Butch Hartman Accused Of Tracing Art For Money

Butch Hartman, creator of classic Nickelodeon cartoons like Fairly Oddparents and Danny Phantom, has found himself embroiled in controversy after being accused of tracing fan art for money.

The alleged trace was spotted by Twitter user @jammkamm, who posted a side-by-side comparison of art by user @028ton and Hartman of Attack On Titan character Mikasa Ackerman.

These edibles aint shit- pic.twitter.com/BNR0u4tqfB

— JamKam 🇵🇭 (@jammkamm) February 21, 2021

The two pieces certainly bear resemblance to each other but each have their own unique style, raising questions on whether Hartman was truly guilty of any theft.

It’s not traced unless it is underneath it with tracing paper on top…nothing wrong with mental tracing and looking at something that’s how a lot of artists start anyway.

— Exodus (@Keyblader007) February 20, 2021

if you ever doubt your worth as an artist, rest easy that you will never stoop as low as butch hartman, an actual industry individual tracing artwork for a commission. https://t.co/basy74eRcg

— xia – ضياء (@aenimositi) February 22, 2021

MIKASA ACKERMAN pic.twitter.com/pCJLmfGu3a

— Justin Whang 🐙 (@JustinWhang) February 22, 2021

Compounding the issue is the fact that this is not the first time Hartman has been accused of tracing fan art. In July of 2020, Hartman received backlash for posting a perceived trace of a fan artist's drawing of Ranma from the anime of the same name.

https://t.co/mxw1ilzzU4

— Vinnis Vidya (@VinnisVidya) July 24, 2020

Hartman has yet to respond to accusations of plagiarising other artist's work. Both @028ton and Hartman's tweets are still up, for closer comparison:

ちょっと前に描いたミカサ pic.twitter.com/D6GIMWLpjD

— オットン (@028ton) April 2, 2018

MIKASA ACKERMAN. To order a commission click: https://t.co/C7MMkj0fI4 pic.twitter.com/ikkB6c5c2g

— Butch Hartman (@realhartman) February 20, 2021