The law regarding copyright of images is simple - don't copy! However, some businesses do offer copyright-free images for either personal or business use. Dover Bookshop is a good example of this. A really good on-line resource for vintage images is The Graphics Fairy. Here Karen tells us about her blog and the images.
"I started my blog in the Fall of 2007. I initially came up with the idea after my hard drive crashed twice, the year before and I lost all of my favorite images on my computer, both times! (and no nothing was backed up). I thought storing my images online would be a safer option and then I came up with the idea of sharing them. At the time nobody was really doing this, many were selling the images but they were not offered for free. (Not that there's anything wrong with selling them!)
I already had a blog for my shop Fleurish so, it was a natural progression to add a second blog. That's how the Graphics Fairy began. Too date, I have over 800 images that my readers can use in their artwork or on their blogs. They are all free and can be used in projects for resale as well, providing that no more than 4 images are used in any one project or web/blog page. I've been an antique dealer for over 18 years and have always loved old paper items. I have loads of paper in my collection and I'm always out looking for more images. Many of my friends are in the antique business as well and they often lend me pieces to add to my site. You'll find a variety of graphics on my blog including, antique postcards, early sheet music, old ephemera, antique flourishes from early Spencerian pages, old children's book illustrations etc. I offer a combination of color and black and white pieces. I try very hard to only include pieces that fall under "Public Domain" laws and as far as I know all of my images are safe to use.
It's an absolute joy for me to see how my readers reinterpret these images into their artwork. I have seen my graphics used in jewelry design, card making, web design, decoupage, home decor items, even quilts!"
Thanks so much for inviting me to do this interview!
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