Circus Posterus Discussion Forum

I think that is a good point. I am the first to say I am pretty ignorant on the history of steampunk although I do love the style. But when you introduce it into the art-toy world Dok has dibs on the style. I know that seems childish to say but that is the way things work in the world.

I totally agree that there are many pieces out there that are heavily influenced by Doktor A's work. Some definitely rise to the level of intellectual property theft. But unfortunately, without patents, one's legal recourse is limited.

And I agree with AU, collectors need to make themselves familiar with artists before rewarding those who don't deserve it. As for me, I haven't seen anything "Steampunk" that rises to the zenith of creativity and execution that Doktor A epitomizes in every one of his custom and production pieces. If it's any consolation, Doktor A, everything else out there that can be classified as "Steampunk" is a Yugo to your Rolls Royce. I am proof it doesn't take a genius to differentiate.

Keep doing what you do and let the others fall by the wayside, as they are bound to do. Your work and reputation will endure for a long, long time after the wannabes and copycats have faded from our memories.

Doktor A, you are the undisputed Steampunk God!!

I agree with you Floyd to an extent. Is Dok A the man when it comes to the use of steampunk in the designer toy world? YES! Does he have dibs on the style? No... There is no wany any one person should have "dibs" on a complete genre/style of art regardless of how small the demographic is, (and although I dont know Dok A I'd like to think he'd agree)

omg i love/hate Return to OZ! Love the movie now...scared the shit out of me when i was a kid...those wheelies are nightmare material

i love tick tock, he was the first thing i thought of when seeing Dok's work, and why i immediately loved it so much

as far as the rip off topic...i feel this potato head figure is about as close as you can get without it being a rip off...it def carries a Dok A theme, but nowhere close to his 'style' if u know what i mean

I think there is also a difference between someone making money by ripping someone else off and hobbyists who are doing things for their own personal enjoyment and showing it off. I mean the girl with the potato head said that it was just for a craft swap. It's not like she was trying to sell it.

I will freely admit that my sketchbook also has plenty of exact copies (or as close as my skills will allow ) of Mark Ryden's work or Travis Louie's work or my latest is the Girl With a Pearl Earring by Vermeer in an attempt to improve my portrait drawing skills. I've posted the latest on my blog just to show off to my friends. I've been wanting to play around with toy customization and will freely admit that I may try and copy things I've seen just to try and figure out a technique or see if I can replicate something I really like. I might even post pictures on my blog. These things would be just for me, just to prove to myself that I can do it. I would never try and make money off someone else's work, but would people consider it wrong for me to post pictures of that kind of thing? Even if I clearly state what I'm doing?

Sorry to go on like this. I just wouldn't want to offend any of these artists that I really admire because of something I'm doing for fun.

To be quite honest I don't this looks anything like what Doktor A does. And by that I do mean that his customs are just brilliant. I am indeed a huge fan of his work and honestly I don't even think my stuff comes close to being on his level. But it seems as though you guys are going out of your way to find Steampunk art that has some similar elements as Dok A's stuff. Goggles, rivets, emerald eyes, handlebar mustache, copper/bronze, gears, wind-up keys, suits, pocket watches...it's all been in this Steampunk/Neo-victorian genre for years. Tik-Tok is a great example, he's been around since 1907. Yet if that movie came out today, I have no doubt that you guys would be saying that they ripped of Dok A's work.

Please can we let this dye? All I've been hearing lately is about how someone ripped off someone else style. If you enjoy the art then do so, if not then move along to something you enjoy.

In his case I wouldnt say it was a rip off.
The eye is similar and it has a moustache but thats about it.
Reading up on it I doubt the person who made it is even aware of my work (maybe only to the extent of the result of a Google image search) and certainly doesnt seem to be trying to cash in on it.
Coincidence this time I would say.
Slightly annoying though as Boing Boing never seem interested in running my stuff..

And seeing Tik Tok from Return to Oz now, its freightening how much some of my stuff looks like him. I loved the film when it came out but havent seen it for years.
Some things stick in your subconcious more than you believe I guess.

As far as cornering the market in a style in a particular scene goes. I dont beleive I have the right to claim Steampunk in the art toy scene and dont try to. There are many ways of using that genre without it looking like my work.
Its the same for other genres too.
E.G. the couldnt do an art toy with a skull and crossed bones head and X eyes without people shouting Kaws even though those elements existed before he used them. He doesnt own them but he has become associated with them on an intrinsic level.
It's a fine line.

I don't think that this is a witch-hunt - this type of debate is just what the forums are for. I personally think it's a very interesting topic and Dok's right, there is a fine line, and I think different people draw that line in different places, hence everybody's varying opinions. All of which are perfectly valid and very interesting in my opinion.

I agree with the above point that no one should have dibs on the "steampunk style" but what I was saying is that if you're an artist who is interested in breaking into the art toy world and want to use a steampunky style (or any style for that matter) then you should just be aware, and sensitive to, the work that has been done previously by other artists within that particular field. It's like Dok said above: "There are many ways of using (a particular) genre without it looking like (other people's) work."

There is definitely a fine line. I was looking over some of the Munny munth contest entries and there were plenty of steampunk designs out there, none of which I would say infringe on Dok's style. These are both great examples....



It is all how you present it. Many if not all artist are influenced by other artists and I think there is far to much accusation going around these days. Artist do however have the right to protect their intellectual property and call out those they think might be too close.