I have never let my students 'lift' images from day 1. And
I know my students work is not as 'strong' visually as
those art teachers that allow their students to 'lift'
images from everywhere (specifically magazines). I
personally think it is stronger, but when kids see other
kids' work at arts festivals get awards and those images
are lifted, it just verifies what I teach them...and that
is, as a society we are willing to settle for that which
is easier. I won't allow them to settle. I won't allow
them to be human zerox machines. They draw from life, or
they 'reference',which is to say they find images that
represents what they are looking for (i.e. looking for
pictures of an elephant), and create an elephant from
scratch based on what characteristics an elephant has from
those references. It's hard work, and yes, it is an
academic exercise...but it's truer than plagerism, which
to me is false in the Shakespearean way. "Heaven truly
knows that thou art false as hell" Othello.
