Is Tracing in Art Cheating?
Hi art friends! Today I'd like to talk about tracing in art, and add my two cents' worth on this very controversial subject.
So, is tracing in art a bad thing, and is it “cheating”? In this post I’ll explain why and when I use the tracing method in my art. And then, a bit later, when do I think is it NOT OK to trace.
Goodness knows, there are tons of information on the internet about this topic, and to be honest, I’ve reached a point where I no longer apologise, try and justify or even hide the fact that I use this “art tool” in my work.
As you might have gathered by now, I’m not against tracing in art, and here's why I think there’s validation in the trace and transfer method:
Like I just mentioned, tracing is an art tool, and the method has been around since the mid 1600’s, where well known artists like Vermeer, Caravaggio and even Da Vinci used the camera obscura, to reflect and trace the outlines of their subjects onto canvas or paper. Which is one of the main reasons that I don’t think it’s cheating!
In my own art I trace mainly for portrait commissions or to create a composite of various subjects.
When drawing someones face (or even animals), I think it’s crucial to have everything in proportion, in the right place and positioned correctly on the paper. Being a perfectionist, I’ve ruined many expensive drawing papers by drawing, erasing and redrawing. Or getting the drawing perfect, but composed or positioned all wrong on the paper. When working on commissions, 99% of the time there’s a deadline for completion and delivery. By tracing the subject, you can get to work almost immediately, without any of the hassle and stress of erasing and redrawing until it’s perfect. Anyway, who has time these days to draw and erase until the cows come home…?
So, tracing saves time, frustration and expensive art paper!
Something I realized later, is that the client is not concerned about how you went about the process, they’re interested in the end result. And honestly, seeing the joy on a client’s face when receiving the artwork, is way more satisfying, than worrying about whether or not they’ll judge me for starting with a traced outline.
Which brings me to my next point;
When you trace an image and transfer it onto your support, it is still just a flat skeleton of the image. Rendering it to look like a true, 3 dimensional version of the subject, takes some artistic skill, knowledge and many, many hours of practice.
Since I don’t need every single little detail, but only the vital information of the subject, I always make sure that the transfer on my paper is VERY light. Which means that I often lose my outlines after starting the actual rendering.
Those outlines I draw in by hand again, by carefully studying and observing my reference picture. And that means that I’m still practicing the basic art skills of observation and the all-important hand-eye co-ordination; which ties in with my next point;
Over time I realised that I was building muscle memory by tracing. If you trace something once, you probably won’t be able to freehand it straight away. But tracing it a few times over and over, creates a muscle memory for certain lines, shapes and curves, and you’ll be able to freehand the same thing a lot easier and with more precision after a while.
And now, when do I think is it NOT OK to trace?
When drawing in my sketchbook I don’t trace. I love taking breaks from perfectly rendered, realistic work. That’s when I’ll just pick up a pencil or even paint, and create something loose, expressive and painterly. Long before tracing, I was drawing everything freehand. I drew a lot, so I was gaining lots and lots of practice! So, by now, I’m pretty comfortable with my ability to draw something from observation only, whether it’s from life or from a reference picture.
When working on a larger scale, I prefer to freehand the initial drawing. I might use a proportional divider, ruler or the grid method to get the proportions right, but I draw the rest in by hand.
Using shapes, squinting and the aforementioned muscle memory, are all great additional art tools for drawing accurately.
Last bus not least, and probably most important: DON'T TRACE another artists' art. This is definitely a big no-no!
So I’d say avoid tracing if you’re just learning how to draw. Practice drawing basic shapes, lines and curves first. Practice a lot! And get super comfortable and confident with your freehand drawing skills!
Don’t use tracing as a crutch, but rather as an art tool in your arsenal of art supplies!
I hope you find this article helpful in your daily art endeavours, and as always, remember to follow your art! ♥