For many mixed media artists, one image is the inspiration for an entire piece. However, if that image is copyrighted, the work that was created using it cannot be sold without violating copyright laws. Finding public-domain sources for images can be a challenge if the artist doesn't know where to look, but being able to sell mixed media work without worrying about whether or not it is in violation of copyright makes the extra work worthwhile.
Dover Publications Permission Free Clip Art
For artists who alter work drastically, Dover Publications is an excellent image source. There are many different image collections in Dover's permission-free art section and the use policy is quite liberal. However, because these collections are so well marketed and affordable, the images tend to become a bit stale if artists are using them in pieces that don't involve major image manipulation.
Free Stock Photo Sites
There are quite a few free stock photo sites with thousands of images on them. Usually, the images are being offered for use by amateur photographers who want to share their work with the rest of the world. There can be some problems, though.
- Model releases are rare for photos of people. This makes using a person's photo as the basis for a piece somewhat risky.
- The subject matter provided is somewhat limited.
- Lighting and composition quality are sometimes not as good as that of paid stock photo sites.
Some of the most popular free stock photo sites are Stock Exchange and MorgueFile.
Paid Stock Photo Sites
Paid stock photo sites are very similar to free stock photo sites in many ways. However, they do require model releases before accepting photos for sale and often have very high standards for work they accept. The subject range is much wider, as well. While some stock photo sites are extremely pricey, there are many sites that offer photos to be downloaded for less than five dollars.
Getty Images, Istockphoto and Dreamstime are a few of the better known paid stock photo sites.
Photo Sharing Sites
Sites that share photos under Creative Commons licensing are another good option for finding images for use in mixed media art. Flickr.com is probably the largest photo sharing site and has several active communities of artists who post photos and images to be used in other artists' works. A quick search for "Public Domain" in Flickr's groups offers 91 results.
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