Critique Request Bird template, less funny name this time.

[Ghrrum]

So I'm restarting this as I didn't do my due diligence on the photo I used to derive my template, while I did end up using a creative commons image at the time I didn't know that and Sam rightly came down on me.
So now that that's resolved and I have his blessing I'm going to put the stuff and links here so we don't get confused.

I decided a cardinal would be a good complex figure I have no hope to capture correctly and got to work. Here's the picture I used to create the template:
(Sourced from https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/...cation/cardinals-allies/northern-cardinal.php )

It's under creative commons license

And here's the template I made to do it:


The idea down the line is to do a couple of 2" medallions with some other features unique to my region, cause why not?
Poke away at it and try your hand at one if you like. I made a PDF of the line art here if the png tries to resize:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1aEOMiUj0gq7co3AKRqYhK1V8sUgzM8FW

And SVG if you want to rescale for something else:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=11Ukb5BCu6ujUvdbIftVHADqzUgHXAkcz

What do you think? What can be changes and done better? (besides making sure that whatever I'm doing isn't going to step on someone's copyright).

 

[Goldjockey]

The only way you absolutely avoid copying someone else's work is to start your project with a clean sheet of paper. Absolutely blank. You start from scratch and draw from ideas, memory, and impression.

If you're lucky enough to have your own photo of whatever you're drawing, you can start with that, but you never (with emphasis) use someone else's work as a basis for whatever you're planning to sell.

If you're planning on creating a business from your work, it better be original, and if there is ever a question, you need to be able to show 'process work'.

Process work is a physical and temporal record of whatever you're creating (from scratch).

Without a clear record of your process work, you have no way to prove that what you created is original, and isn't a copy of whatever it is whomever is claiming damages against you published previous to your creative work.

If you've deliberately copied something that someone else created and copyrighted, e.g. a photo or drawing, or jewelry. or graphic design, or technical drawing, or really anything, the copyright owner may have you by the short and curlys with regard to 100's of thousands(or millions) of dollars in potential statutory damages.

This isn't legal advice. No way, no how! You need to hire a very expensive lawyer for that, and pay them lots of money to advise you. And, whether you're on the winning or losing side, you'll most likely pay for his or hers kid's private schools, braces, and Ivy League college educations.

Bottom line, start with a clean sheet of 'paper' (digital or otherwise) and document your work from start to finish.

https://www.ganoksin.com/ftp/rogers.pdf

 

[Chujybear]

Unless you are photographing Marlboro’s billboards

 

[Ghrrum]

Ain't disputing my screw up here at all, that's understood solidly Sam set me straight on it and I read a bit on it to get a much better idea on where I went wrong.

I am looking for technical feedback on the linework for the bird and what I can do differently.

 

[JJ Roberts]

I would encourage everyone to learn how to draw and get friendly with a Taxidermicst or go to a museum of natural history with many animals & birds to study & draw. J.J.

 

[Ghrrum]

Message received guys.