WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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1 comment
Amazing carving skill by Elizabeth Mongenel on a jack-o-lantern of the season. She shared [the photo yesterday on Twitter](https://twitter.com/MarilynMongenel/status/1449278541791592449). (I repost it here with her permission.)
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-10-17_jack-o-lantern_by_elizabeth-mongenel.jpg)
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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1 comment
**It's ~~today~~ tomorrow KDE's 25th Anniversary! ** and for this occasion, I painted this artwork ([source file here](https://www.peppercarrot.com/en/viewer/comissions-src__2021-10-13_KDE-25-anniversary_by-David-Revoy.html)).
You'll find on the website − **https://25years.kde.org/** − the full celebration of the event: videos, meeting, activities, old KDE distro ready to run on virtual machine, merch (Tee-Shirt/Stickers).
But if you still wonder what is KDE; I'll try to give you an overview: KDE is an international free software community that develops free and open-source software. KDE helps these projects to get common tools: bug trackers, software development forge, distributing the software, organizing in real life events like sprints,conferences, etc... You might already know a couple of projects under the umbrella of KDE:
- **Krita**, the painting software I use for all my artworks.
- **Kdenlive**, the video editor I use for all videos on my channel.
- **Plasma**, the desktop environment I use on my Kubuntu Linux distro (it was named KDE in the past).
- **Kate**, a text-editor I used to refactor the website of Pepper&Carrot last summer
... and many others.
I first discovered KDE around 2004 thanks to a portable USB version of Knoppix distro, with KDE 3.0 (probably part of an article from the blog of Framasoft). That was my first contact with a GNU/Linux distro and I was impressed how everything was fitting a pen drive of that time, so probably a 256MB one. I kept it on that pen drive for years; it was my Swiss Army Knife tool to backup, fix partitions and test my PC running at that time Windows XP.
It's only later, at the time of Ubuntu 8.04 LTS ("The Hardy Heron"), around 2009, I switched full time to Linux, and then spent my first years with Linux Mint. Then I distro jumped to test everything, distro, desktop environment for years, before adopting Kubuntu since the last four years. (I'm sharing [how to install my full setup](https://www.davidrevoy.com/article783/kubuntu-linux-20-04-for-a-digital-painting-workstation-reasons-and-install-guide) in this article)
🎉 So, again (update: in advance by one day) Happy Anniversary KDE! 🎉
**Link: https://25years.kde.org/**
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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1 comment
Framasoft published this morning a [donation campaign for 2022](https://soutenir.framasoft.org/en/) [in English](https://soutenir.framasoft.org/en/) and [French](https://soutenir.framasoft.org/fr/).
I had the honor to illustrate this campaign.
The campaign is named "Framasoft, it’s also…" and communicate in a playful way (a card game) their actions in the digital world, but also in real-life. You can flip more than thirty illustrated cards to discover the org. You'll probably be surprised by the amount of what they manage.
It took me a lot of time to paint this campaign and it certainly had an impact on the episode of Pepper&Carrot, but sharing the adventure of Framasoft is really important to me. It's really where I come from (how I discovered Free/Libre and Open Source Software back in the 2000s).
It was also a pleasure to follow the conception and development from scratch, what a great team! I hope you'll feel that energy in the result.
**Discover the full campaign and support Framasoft for 2022 on:**
**https://soutenir.framasoft.org/en/**
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-10-12_framasoft-illustrations.gif)
_A sample of four cards screencapture, discover thirty more on the campaign._
PS: Find all full-sized illustrations and sources on the [gallery for Framasoft illustrations](https://www.peppercarrot.com/en/files/framasoft.html) part of the Pepper&Carrot server. CC-By license.
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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9 comments
I might have found something (related to my recent research on shape/value/edges/brush stroke, read previous post).
I recorded the process; I'll have to analyze, take notes, and see if I can replicate on a scene more complex. If the video is not too sketchy, I'll post the timelapse on the video channel too.
**Update:**
[youtube]juRt_uCJDvY[/youtube]
I just uploaded a video timelapse accelerated (1min38) and sources of this artwork:
→ Src (kra): https://www.peppercarrot.com/en/viewer/artworks-src__2021-10-10_Pepper_by-David-Revoy.html
→ Ytb: https://youtu.be/juRt_uCJDvY
→ Ptb: https://peertube.touhoppai.moe/w/qzv6S9FBJH4XXaY1D6zYA2
#krita
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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2 comments
I woke up too early after a nightmare, and so I decided to sit at my desk and paint. It's been two weeks I'm thinking non-stop about values, brushes, and edges...
After a first set of random strokes on my canvas, I sent it to the filter "Stylize" of Gmic. I applied the style of ["A rose" by John White Alexander](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jw_alexander12.jpg) (1900, Public domain). You'll see easily how the palette of this amazing piece contamined the base sketch I had. Then I painted over this chaos of merged shapes. My brain started to precise the scene you can see on the final artwork and, during the process, I felt happy with it. I was probably still processing the lovecraftian horror show of my bedtime, or maybe it was the listening of masterpieces by [Camille Saint-Saëns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camille_Saint-Sa%C3%ABns) in my headphones?
Now, after recovering more distance with the piece, I have clearly difficulties to accept it among my other artworks. That's why I found the compromise of calling it "a study", post it, and move on. That's what a study is all about afterall. An area to train a technique, and I needed that to keep pushing my skill anyway.
I like how easier I can setup a general mood with this technique, how I can control the values and how the brushwork is organic. Also, the process to paint a piece like that is hypnotic. Even if it is not that time-savy, at least, the benefit is that I don't feel time passing because it is not boring like filling area with flat colors, or cleaning line-art.
But the big downside of this technique: it's difficult to construct face expression, rigid objects or any constructed anatomy. That's an effect of going from soft edges to hard edges. I still often fall into a long spiral of paint-over and adjustements at the end of the painting. That's why I can't imagine handling that technique yet for a comic page; when facial expressions enters the game and where I have to keep a level of precision for the acting. I'm not even talking about problems to keep a consistency of rendering between multiple panels...
I'll need more studies and hours to train on that path for sure, but at the same time, I feel I'm not that far of crossing an important breakthrough about my painting skill once I'll found the missing step.
Oh!... Maybe this is what this artwork is all about: struggling and trying to catch something magic to solve a situation once for all.
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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9 comments
[youtube]abqovshkbuk[/youtube]
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abqovshkbuk
- Peertube: https://peertube.touhoppai.moe/w/tkVfmDpYSXdND48uRgtU6M
Here is a new review video about the GAOMON M10K 2018 pen tablet. Everything about the review is on the video and this blog post is a companion with install method, scripts, and updates.
### Updates and corrections:
- [2021-10-05] Release of the video.
### Promotion by GAOMON:
Deal Price : 50.99USD from Oct 4th- Oct 10th,2021
- US: http://bit.ly/USGAOMON_M10K
- CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07HQDN7W6
(Note: I don't earn any money on this, just FIY)
## Install & Setup
### Install the Digimend driver
If your distribution doesn't have a packaged Digimend driver fresh enough, you can get newer one here: https://github.com/DIGImend/digimend-kernel-drivers/releases . There is a Debian package but if your operating system is not based on Debian, you can compile the source code. It is not really complex and well documented.
### Get the USB ID identifier of the tablet
For that, plug the tablet and execute in a terminal:
```
lsusb
```
This command will list all usb connected and their ID, the name shorten list into 'ls' and 'usb'. In front of the line with the Gaomon tablet, mine is **256c:006e**. This number shouldn't change if you use a M10K 2018 model; but sometime, brands produce new version of their hardware and it might change a bit.
### The X11 rule
Change Directory (cd) to the place where your Xorg store rules for the devices. On 'buntus at 20.04 it is located on /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/, but keep in mind it might change depending the Linux distribution.
```
cd /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/
```
The Digimend project installed their own rules; it is the 50-digimend.conf file in this directory. I'll edit this file (note it require your system root password because we are editing a system file with 'sudo') I'm using the text-editor "micro", but you can use your favorite. "nano" is often installed anywhere, but has less user-friendly keyboard shortcut and color syntax by default.
```
sudo micro 50-digimend.conf
```
We can copy/paste the paragraph under at the end of the file; if your USB identifier differs, you'll need to adjust the line starting with MatchUSBID:
```
Section "InputClass"
Identifier "Gaomon tablets with Wacom driver"
MatchUSBID "256c:006e"
MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
Driver "wacom"
EndSection
```
Save and then reboot your system.
### Tablet setup with xsetwacom
At this point, you should see lines about your Gamon tablet stylus, pad and dial when writing in a terminal:
```
xsetwacom --list
```
Now we will create a script. It is just a series of command written line by line on a text file; so the computer will execute all of them. Each line will setup one aspect of your tablet. Line starting by character # are not read by the computer, so I added some notes to guide you in the customisation of the script. Open a non-rich text editor (eg. Micro, Kate, Geany, Gnome text also called nautilus, etc...) and copy/paste the script under:
```
#! /bin/bash
# Setup xsetwacom script for Intuos 3 9x12
# License: CC-0/Public-Domain license
# author: deevad
# Tablet definition
tabletstylus="GAOMON Gaomon Tablet stylus"
tabletpad="GAOMON Gaomon Tablet Pad pad"
touchpad="GAOMON Gaomon Tablet Touch Strip pad" #unsupported
dialpad="GAOMON Gaomon Tablet Dial pad" #unsupported
# Display all available option:
#xsetwacom get "$tabletstylus" all
#xsetwacom get "$tabletpad" all
#xsetwacom get "$touchpad" all
#xsetwacom get "$dialpad" all
# Reset
xsetwacom --set "$tabletstylus" ResetArea
# Map surface of the tablet to a monitor (in case of multiple)
# Note: get the name of the monitor with xrandr
xsetwacom --set "$tabletstylus" MapToOutput "DisplayPort-0"
# Auto proportional Mapping:
# xsetwacom get "$tabletstylus" Area
# default: 0 0 50800 31750
# Enter under the resolution of your monitor:
screenX=2560
screenY=1440
Xtabletmaxarea=50800
Ytabletmaxarea=31750
areaY=$(( $screenY * $Xtabletmaxarea / $screenX ))
xsetwacom --set "$tabletstylus" Area 0 0 "$Xtabletmaxarea" "$areaY"
# Stylus button:
#xsetwacom --set "$tabletstylus" Button 1 1 # default, to click and draw
#xsetwacom --set "$tabletstylus" Button 2 "key Control_L" # Ctrl = color picker
#xsetwacom --set "$tabletstylus" Button 3 3 # default (Right click)
# Tweaks
# Pressure curve:
xsetwacom --set "$tabletstylus" PressureCurve 0 0 100 100
# Softer
#xsetwacom --set "$tabletstylus" PressureCurve 0 10 40 85
# Configuration data trimming and suppression
# The event of this device are good; if you have CPU better to not filter
# them at operating system level to not loose any sensitivity.
# Minimal trimming is also good.
xsetwacom --set "$tabletstylus" Suppress 0 # data pt.s filtered, default is 2, 0-100
xsetwacom --set "$tabletstylus" RawSample 1 # data pt.s trimmed, default is 4, 1-20
# For left-handed mode (rotation):
#xsetwacom --set "$tabletstylus" Rotate half
# Buttons
# Note: touchpad around 10 button is not supported
# +-----+
# | 1 |
# +-----+
# | 2 |
# +-----+
# | 3 |
# +-----+
# | 8 |
# +-----+
# | 9 |
# +-----+
# +---+-----+---+
# | |
# | +-----+ |
# | | 10 | |
# | | | |
# | +-----+ |
# | |
# +---+-----+---+
# +-----+
# | 11 |
# +-----+
# | 12 |
# +-----+
# | 13 |
# +-----+
# | 14 |
# +-----+
# | 15 |
# +-----+
xsetwacom --set "$tabletpad" Button 1 "key Control_L" # Ctrl = color picker
xsetwacom --set "$tabletpad" Button 2 "key KP_Divide" # / = Switch to previous used brush preset
xsetwacom --set "$tabletpad" Button 3 "key Shift_L" # Shift = Resize brush
xsetwacom --set "$tabletpad" Button 8 "key v" # v = line
xsetwacom --set "$tabletpad" Button 9 "key m" # m = mirror
xsetwacom --set "$tabletpad" Button 10 "key e" # e = eraser
xsetwacom --set "$tabletpad" Button 11 "key r" # r = pick layer
xsetwacom --set "$tabletpad" Button 12 "key l" # l = select lighter color
xsetwacom --set "$tabletpad" Button 13 "key k" # k = select darker color
xsetwacom --set "$tabletpad" Button 14 "key o" # o = more opacity
xsetwacom --set "$tabletpad" Button 15 "key i" # i = less opacity
```
**Notes about the script:**
- **Customize stylus buttons:** I commented the line for the buttons for the stylus (they start by "#" after "# Stylus button:"). uncomment them to customize them.
- **Key combinations:** If you want to assign more than one button, eg Ctrl+Z for undo ; you can separate the list of keys with a space. eg. "key Ctrl z" or "key Ctrl s"
- **Key naming convention:** Many keys can be called by their X11 name. To find the main list of keys; I copied them here: https://pastebin.com/aXGDkJTU
- **Space key special case:** The key "space" will return only a single space character and not a continuous key press (unfortunately).
- **Left handed mode:** If you are left-handed, I also added the line to rotate the tablet (commented by default, uncomment to run it, remove the leading "#" character) the line is under "# For left-handed mode (rotation)"
**Run it, create a start-up:**
Save it named Gaomon-M10K.sh (you can name it the way you want, and save it where you want on your disk; the only constrain is to finish with the extension .sh ). You can read it, and adjust it. To run it, after saving the file you need to give this text file execution permission. You can do so with many desktop environment by right clicking on the file, and add the "execute" permission. Another way to do it is with command line:
```
chmod +x Gaomon-M10K.sh
```
Now, if you run:
```
./Gaomon-M10K.sh
```
The script should run and apply your preference. If your windows environment is modern enough; you should have a setup option to add a script to the autostart. This way, the preferences will be applied each time you start your computer. You can of course change options, and execute the script as many time you want to test and adjust.
### A more advanced script:
If you want to go further, user TwistyDev on Gitlab published a more advanced version based on xinput and a Python script. The script can switch profiles between blender and krita and has a systray icon. You can find [gaomon-m10k-2018-linux-configuration-script here](https://gitlab.com/TwistyDev/gaomon-m10k-2018-linux-configuration-script/-/blob/master/gaomon-manager).
## To end, a story about the advocacy
I haven't put that in the video, because it is a bit long and backstage. But I'm happy to share it on the blog:
Around 2018, the brand Gaomon contacted me by email for a review. But at that time they only had a driver for Windows and Mac, so I rejected their proposal because −as you know− I'm using only a GNU/Linux operating system for my art since more than ten years.
Rejecting brands this way is something I do very often. Not daily, but easily on a monthly basis. I probably got already all existing brands of tablets reaching my mailbox thanks to the good statistic on the channel.
A parenthesis about that: I also met a large amount of hardware sellers totally unrelated to digital art or FLOSS who pretends to like my channel, saw all my videos (be fans?). Then they offer only a Win/Mac product in a email template, or worst: a gadget totally unrelated to digital art. (a lamp for monitor! a sound system, a gamepad? etc...) Poeple working in marketing department should probably stop considering their recipient as idiots. I mean: it's ok to sell products and propose hardware for review. But pretending to saw all videos and be fans only to flatter the ego of creators... Without having a check on the channel and content... This is the type of marketing talk I'm really deeply allergic. Parenthesis closed.
Anyway, in all situation, I try to optimize the new contact with a minimum of FLOSS advocacy. I reply politely with a speech about why they should get a Free/Libre driver, why I'll be happy to review if the hardware works on GNU/Linux and get in the scope of my passion for digital-art or comic. I'll not lie, I often get no replies, or replies that try to convince me to do the review on Win/Mac (lol).
But, In the case of Gaomon, something happened after this first ping-pong of usual proposal on one side and advocacy on my side. In fact, the marketing employee at Gaomon pushed my request to their R&D department (research and development). And so: they started to cooperate with the Digimend project on a Free/Libre Linux driver.
You can read that on the [blog-post of Gaomon about Linux](https://blog.gaomon.net/faq/run_on_linux):
> Thanks to the efforts of the author, Nikolai Kondrashov, and other volunteers, after installing the driver offered by DIGImend project, you can run S56K and M106K on Linux system computer. If you met some questions, you can discuss and get help from DIGImend project.
Then the contact I had and project to do a review was lost. The email discussion just ended on my side on the "I'll see that with our R&D". That was a contact among many other in 2018.
This summer, I had a new contact from Gaomon. Another employee, proposing a review totally unrelated to the first proposal of 2018. I have this contact probably because after the review of XP-PEN Pro Artist 24, I started to receive the double amount of incoming requests.
After my usual FLOSS-advocacy-reply they surprised me by replying they had a Linux driver! Then I found their blog-post and then I saw by crossing the date it might be in relation with my first email. I was happy and excited! That's why I wanted to share that with you.
All in all to say I'm proud of this little seed in this industry, and It's very cool when FLOSS advocacy gives results.
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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4 comments
A concept-art of Torreya, who appears on episode 35 of Pepper&Carrot. I was a bit sad with her ceremony clothes, not really well adapted to riding a dragon. So, here is more work to update her character design for episode 36. I made this artwork while testing the Gaomon M10K 2018. I finished the video editing this evening, release of the video is planed for within the next 48h.
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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8 comments
Hey, look what I just received! A tablet from GAOMON for a video review oriented GNU/Linux and Krita (soon). This is the M10K 2018 tablet (priced around ~60€ or 60$). Gaomon collaborated with Digimend for the driver and I had a little effect on that decision 😉
*#FlossAdvocacyWin*
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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26 comments
*(Note: you can click the picture above to download the 2431x1930px with minimal compression. It can be used as a Wallpaper.)*
Here is a piece I made to cool down after days doing comissions (I'm finishing a big 34 illustrations pack, I'll tell more about them soon). Because I'm beta testing Krita 5.0 beta 1 appimage on GNU/Linux, I could use the Stylise filter of Gmic. It was at first designed to apply the style of a painting (eg. Van Gogh) into a photo. But it is really fun if you use it with two Input layers: you can then start to mashup previous artwork and sketches together. That's what I did here. You'll find a bit of [Pepper&Carrot](https://www.peppercarrot.com/fr/viewer/artworks__2015-05-27_user-manual_by-David-Revoy.html), and [Tears of Steel](https://www.davidrevoy.com/data/images/blog/2012/09/tears-of-steel/thom-celia-love-affair-_mango_concept-art_02_net.jpg) concept art into, this [one too](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/BrainCloud-and-scientist_mango_concept-art_04.png). I'll continue to play this way, it's fun. Apply a LUT on the top, Boost Chromacity and then you only need to paint-over the chaos of shapes. Really a bit of a continuation of the philosophy of Chaos&Evolution Dvd I published with the Blender Foundation in 2009. After planning artworks all this years from A to Z, I almost forgot about the joy I had going total impro, random and even cross over a tribute to Lofi Girl and Cyberpunk genre.
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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no comments
[](https://itizso.itch.io/practical-magic)
Game developer [Itizso on itch.io](https://itizso.itch.io/) made a motion comic derivation with the first webcomic episode of Pepper&Carrot. It's an interesting way to give life to this episode.
**You can play [Practical Magic fullscreen for free on itch.io](https://itizso.itch.io/practical-magic)**. Thanks for sharing Itizso 👍
**Links:**
- https://itizso.itch.io/practical-magic
- https://itizso.itch.io/
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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8 comments
[youtube]Sorvw3GrIQM[/youtube]
→ Ytb: https://youtu.be/Sorvw3GrIQM
→ Ptb: https://peertube.touhoppai.moe/w/aZfzJENu5ugyQjgdMCrkww
The Mirror tool in Krita is cruel and reveal the truth... But, once you spot the deformation on a drawing or line-art, what method you can use to fix it? This video shows you my method within all the limit of my actual skill. You'll know at least how I manage my correction pass over the art of Pepper&Carrot. Sorry for my french accent and english mistakes.
PS: Yay! I finished my video tutorial started wednesday afterall.
**Timeline:**
- 00:00 Intro
- 00:19 Workflow
- 00:44 Mirror
- 01:19 Copy blending mode setup
- 03:49 Layer Visibility shortcut
- 04:12 Erase and re-sketch
- 06:22 Liquify deformation
- 07:45 Inking again
- 09:07 Result and outro/license
**Soundtrack:**
- Intro: Fabian Measures - Hanami (CC-By) www.soundcloud.com/fogheart
- Timelapse: Kevin MacLeod - Perspective (CC-By) www.incompetech.com
- Outro: Kevin MacLeod - Backed Vibes Clean (CC-By) www.incompetech.com
Video and artworks by David Revoy
www.davidrevoy.com
Edited with Kdenlive 21.04 on Kubuntu Linux 20.04
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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66 comments
Here is another NFT story (and not a sequel to the [last one was in March](https://framapiaf.org/@davidrevoy/105873691069988824) after someone uploaded my "Yin and Yang of world hunger" on OpenSea...) Today, it is about **the official release of the "Dream Cats" catalog on OpenSea by ROPLAK**, a derivative of my 2016 Creative Commons Attribution [Catavatar generator](https://www.peppercarrot.com/extras/html/2016_cat-generator/). It was announced yesterday [in this post on Twitter](https://twitter.com/ROPLAK_NFT/status/1440086144222334986) [edit: they deleted their post, and [made a new one](https://twitter.com/ROPLAK_NFT/status/1436548480185643014)], and [the OpenSea catalog page](https://opensea.io/collection/dream-cats) linked counts already over 10K items and already sold 4.2 ETH, so, around 10 000 Euros in two days...
*Disclaimer: I'm French, and a "bit" nervous when I wrote that. Sorry for my clumsy way to phrase English in this article, I did my best.*
## NFT...(what?)
If you are not familiar with NFT, think about it as a unique token (eg. an ID number) written in the decentralized database of a crypto currency, like Ethereum here. It can represent anything (main usage here: art, but it could be a service, a file, a weapon in a video-game, etc...); and you can sell this unique ID on a NFT market place, like OpenSea here. So, this ID can have an owner, this ID can take value in time, like being more and more expensive. A bit like trading rare Magic/Pokemon/Baseball cards if you prefer, all of that paid with crypto money. Investor can buy new ones, predict the one who will be famous, take values and then transform their money... into more money with them. We have here the purest product of capitalism and speculation, mixed to a technology to produce "uniqueness" and not known to be ecology-friendly.
**In short, a mix of concept I hate**.
## C'mon, why the hate?
I was born in the 80's and grew in a world where having access to the information was limited (bookstore, library, Tv). Then, when Internet appeared in my life, I thought it would start a golden age because information could be replicated on millions of device for very cheap. I made a portfolio, met other artist, did open movies, worked for big companies and I still − right now − run a webcomic series, [Pepper&Carrot](https://www.peppercarrot.com/), shared by millions. I embraced the Creative Commons license so other could reuse my artworks without asking for license and without having to pay.
The CatAvatar was born out of a personal effort on my free time to remove every CDN of my website as explained [on a blog post in 2016](https://www.davidrevoy.com/article590/my-fight-against-cdn-libraries), I wanted to get rid of Gravatar service on my comment and this single move cost me days of production. It was inspired by an act of freedom, and an act of bringing a cute and beautiful alternative to Internet. I decided to [share the sources and art of Catavatar](https://www.peppercarrot.com/extras/html/2016_cat-generator/), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution, so a very permissive license and for free.
On the other side, a system like NFT is an attempt to put an ID on each file, each art, to create an artificial uniqueness so everything can be bought. It's a capitalist dream: making everything a unique property, so everything can be sold. Now you can understand why I hate to see the Catavatar being used as NFT? It contradicts the essence of why my art is here in the first place.
## Personal statement about NFT:
It infringes my moral right to see my art used as NFT. So, I'll be clear:
**== Do not buy NFT made with my art. ==**
**== Do not make NFT with my Creative-Commons artworks. ==**
**== If you respect my art, remember and apply this. ==**
Now, let's move back to the news: the Dream Cats catalog of NFT.
## The Dream Cats NFT case
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-09-22_screenshot_103549_net.jpg)
_a screenshot of the Dream Cats catalog on OpenSea. (fair use)_
First,** I'm not getting any margin/profit** from this [DreamCats catalog on OpenSea](https://opensea.io/collection/dream-cats). I know my name is on every items, I know my name is on the title of the catalog, etc... I already get email about it. And to be clear, it is not a money problem: **I'm not interested to touch any percent of NFT money**. The author here, ROPLAK, is the only one who benefits and already sold 4.2 ETH, so, around 10 000 Euros in two days. It's not just a few buck, it's a very profitable market where my name is written on every item...
The Catavatars are not used as they were designed: the author added a distortion on the top, a filter, the [DeepDream algorythm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeepDream) over my original art to deform the cat and mostly to be sure all the pixels of the pictures are affected so the author ROPLAK can relicense fully this derivation.
But I'll let you judge here the artistic quality "enhancement" of this derivation. DeepDream is not hard to install, if you know how to execute a Python script; you can play with it on a Ubuntu based system in less than 15min. I played with it in 2015.
[](data/images/blog/2021/2015-10-10_000052_deep-dream.jpg)
_The DeepDream effect is just a filter, I'm able to do it too..._
So, that's all. We have here the added value of a computer filter, over a work I carefully spent hours to do, to design and to balance for offering it to the web. ROPLAK probably made a script and automated the generation of 10K of their cats this way. By owning a DreamCat, you own that: **just a random cat avatar plus a filter on the top**.
## The Dream Cats and copyright law
On a legal point of view: the Dream Cats are **legally ok**: I distribute the Catavatar library of sprites as Creative Commons Attribution only.
- **Commercial usage is OK** (so no problem selling them)
- **Derivations is OK** (so no problem adding a filter)
- **Attribution is OK** (correctly mentioned).
Only **one thing is not OK: it infringes my moral right**.
For me, NFT represents the pinnacle of capitalism and speculation. And this ideology is not fine with me. I would probably emit the same "moral right" concerns if my work was used for racism propaganda, or as a communication device to hurt any human.
"Moral rights" are not transfered with Creative Commons Attribution license.
So,** I ask here ROPLAK and OpenSea −in virtue of my moral rights− to take down the Dream Cats today.**. Keep the money generated with it, I don't give a duck about it. I just don't want my name to be associated with a fraction of the NFT empire.
## Moral right infringement! Yay! Law! Court!
Hmm... No... Nothing.
I'll not throw useless words here, or attempt vein threats: **I'll not attack in court ROPLAK or OpenSea**.
Even if I can proove the DreamCats or any NFT infringes my Moral Right. Even if in theory laws is "with me". **I don't have the budget (time/money) to get justice**.
An appointment with a lawyer here would cost hundreds of Euros per visit and takes a lot of time to study the case. I just can't afford that and to be honest,** I don't want to live that**. Life is short, sooner or later I'll be dead and I don't want to use my precious remaining time on that. I have artworks to share, I have story to write, I have to be here for family, friends and project I love.
## Conclusion
In France, we have the proverb "Bien mal acquis ne profite jamais", probably similar to the "ill gotten, ill spent". That's what I wish to all the participants of this NFT. I also wish them to read the article I wrote here.
And that's all, I wanted to make a Creative Commons video tutorial this morning, to share tips and help other artist with line-art and drawing. And now, I'll have to do a meditation to calm down, because each time I have that on my way, it affect me and makes harder for me to create tutorials, happy stories and colorful universe... Some morning, it's really hard to be a Free/Libre artist.
Note: you can collect same pictures here for free with better quality: https://www.peppercarrot.com/extras/html/2016_cat-generator/
**Appendix**
- **2021-09-29:** 1 week after publishing this article, yet another Catavatar NFTs appeared on the web... This time on [Binance, named "Nice Kittens"](https://www.featured.market/nft/0x50269cd8db1986de14308a59b3c7f4f2ad82365f)
, 1000 items, not derivated (1:1 to the one I created), no mention of the Creative Commons license and no attribution. This one still infringe my moral right, but because it doesn't credit or mention the license, **it is also illegal**.
- **2021-10-20:** Binance, removed silently "Nice Kittens" after many community reports.
- **2021-11-24:** New NFT things: https://babysongbirdsnft.com (@BabySongbirds on blue bird network) , this time with a variant I made in 2019 of the cat avatar: [bird avatar generator](https://www.peppercarrot.com/extras/html/2019_bird-generator/), still infringes my moral right and they added CC-By compliance just an hour after fans noticed/reported.
**LINKS:**
- [Twitter post by ROPLAK](https://twitter.com/ROPLAK_NFT/status/1436548480185643014) (previous post was removed from Twitter by author, and replaced with a new one).
- [DreamCats catalog on OpenSea](https://opensea.io/collection/dream-cats)
- [My blog post when I created Catavatar](https://www.davidrevoy.com/article590/my-fight-against-cdn-libraries)
- [My original Catavatar](https://www.peppercarrot.com/extras/html/2016_cat-generator/)
- [DeepDream algorythm wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeepDream)
