I found myself that for practicing blender (modelling, lighting and shading) most of the times I try to recreate scenes from other artists.
And of course, this forum is a great source. Sometimes are images seen in other comunities like https://www.houzz.es/ or other sites, but this forum is a great inspiration.
Is a dilemma for me. Because as I advance in the recreation of the scenes the question is: is it ethical to publish and show a work the isnt yours in the original idea? The goal most of the times is to get the scene as similar as possible to the original.
As long as you link the other artist’s work and provide credit to them. Then I see no problem with recreating other works unless you’re trying to sell it as your own.
As a youngster, I spent many wonderful afternoons in various galleries in London, Paris and Cape Town, copying masters with pencil, charcoal and pad. It gave me an excuse to get away from boarding school and I managed to make a bit of money on the side. I think it is essential for developing your artistic voice and a great learning exercise. Nowadays, in what is becoming an extremely litigious society, I would be careful, always give credit where due and try give your creations your own spin…
If the artist in question freely published his work on a forum like BA, I think that (s)he clearly intended to show it off – “for advertising purposes,” if you will – and might even be flattered to see a variation of it being posted in like manner (and for the same reason).
However:
“Always ask, first.” Professional Courtesy, you know … Also, cite the source; give a hyperlink to it. Share the love …
Whether or not a visible copyright notice appears on the work – it should, but it often doesn’t – remember that yours is clearly “a Derivative Work” for something over which an implied copyright exists. “Play fair.” It would not for example be kosher to try to make money.
The presence of a “watermark” or any such thing might (strongly …) imply that the author has different feelings about the work, and if so I would frankly just choose a different work to copy.
In short, "be ethical about it." Painters have been learning their craft by seeking to copy the work of masters since paintbrushes were invented. (Of course, the works that they are copying are usually in the public domain.)