🎨💾 Neon Signatures:

How Artists Can Make Their Work Harder to Steal in the Age of AI!

Makeing your art hard to replicate is important in the age of AI

Today, I read up on a story of an artist whose original art was being ripped off by other people. And that's absolutely tragic. It just shows you the level of low scammers are willing to go, even when it comes to creatives. It's rather unfair, really. So, how did they manage to do that? Well... they were creating AI art based on her original art, of course. You can view her full story below at "An AI scammer stole and sole my art":

It was anime art. Although anime art is rather easier to replicate than realism, you can still tell the difference between the AI and the original art. So, why be dishonest? When I share AI art, I am transparent with my audience. These are for social media sharing only, and for the purpose of connecting with my niche audience. But when it comes to stealing art from other artists using AI? That's a whole new level of low in my book. Why not learn how to do art instead of stealing someone else's art? This totally forces original artists to think outside of the box. So now the golden question is: How can we make it more difficult for people to take our stuff and use it for their scams?

I am a musician who has explored this technology, and I will say it has been a pain in the neck fighting these AI companies that try to take our original music without permission. On the blog "Synthwave in the Age of AI" I explain in detail the right approach to make when using AI as a part of your creative process. You cannot copyright AI art or music. You can only copyright human-made work.

It's a good thing that streaming services have now cracked down on AI-generated creations. It helps artists like me who make originals without the headache of AI rip-offs of their songs.

If they took your art, and you can prove it was originally yours, I think you may have a case. And if AI detection is found on the art, which it's evident that it wasn't made with brushes; that would also work in your favor.

Document every step of your creative process! I cannot stress this enough!

This rip-off of original artists' works needs to be addressed head-on. We live in a time when anyone can screenshot your work, plug it into an AI engine, and spit out a mimicry of your style in minutes — no skill, no soul, no story. Just hollow neon.

As an artist who blends realistic 3D modeling, synthwave nostalgia, and a deeply personal aesthetic, I feel this tension constantly. You pour your soul into your art, and someone else wants to claim the light it gives off.

But listen — just because the future’s automated doesn’t mean your art has to be assimilated. There are ways to make your work resistant to theft, mimicry, and AI cloning. So how can we approach this matter right? Read on!

---

🔍 The Problem Isn’t Just AI — It’s Intent.

So, to clear things up, yes! I do use AI art for sharing on social media and blog posts. I use it as a tool to connect with those of the same interest. But the slop that is generated from AI, and the AI art stealing gives the technology a bad rep. But, does that mean we should axe it all together? Anywhere from YouTube, Pinterest, to Meta, AI is now everywhere. People have been using it to spread ideas and connect with audiences on social media. And that's all well and good. And as an artist, I have found that to be quite useful.

However, I see a downside to it, too. I know that a lot of people like to label AI as the bad guy here. And in turn wanna punish all those who use AI as a part of their creative process. But let me tell you, this is not a black and white issue. We gotta deal with the grey areas, too. We also gotta acknowledge: it's not the technology that is bad. It's the way it is being used.

AI itself is a tool. What people do with it is the real issue.

When someone trains or prompts an AI to mimic a specific artist’s style — especially living or niche artists — and passes it off as their own without credit or consent, that crosses a line. That’s not “inspired by,” it’s extraction without respect.

So, let's talk about what original artists can do to protect their work.

---

🧬 Develop a Signature Style That’s Hard to Imitate:

Let's take the dollar bill for example. Since paper money came out, people have tried to use copy machines to print money. So, the response? The government began to use micro-details in the dollar bills that could not be easily replicated, including an invisible face you can only see when the light hits it.

You can do the same for your art. Adding micro-details can help make your art, not only stand out; but can also make it extremely hard to replicate.

🧬Let Your Art Breathe You!

• Use personal quirks in anatomy, color use, brushwork, or composition.

• Incorporate recurring symbols, themes, or patterns unique to your life or worldview.

• Mix multiple techniques (digital + traditional, collage + paint, etc.) to create a hybrid look that's hard to reproduce.

🔍 Embed Micro-Details

• Add hidden text, textures, or tiny symbols into your art that wouldn’t be noticed unless zoomed in.

• These subtle additions act like a fingerprint.

• Great for proving originality or tracing fakes.

🖊️ Watermark Smartly

• Use semi-transparent or embedded watermarks within the layers or texture of your art (not just in a corner).

• Make them blend into the lighting, folds, or reflections so they’re hard to remove without damaging the image.

---

🎨 2. Original Art Still Has a Soul.

As I said — you can tell the difference. There’s a tactile, human imperfection to brushstrokes, choices, and emotional weight that comes with handcrafted art. Even when AI gets technically close, there’s an authenticity that’s hard to fake — and artists know the difference.

Let Your Art Reflect Your Individuality!

Your quirks, your rhythms, your story — weave them in like neon veins. Whether it’s the way you place your highlights or how your characters always wear that cosmic shade of pink — make your style personal, not just pretty. Mimics can copy form, but they’ll never replicate essence.

📸 Use Photographic or 3D References of Yourself or Your Own Scenes!

I've been working on this self-portrait for quite a while.

• AI can’t generate you unless it knows you.

• Using your own body, poses, clothing, or 3D sculpts makes replication nearly impossible without full theft.

---

🧠 Why Not Just Learn the Craft?

I was recently called 'lazy' by anti-AI fanatics for sharing AI art visuals on my page. No biggie. It's to be expected. But for them to say I'm not a real artist? Well, I've already proven them wrong. But it is as they say: stereotypes exist for a reason. As a real artist who also shares AI art online, is it ok to use AI to cut corners on your original art? I wouldn't recommend it. Here is why: publishers and streamers can now detect AI-generate music. The lack of originality can also be pointed out and noted by viewers. You can't copyright it, either. So, what is there to benefit from that? Just learn the skills! There are so many ways you can.

1. Udemy.com has tons of courses you can take showing you how to play instruments, program video games, and learn 3D modeling.

2. Music sites such as sonicacademy.com can teach you how to compose electronic music, professionally.

3. MangaUniversity.com teaches aspiring manga artists how to draw and make Japanese comics.

So why not learn it? This is the golden question. I get it. Learning art is hard, and some people want the end result without the effort — or the humility that comes with years of struggle and growth. But what they miss is: The process is the art. The tools are just part of the journey. So I would like to encourage those who want to become skilled to seriously look into what it takes. There is value in it. And people will always notice when you make the effort. After all, in the end; it will be something that you can call your own!

---

💔 The Harm of Dishonesty:

When people make AI art based on someone else’s work and don’t disclose it, it:

• Undermines the original artist’s voice.

• Spreads confusion about what is “real.”

• Diminishes the value of actual craftsmanship.

• It can harm your reputation.

• It can cause distrust and ruin your credibility.

Even if it’s not illegal, it’s dishonest — and it erodes trust in creative communities. And that is why we can and should disclose when we are using AI art not created by us. Being transparent with your audience is important to gain trust and credibility. Because people buy things from whom they like and trust. And if you aren't honest about what you've created and what isn't yours, it can backfire. Just be honest, guys.

---

🧰Tools to help protect your work!

🛡️ 1. Use Style-Masking Tools:

Tools like Glaze, Mist, and Anti-DreamBooth subtly alter your images in ways that confuse AI models without affecting how they look to the human eye. These tools are designed to prevent your unique style from being learned and replicated by generative models.

🚫 2. Block AI Crawlers:

If you host your work on your own website, you can update your robots.txt file to block known AI crawlers like DALL-E-Bot or Bingbot. This helps prevent your images from being indexed and scraped into training datasets.

💧 3. Watermark Strategically:

Add visible or semi-transparent watermarks to your images. While not foolproof, they can deter casual theft and make it harder for AI to cleanly extract your work. Some artists also embed invisible metadata or steganographic watermarks.

📉 4. Share Low-Resolution or Cropped Versions:

Posting lower-res images or cropped previews online can reduce the usefulness of your work to AI scrapers while still showcasing your style to human viewers.

🔒 5. Be Selective About Where You Post:

Some platforms (like Meta’s apps) may use your public content to train AI models. Consider using artist-friendly platforms like Cara or ArtStation (with opt-out settings) that are more transparent about AI usage.

🧾 6. Add Copyright Notices:

Include a copyright symbol and your name on your images (e.g., © 2025 Your Name). It won’t stop AI scraping, but it reinforces your legal claim and deters casual misuse.

🕵️ 7. Monitor and Report:

Use reverse image search tools like Google Images or TinEye to track where your art appears online. If you find unauthorized use, you can file takedown requests or DMCA notices.

These steps won’t make your work 100% AI-proof, but they can make it significantly harder to copy or misuse. Want help setting up a robots.txt file or exploring how Glaze works? I can walk you through it. Or we can brainstorm creative watermark ideas that blend with your aesthetic. Let’s armor up your art. 🎨✨

---

🌱 What Could Be Better?

If someone truly admires an artist’s style, they could:

• Study it with respect.

• Try to emulate it as practice (without sharing it as their own).

• Credit them clearly.

• Or even collaborate or get permission to use their style as training inspiration.

That shows love, not theft.

Let's respect original artists! Let's allow ourselves to be inspired by their art to become better artists ourselves. If you want to share AI art, that's fine, too. Just remember, stealing original work from artists to claim credit is totally bogus. Let's give credit where credit is due. Because art theft is not only dishonorable but also discredits you! And to all my artists, let's keep it original, let's keep it signature, and make it unique to us, put micro-details into it. In the age of AI, we can still be original. So use the skills suggested to make yourself stand out, and you will not only thrive, but you will be able to stand out in a sea of AI-generated pieces! Keep making music! Keep making original art!

Stay rad! And if you like what I do, make sure you sign up for the "Retro Sonya Synthwave Newsletter" below and get those 2 free 80s inspired songs. Catch you on the flip side, legends!