Your Opinion on -Tracing-

[Crusoe]

I think tracing is fine for personal use, so only just for studying poses, not for ocs of to make money of of, because then you're profiting of of someone's work. I think referencing is fine though

[NickRowler]

This is how I see it

If it is someone else's art, you can trace it if it is only going to be for your own personal use. Like practice drawings or stuff for your wall.

I don't think you should trace for professional projects unless it is a photo you took yourself or it is a stock image you paid for.

For non-professional stuff posted online, it should be something that you have permission to trace, like free bases, memes, or an artist who says it is OK. However you should always give credit. It should also not be something that you plan to profit off of.

[Tlallimanallico]

I think it's wrong to trace someone's artwork but idk about photos. I trace photos for my backgrounds but I always make sure I use free images. I really suck at backgrounds and I need to work at that

[MrOwl]

Tracing is either a tool, or a crutch, it depends on the artist, Greg land's an example of a professional tracing artist:

[Inspector_Spinda]

that heart attack man meme is amazing

[DiscountedArtist]

I don't want anyone tracing my work and claiming it's theirs, online or not. I don't know why someone would want to trace my art, because it's not that hard to draw it. Tracing for practice is fine though.

[MrOwl]

that heart attack man meme is amazing

Greg Land not only trace memes, he also traces p0rn...

[DokiDokiTsuna]

There's no problem with tracing for personal practice. But if the resulting work is gonna be shown to the public; the very least you could do is credit your sources. ESPECIALLY if you're making money off of it.

[inubasket]

I read somewhere that said to avoid tracing other's people art-- not just because of copyright etc, but because when you trace someone's art, you're tracing their mistakes, too.

It said if you want to learn, you should start by tracing pictures of real people, and figure out the anatomy of the human body while you're at it. After you feel like you understand anatomy a bit better, then graduate to drawing your own characters while just looking at the references. That'll also help you come up with your own drawing style too!

[GesuGesu]

I don't care if they trace, as long as they make some changes so it's not line-for-line.

You can really tell the skill level of someone based on their trace. Some will have shaky, newbish lines despite tracing. A skillful person would make their trace almost unnoticeable by adding their own style to it.

[HGohwell]

Depends on the situation. Like, I don't trace for my comic, but I do use 3d dolls and depending on who you ask that can sometimes also be tracing because you're still not doing the anatomy work yourself. More commonly, I mash up photos for backgrounds, especially cities and use that as my sketch layer. I have been known to paint over photos when I see one that hits me just right as well. I think the most important thing is intent and credit. I don't exclusively trace or paint over and I'm always very careful to use free to use and edit stock photos (the editing part is important, some people don't know there's a difference between using and editing in stock photos) and that credit is given. And I'm also up front about it when I do it. I'm not trying to deceive people. For instance, once or twice when drawing fanart, I've taken a screenshot and edited it so I just have the background when I'm too lazy to draw it (I say that, editing it often takes longer and more effort than doing it myself). Or something I'm quite fond of is redrawing gacha game cards as different characters who share the same voice actor, but again, I'm always very clear that it's just a redraw/trace over of official art, and I think that's fine. And also, I mean, tracing doesn't magically make you're art amazing. You could give someone experienced and someone new the same thing to trace and the results would tell you which was which. It's not a fix all no matter what some people think.

So yeah, as long as you're honest about it if you post it and have proper permission and credit, it's not a huge deal. What's not fine is relying only on tracing and claiming it as totally your own.

[CodeMonkeyArts]

I used to make a collage of different body parts to trace over if I was struggling with a certain limb (hands or feet specifically), but then I got Design Doll to help with poses and body proportions so even with the bodies I trace, technically these are still my creations. I use photo references for lighting and also if I needed inspiration for a landscape/architecture.

I think tracing is fine when doing a screen redraw, or if, like myself, you created the reference with a program. However, I don't care for tracing over someone else artwork and claiming it. That is basically plagiarism in my opinion.

[inubasket]

I have Designdoll (3D doll program) and use that a lot! Considering that you have to spend a lot of time physically making the doll and THEN pose it how you like, I don't count that as "cheating" since you still literally do all the work yourself. I mainly use it to help me with overhead shots lol, or if I need help with hands or feet etc.

[NickRowler]

when you trace someone's art, you're tracing their mistakes, too.

Yes this. When I was younger I used to trace anime art to better understand flat shading and I quickly learned that a lot of the pictures had really bad proportions. And some people may not pick up on it because they just see bright colors and big anime eyes.

[Darth_Biomech]

Tracing is just evil at worst, and worthless waste of effort at best.
At worst you're basically plagiarizing somebody else, which is both immoral and illegal.
At best you're not learning anything out of the act, since all you're doing is a game of "connect the dots".

Better to set that photo aside and try to copy-paint it in a new document. That's a legitimate drawing exercise.

[ChaoticConstellation]

Like many posts on here, I think it depends.

If I'm struggling with a pose, I'll find the pose online and trace the shape (like using circles for placement) then do my sketch over my 'trace' only. I still tweak it and add my own details, and I try to avoid using other artists work, so I opt for like stock photos.

But with backgrounds I tend to do line art over a reference image (usually something I built in the Sims 4 for interiors), not using it as a 1 to 1 but getting the perspective right.

When I was younger I did a lot of tracing, usually very close to 1 to 1 on everything. It was a learning process. I didn't post that stuff though because even though it was traced it still looked bad. But it really helped me get a grasp of anatomy at a young age and helped me develop a style.

Tracing is transitional, and is only bad if you lie about doing it or are trying to gain profit from it.

[rajillustration]

The only time I trace is if it's for a task in the background that is especially precise--so if I get a 3d render of a building and I need that framework, or if I have a photo of trees and I do parts of the tree and then take those parts and mix em up--photobashing essentially. But I do that with a lot of knowledge of 3d and backgrounds from years and years of study. I'm only doing it to save time.

But like others have said, the thing about photos is that tracing tends to look incorrect. The lens we use in cameras will distort the human figure--especially faces, so when you trace you are not actually getting perfect anatomy unless the shot was taken from very far away. We don't notice this in photography because we are taught to never doubt a photo--but in illustration it will stick out like a sore thumb, so, learn your anatomy. Still use reference photos, but check it with anatomy.

(this is also true of using 3d renders, PS--cameras will distort your mannequin, so make sure to check that anatomy)

When it comes to your own personal work you want to be careful. I saw a picture the other day someone did where the face of the full portrait was very clearly inspired by a different artist's work--they very clearly traced and then used the liquify tool to make it their own (it had a certain color pattern) and while it technically wasn't breaking copyright--OH BOY was it a bad look. The artist they were copying was very twitter famous, and did not approve of them selling the image, and asked them to take it down, and they were refusing because legally it's different enough to be allowed, and then all these other big time artists were dogpiling as well as smaller artists and OH BOY was it a situation.

So like...there's a 30% rule that you have to change enough so only 30% of the original reference remains but...be so very careful. If there's something particularly noteworthy about the original, a certain idea that has become so popular that it's that artist's brand...not even liquify will save you. You really just need to do something different.

[gempompadour]

Oh god, is this the same guy that used porn to draw women in fighting poses? Lmao, those examples are hilarious tho

[byelacey]

Tracing, when used ethically, is a tool.

Photos I took, sketchup models I made, 3d CSP dolls I've posed, I trace them all. Having a 3d room put together not only helps me imagine characters in a space and keep things consistent, but it also saves time. Same with posing a 3d doll rather than drawing a skeleton.

Not everything is about personal growth, sometimes you need to get things done, and assets you own or have licensing rights to are just another tool at your disposal.

[azzy-m]

Tracing is actually a pretty good way to learn how to draw something, or when you're referencing something. Kind of what the point of bases are (do people still use those? I remember them being a thing when I was on dA). Comics do this all the time with backgrounds and some poses that are difficult to draw.

The thing I do for poses I find difficult to draw is that I make a quick 3D pose on Magic Poser (an app you can have on your phone), import it on to my computer, and try to trace basic shapes over them so I can draw - if what I said makes sense-

A problem arises is when someone outright traces the drawing itself and calls it "their art" - that's just lazy. If it's another artist's work, like they trace it over, maybe change the colors a bit, and say it's their art, then that's just art theft. I usually see kids who are unaware of what art theft is do this, so it's best to inform them that thats not okay, but sometimes you get adults who are more often not PROFESSIONALS IN THE INDUSTRY (like Butch Hartman, dear god), doing this, and I'm like... why?