As the title says. My profile picture was not considered "stock", and was therefore removed.

Most importantly, you need to have the artist's express written permission to use their work(NOTE: almost everything movie/TV/game/comics is copyrighted-do your research before using anything related to these things and make sure they are not copyrighted). Most stock providers on DeviantArt list their stock under the "Resources" category. Many also have additional rules, either in the comments of the deviation itself, on the image, in a journal, or on their main page. If there are no rules in the comments/on the image, make sure to look in these other areas. Some even post their rules in their gallery, and only their gallery, so make sure to look there as well. If they don't have any rules/terms, simply having uploaded their work to the Resources category is your permission to use the stock.

Once you've found the artist's rules/terms, read them closely. Do they limit where their work can be used? Do they require notification that you have used their image? Do they require you to upload it to DA? And so on. If they say "note me about offsite use", do so, and get their permission. In this case, as well as when they ask to see the work, please post your finished piece in the
remarks of the stock used so we can see that proof of notification instantly. Some allow you to ask in the comments, which is even better. No matter what, you must wait until they say yes before using their work. Asking without getting an answer is as bad as not asking at all.

Some artists use the work of others in their stock. After you've made sure you can use the first person's piece , you need to make sure that THEY have permission to use the stock that they did.
<font class="mainline">All stock used MUST come from active accounts! Deactivated accounts cannot be accessed, so their work cannot be used.


Once you have created your piece, you need to add the credits to it. I suggest doing this AFTER you resize the image, using a sans-serif font. Serif fonts, and anything swirly are nearly impossible to read unless they are large, and large credits take away from the image, which no one wants.
Do NOT type out the names by hand! Copy and paste them directly from your browser when on the user's main page. By doing this, you almost completely eliminate the risk of typos. More images are reset due to typos than I care to think about, and it is easily avoided.

If you can, it's best to label where each part is from. So along the lines of "horse: NAME1@DA BG:NAME2@DA Fox:Name3@DA etc"
For images from Flickr, please use the person's username(seen in the address bar), NOT their listed name.
If one of your stock pieces is made from other stock(say the good BG from above), you would credit it like this:
"BG: emerald-depths@DA, austriaangloalliance@DA"
For pre-cut images, please list the pre-cutter first, followed by the original photographer.
If you do not wish to, or do not have room to label where each piece is from, please credit things in the order of horse-BG-other("other" being in order from largest to smallest, or left to right across the image). This is not required, but it does make it MUCH easier to track down the images.

Do NOT forget to include the website where the stock artist has their work posted. Not everyone has their worked posed on DA, or Flickr, so the site needs to be clarified.

Rendering programs, if used, need to be credited as well. A "rendered in programXYZ" is fine.

When using an image from an account with hundreds or thousands of pieces, it is greatly appreciated when you include the number the stock provider has named the image(if they have done so-most of the big guys do). Not required, but greatly appreciated.

If you created a piece, and wish to credit your DA account, please:
Just credit your HEE account instead(the easiest option)
Or
Have your ID# on the image
Or
upload the image to your DA account, and either write in the remarks that it is for your stable to use,
or have your account# clearly listed on your main page/ in the area of your gallery where you placed the image.
ID#s on images are the only real "tell" that an image is being used in the original manner it was meant for. Names change, ID#s don't, and their presence makes verifying things that much easier.

Once your image is complete, you need to upload it to an image-hosting site. DeviantArt is not one of these. Tinypic, photobucket, imageshack, among others, are all good, free choices. Or you can upload them directly to HEE.

When all else fails, hire someone to make the art for you. But remember, you, as the one using the image, are responsible for making sure that the credits are correct before you actually use it! If you are unsure, just message myself or another mod, and we will be happy to help(bonus points if you type out the links and send them to us-we love time-savers!) <font class="mainlineblack">

Thank you very much for your detailed response, yet I still can't quite find my own situation in there. I drew my own character in my own style by hand, and credited myself (my DeviantArt account). Yet it got taken down for not being 'stock'.

What you may want to do is just credit your DA account and your stable number to ensure to anyone you are crediting yourself.

The picture has credits on it. And the person who mailed me after taking it down won't respond.

This is all set :)

Stock is pictures that someone took/drew, and puts it up as a reference, template or art to be used AS LONG as you put their crediting on the bottom.