Tracing and referencing ARE NOT be the same thing.

Tracing
Tracing is copying an image from beginning to end, be it a pose, outfit, background, or other aspect of the image and not putting any of your own style into it. I consider creating a "base" from an existing image that was not originally created by you to also be in this category whether or not you credit the original image. Also included are those people who trace and then edit so it LOOKS like they didn't really trace. Very deceptive and showing a lack of integrity... as demonstrated here albeit this user did not intend to steal anything but make a point ([link]).

Tracing has its place as a learning tool, I will admit that. However, tracing should not be uploaded to an art site as your own artistic work as it is NOT your own artistic work, fanart or not. It is someone else's work that you reproduced without permission which violates policy on more that just Deviantart!


Theft
Depending on HOW you traced, you might as well have just claimed the original image as yours. Edits are failed theft to be sure. Not leaving credit is also theft-worthy. Taking and creating without permission is also theft. Wha? Yep. Lots of stamp makers have crossed that line when using PIXELS. If you are using game sprites from an actual game (or promotional photos from bands/groups/shows), you are most likely using copyrighted materials that are not to be edited or reproduced in any way. Nintendo states it quite well when they post, "Nintendo does not grant permission to individuals to use any content from this website. Because we receive thousands of such requests, our policy is to decline use of our trademarks and copyrights." Yeah, anything super popular is probably going to be the same and using without permission (no matter if you are just "having fun") is just plain theft.


Referencing
REFERENCING is different and acceptable SO LONG AS YOU CREDIT YOUR SOURCE! If your source is NOT a canon source, you need to get the express permission of the creator first AND also credit their original image. Images can be referenced in whole and in part. Someone may reference an image for the outfit, maybe a color combination in the background, custom gradient style, a pose or part of a pose, a hairstyle, etc. Even recreating the entire image in whole is perfectly fine so long as you did it yourself without tracing. I have seem many sketches by great artists that did it because they were so moved by the original piece that they wanted to recreate it in their style. That is flattery at its best.

Tracing is bullshit and lies and its worst.


Crediting
You need to credit, plain and simple. If it wasn't yours to begin with, you need to alert people whose it was. If you have permission, you still need to credit. If you purchased the rights to use commercially or personally, you still need to credit or make it known you have the permissions document per DA rules. End of discussion. It is that simple. Keeping silent and NOT CLAIMING the work as yours does NOT make it okay. People perceive silence as ownership and won't know the difference if you don't speak up. What is worse is when you take what isn't yours, post it be it in a journal or a gallery, and when people start to mistakenly credit you as the artist, you remain silent! THAT silence is just as loud as SHOUTING that the work is YOURS. Silence is not okay. I am not the only one to try and break the silence either. Just because I haven't found you doesn't mean someone else won't...


Don't give fanart or yourself a bad name!
True we cannot dictate what one person versus another person sees as art (as noted here), but we shouldn't be left to the wolves either and left to fend for ourselves with nothing more than a stick! Its bullshit. This includes poses despite our inability to copyright a pose. Despite that, it is common courtesy and good etiquette to credit the pose you referenced since the original idea wasn't yours to begin with. If you have the creative rights to the materials, LET PEOPLE KNOW. We aren't psychic, and even the DA admins expect a line in your description about a permissions document if you used work created by someone else that you purchased rights to.


Stop taking and start giving!!!
We really don't care how crappy your art looks so long as it is YOUR ART. How will you ever improve if you never make a mistake? Tracing can help sometimes, referencing gives a great guideline, but only DOING IT YOURSELF will give you the experience necessary to get better and move forward. And as an art community, THAT is what we are about.


~DS