I've been ripped off. again.

Pictured is the mermaid tail created off of my original mermaid tail design.

There it is in all of its hellish glory... the latest rip off in a long line of rip offs of my artwork that I've seen over the years. 😞

This one was particularly crushing because it was a custom one-of-a-kind creation and the client hasn't even opened their package yet (they are waiting to do something special with their unboxing).

I've chosen not to share the company responsible for this atrocity because frankly they don't deserver any attention for this.

I'll also point out that I wasn't the only one ripped off. Merbella, Finfolk, Moonsong Magic, Mertailor, Abiitails, and even individuals in our community who I've seen work hard to create their own one-off designs for themselves have been ripped off by this wannabe artist.

I spent so many hours conceptualizing and all of the time and love I put into the rendering and all of the care I put into the sewing just to have someone lazily steal images off my website/social media to concoct this monstrosity... It's too much.

Need proof that I'm the original artist?
​Go watch the video where I literally cover the entire design process that went into this one-of-a-kind piece of artwork.

Above is my original design, front and back for my "T the Rex" mermaid tail. This tail was made in collaboration with my client who had something every specific in mind and it was an honour to bring this tail to life for them.

I can't tell you what it felt like to find out I was ripped off yet again, but that it wasn't just any tail, it was this tail... I'm beyond devastated.

My custom mermaid tails are made from scratch. We're talking a blank canvas. Each palette is carefully put together, the details carefully constructed. I put an immense amount of time into every aspect of the process because I know how much the fine details mean to my clients.

There is also an expectation that this is a ONE-OF-A-KIND design! That's the whole point! 😡

It's absolutely crushing and it left me wondering why I even bother anymore when this happens as often as it does.

Then I remember all the incredible clients I've had over the many years I've been doing this. The kind words, the love, the support. I can't thank you all enough! 💖

To my client, I know we've already spoken about this, but I am beside myself and so sorry that this happened. The frustration of not being able to protect my artwork outside of what I do by only sharing watermarked, low resolution images, is painful.

Not to mention the fact that AI is now being used to upscale images...

It really does feel a bit hopeless sometimes.

I will say though that this isn't going to stop me! Copycats like this have NOTHING without the original artists who pour their blood, sweat, and tears into their creative process.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and I am wishing you peace and light on your creative journeys, wherever they may take you. 🌈

Happy Swimming!

Courtney Mermaid