feeling deceived but following is excerpt from a message from Sara at Crafters Companion on her facebook page assuring crafters about the use and continuing use of sheenas stamps..
“In the meantime, we are working closely with Sheena to fully understand the protection on the images in question, and are reaching out to any image-holders to gain retrospective authority to use these images under their agreement. This will ensure that these products will be fully covered by our Fair Usage Policy, and will allow our customers to continue to use them in the same way as all of our others.”
Clive do you think that customers believed that statement because one of the photographers had to tell them once again they didnot have permission as they had ignored him previously. And yes his image is still being used by many crafters and he has not had a penny!
It’s simple, where there is deceit there is no trust.
They are all questionable and no mention of giving the original artist any credit. We now know they are not hand drawn. Have seen my Kingfisher stamp in a photo and it is exactly the same. Found it on shutter. Trust will have gone. It has gone.
CC took a lot of Sheena’s stamps off their website, but some have now reappeared. Many are from one of the commercial images sites, so I’m guesing CC have paid the commercial licence. I wonder whether they came clean about the images having been used already!
The descriptions of these stamps still say “hand drawn by…”
The hare image is also copied from a photo. This is theft on a large scale. No one will be buying any of her items now we know. Cannot understand folk sticking up for her. She is finished. It’s time Crafters Companion removed her items. It does not matter if you find a free image or photo. She said they are all hand drawn and that is a lie.
She is not finished, she’s back on create and craft from tomorrow. Beggars belief.
Yes she came back AND did exactly the same again, said all hand drawn then a group on FB proved it was all a lie by finding the images and overlaying the stamp on top and it was a perfect digital computer trace OH boy she has NO shame. She lied the first time, had a break came back and is doing it all over again. Disgusting is what it is.
Exactly. I for one won’t be buying anymore Sheena items, she told a barefaced lie & I don’t like being LIED to. I asumme those who are sticking up for her do so because they either don’t get it or are happy to be lied too.
grow up, Have you never made a mistake you can tell she feels bad about what she has done your not a crafter, crafter’s are kind.
Yes she came back AND did exactly the same again, said all hand drawn then a group on FB proved it was all a lie by finding the images and overlaying the stamp on top and it was a perfect digital computer trace OH boy she has NO shame. She lied the first time, had a break came back and is doing it all over again. Disgusting is what it is. Do you think she has good morals and is a good person… does a good person perform a con then have a break and come back and do it all again.. NO a good person does NOT obtain money by false pretenses.
Whatever the history on this matter, I just feel so sad when I read some of these comments that are so vitriolic and nasty, and I am reminded if the phrase, ‘let him who is without sin cast the first stone’. How many crafters have closed their eyes to honesty and bought ‘unbranded dies’ or ‘unbranded stamp sets’ from UK sellers on well known auction sites such as eBay, or directly from China (Ali express)? Many unscrupulous sales people now have whole companies in the UK selling the dies and stamps they have bought from China in the full knowledge that they are copies of dies and stamps originally designed by authentic companies in the west. They even have the cheek to use the proper companies’ design team samples to advertise them. Don’t let anyone kid themselves that they are just shopping for a bargain, no, they are buying stolen stamp images and dies which have been lifted from internet pictures and reproduced using inferior metal and acrylic. Every purchase from these counterfeiters is a direct theft from the original artist and reduces their lawful income. OK, so this is off at a tangent from the original thread but I just wanted to raise awareness that copyright issues and investigations are rife in our industry at the moment. Sheena has a very high profile and is directly in the public eye, but before we get personal and so angry using words that we would probably never use to someone’s face, let the investigations be completed and as we maybe don’t have all the facts, remember that we should be seeing people as innocent until proved guilty.
This is an excellent point.
Thank you for making it.
I buy a particular us brand of stamps and actually check each purchase to make sure it isnt a copy. Even asked the company who their genuine distributors are. I dont think anyone is enjoying calling sheena out, its genuine shock. If you are in business it is your duty of care to understand the law that applies to you. Many posting here in defence of sheena dont appear to understand copyright law, but she should have made it her business to comply with it. There is no excuse at all.
Yes! Thank you. This is the point ladies and gentlemen – Business ethics 101!
I have alot of her stamps will I be in trouble if I use them
I’m sick of people defending Sheena. She ADMITS she took the images & cannot recall where from. She ADMITS she uses computer programmes for designs. Some of the designs have not been traced to discover who is the rightful owner. As for the statement from Sara Davies it is a lie to say that contacted all the owners of the images.They have NOT . Those that have been contacted have not all given permission.Fair Usage Policy does not cover this situation! They can NOT give their permission for something they do not themselves have permission for ! In addition even if they obtain retro permission that only covers images used from the date the permission was given NOT for prior use ! Copyright law is extremely explicit & strict. Everyone should read it
grow up, Have you never made a mistake you can tell she feels bad about what she has done your not a crafter, crafter’s are kind.
Yes she came back AND did exactly the same again, said all hand drawn then a group on FB proved it was all a lie by finding the images and overlaying the stamp on top and it was a perfect digital computer trace OH boy she has NO shame. She lied the first time, had a break came back and is doing it all over again. Disgusting is what it is. Do you think she has good morals and is a good person… does a good person perform a con then have a break and come back and do it all again.. NO a good person does NOT obtain money by false pretenses.
Miss or Mr anonymous why not put your name like everyone else instead of hiding behind anonymous!!!! Why are full of hate and bitterness? This lady does not deserve this and we are not her judge and jury? Time will tell I am sure Sheena will do whatever the law says and pay her dues until then please leave the lady alone have you always done the write thing?
Nobody is perfect!
Let he (OR SHE) who is without sin cast the first stone as the Bible says; don’t you find religious people are the most eager to condemn and as I first said in my original post it is not what she’s done that disturbs me the most, although I do agree that she did do wrong, but the absolute delight that gaggles of newsgroup women in crafting world take in dragging other women down, it’s been prevelant in other cases as well.. a sort of band of sisters joined in their absolute resolution to spread the word…. of bitterness. happy Christmas
I think that ethical lectures from a represenattive of the crafting industry is unfortunate at best. The industry should get its own confused moral compass in order before it flings Bibles (or any other religious texts) at anyone.
Soltice Greetings for June 21st. 🙂
…or even Solstice Greetings! 😀
Such a shame I have many of her stamps but will use them as part of mixed media so that they will not be full reproductions and I will not sell on any of the work. I teach copy right law and digital graphics to my students so I am saddened that this has happened but not surprised as image copying is rife across the world. She should have considered taking photographs of her own and using those as a basis for her stamps then it would have genuinely been all her own original work.
I don’t see where the term hand drawn means that the drawings weren’t copied from photos. Was the term “original” used to describe the drawings? If not, she is not misrepresenting. What difference does it make if the drawings were copied from photos or real life scenes? I agree if she didn’t secure all of the licensing before producing the stamps, she did wrong. However, companies and websites sell art for others to use o create their own products for sale (as Clive points out). Hunkydory and Kanban Crafts both have used this type of stock art in their products. I have seen the same art for art used in some of their card kits on a stock art site. Yet, those companies allow you to make and sell whatever you create. Licensing grants the user the ability to use the art to create new products for sale. The purchaser, however , cannot resell the same art. Once the art or photo has been altered by the purchaser, the purchaser has the rights to whatever is produced. Obviously, licensing varies, but Sheena isn’t selling the original photos, she’s selling stamps she created. Also, I recently bought a stamp at a US stamp show. Later, I discovered it is the work of a famous commercial artist. I doubt this small stamp company bought the image because most of this artist’s work is commissioned and the image was created for someone else. Also, I have never seen this artist’s work used by anyone in the craft Industry and she is so famous, her work is most likely expensive and surely not available on stock websites. I think before all condemn and express outrage, there should be awareness of how things are in the world. There is permissible use of copyrighted art for commercial purposes… And there are many others who may be guilty of improper usage out there. Again, I’m not saying she’s guilt free, but I don’t think it deserves the venom and outrage some are expressing.
It is a complete myth that if you alter an image owned by someone else YOU will then own the altered image, and not be in breach of copyright. In fact it’s a myth so old I haven’t heard anyone state it as fact for more than 20 years.
People who have no knowledge of copyright law often state that if you change 10% (or more) of an image it then becomes yours. This is not true, and is a criminal offense. There are no grey areas (or loop holes) in copyright law – it has been around for a long time and in use since it’s conception, and like all laws that have been in use for such a long time, all loop holes have been closed. Licensing allows YOU to use an image, it does NOT allow you to sell it to others to use.
If you personally sell your work it is very important that you read at least an overview of copyright law, I recommend this as you are incorrect in all of your statements.
Sheena studied art at university. The first thing they teach you is the ins and outs of copyright law, it’s importance, and how it applies to you as an artist. Therefore, she knew it was wrong to copy the work of others and sell them, and also knew it is a criminal offense. Once might be a mistake, twice (or much more as in this case) is a choice.
Just out of curiosity, as an artist who has never bought any of Sheena’s products, do the people excusing Sheena’s behavior believe that anyone who can act ‘nice’ whilst on TV should be exempt from the law, or is it just Sheena to whom the law shouldn’t apply? If there is one thing people should have learnt in recent years its that the ability to act nice on TV does not mean a person is nice in real life, after all.
Please note that there is no nastiness, or ‘delighted venom,’ in my post.
Also, to those quoting the Bible to defend Sheena; random, cherry-picked Bible quotes aren’t a defense, nor should they be used to excuse repeated bad behaviour, especially as the Bible threats theft as a very serious offense (copyright infringement is legally a form of theft). Its even one of the Ten Commandments, which Jesus himself stated we should abide by when he was talking about the teachings laid out in what we now call ‘The Old Testament.’
Finally, it is basic human nature to be shocked, appalled and even angered when people feel misled and have been lied to. It is part of the normal psychological make-up of humans. You can not deny people the right to be angered when they have spent their money on products that, by law, can not be used and are Unfit For Purpose under basic Statutory Rights. But anger and cruelty are NOT the same thing, and it is not fair to deliberately conflate the two as a reason to dismiss the thoughts and feelings of others.
I totally agree with everything you have said I could not have put it in words better. Thank you for posting that
Thank you Grace, well said.
My best friend, sadly departed, used to work with Sheena and she fell out with her because she regularly used her techniques but claimed them as her own. I’ve seen her demos and she still does. She has finally been found out- I hope my friend is jumping for joy in heaven!
Having read the comments I agree she conned a lot of customers but I enjoyed watching her demos and learning from them. Tbh I don’t think she did any thing worse than a lot of people selling stamps and dies. She has provided a lot of pleasure and the only people who really have a gripe are the artists who didn’t market Thier pictures and Sheena has cleaned up. She won’t be the first or last and she certainly isn’t the only. No one forced any of you to buy her stamps or dies so she added the sale. A lot of people have done far worse without giving the pleasure . If you don’t buy the stamps that’s up to you but in this day and age she did what she did and made money the original artists didn’t is that really her fault.
Yes, of course it is her fault.
Let’s say that you have a garden full of beautiful flowers. You grew them, but don’t want to cut them. Someone else sees them, cuts them all, and sells them. The second person “did what [they] did and made money”, you didn’t. Your garden is now empty and you are upset. Whose fault is it that you are upset? Apparently, you think it is your own fault for growing the flowers and not selling them.
Yes, its called stealing!!!!