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Is there a hard and fast rule for art appropriation for pedal graphics? I know if I were manufacturing pedals as a business, obviously the art needs to be original or licensed. But I'm talking about DIY one-offs for your own personal use...do you get permission, or just...do it? I'm building a fuzz and got permission from an artist on deviantart to use his work, and he was super cool and kind of excited to see how it turns out. I thought this was courteous, but is it necessary? Thoughts?

If it is for personal use, I don't think there's an issue. I mean, if you aren't selling it, there's no damage done. If you are selling/trading stuff, it can get sticky.

You are free to use your memory of an artwork for personal use so why not a physical image?

there is so much art around, that i'm sure it's always possible to either contact the person, like you did, or a get a friend to create something, even if it's 'can you make something like this'
or to use art by someone who is long dead