If you're really intent on finding who did it (I assume you have the original photo that you worked from), you can do a Google picture search that sometimes works using Google Images -- Go to Google and select "Images". You just drag the picture in the search bar that you would normally type a search string. It will look for pics that match in certain ways. Sometimes it works. Sometimes not.
As to the legality of it, I can't say because there are too many variables. And the people here are most often not lawyers and their answers are basically their opinion. It's an argument that has gone round and round many times over the years. I am not a lawyer. And this is my guess.
Not that everyone does it, in the circles where people are more correct with their work, it has often been where one seeks out a clearance from the person owning the source photo or painting who then can go anywhere from use it, to give me credit and let me see it when it's done (kind of thing), to just saying go for it, to asking for payment for it. When and if one can't find the artist or photographer, you can always do it and post it, but if someone contacts you asking to take it down (fairly rare often dependent on how close and perfect it is) all you have to do is take it down.
The copying of it is generally not the offense so much as showing the copying and making money off it. A lot of people use other works for the purposes of learning -- a time honored tradition among students-- something that was less an issue before the high visibility of images on the internet.
People here copy, sometimes a lot. Often old classics which are more or less unrestricted for learning purposes. Some copy more contemporary artists and have learned a whole lot from the process. I don't think they have gotten trouble from it.
On the other hand, one of the reasons there are fewer people posting their original work here is because there have been cases where their own artwork was stolen and among other things blatantly pirated by people claiming it as their own for commercial purposes. Also people copy techniques (very naturally shared), something that is not copyright-able. But that can get testy too. All depends on the people involved like if someone had a big breakthrough and they are developing into a signature style that they suddenly want to protect and exploit for themselves. That then becomes a matter of the person posting their own work and taking that risk is sort of on them as well to protect it. . . and therein lies the rub. So in the case of someone copying other people's work, it's a matter of how one wants to relate in the art community at large and how far they want to go with it as a business.
I think people scream primarily when it cuts into their livelihood.
Personally, I think copying is essential to learning. And I think that's legal when it's just to learn, but don't quote me on that cause like I say it depends on who is doing what.
Anyway, I hope to see your progress as an artist in the forums. Art is lots of fun to be sure.
Last edited by D Akey; 03-01-2016 at 03:38 AM.
"Not a bit is wasted and the best is yet to come. . ." -- remembered from a dream
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Originally Posted by hildee
Look forward to your critique...be gentle with me I am a beginner 
