Jury's In - Again.

How could I have forgotten possibly the most important point!

14. DON'T COPY! If you've taken a class with a well known teacher and have used the class project exactly as demo'd to learn the steps, do not, under any circumstances submit the results from that learning experience to any publication. You did not design the item, you did not formulate any of the steps that went into the construction and you do not have the creators permission to claim that assemblage of techniques as your own. There were a couple of images of pieces whose originator I could immediately name. No matter how good the photograph or how well the piece was executed, it had no chance of inclusion.

Copying is not flattering. Co opting another's style because you so admire their aesthetic is not "a piece inspired by..." It's theft. Perhaps not a legal theft. But an invasion none the less.

Using someone's style or construction techniques as a jumping off point is absolutely allowable and even a traditional way of learning. Examine the way Leonardo used paint and the direction of his brush stokes. Admire the hazy backgrounds. Even become obsessed with amusing grins - but do not sit in the Louvre and make an exact copy of the Mona Lisa and then try to submit it to Smithsonian magazine.

Use your own imagination, break out of your self imposed constraints, challenge your own processes. That is what makes a good artist. Take that damn lentil bead and do something with it that has never been done before. Use that well known teacher's teachings to take yourself to another level of creation. One of your own imaginings.