Am I allowed to use a figure drawn by co-author in another paper? I published paper 1 with a co-author A, who drew a very good illustrative figure in the introduction.

I want to submit paper 2 which addresses the same problem (but uses a completely different approach), so the introduction of the problem is pretty much the same. Do I need to ask A for permission to include the figure in paper 2?
I was at the "receiving end" of such a case once. One of my collaborators has used a figure I have drawn for another paper that I was not a co-author of without asking me first. I did not consider this intellectual dishonesty (the figure was neither particularly brilliant nor a lot of work), but I do admit that it stung a little bit to see my own work (however tiny this "work" was) being used without telling. If the collaborator had just dropped a brief email before, I would have certainly not minded.

Bottom line:


  Do I need to ask A for permission to include the figure in paper 2?


Strictly speaking probably not, but you really should tell A.