Is It OK to Trace in Digital Art?
Tracing is a common practice among many digital artists, and it is often defended as an effective technique for learning how to draw. Tracing, however, has its pros and cons.
On the one hand, tracing can be beneficial for those who are unfamiliar with the principles of art such as perspective, anatomy, or color theory. By tracing a reference image, an artist can learn how to draw a particular object or pose without having to learn the nuances of proportions from scratch. This can be especially useful for beginner artists who are just getting started and need a bit of help in that department.
On the other hand, tracing can also be detrimental to an artist’s growth. By relying on tracing too much, an artist may never truly understand the fundamentals of drawing and will continue to rely on it when creating art instead of developing their own unique style. Furthermore, tracing images that aren’t your own can lead to copyright infringement if the reference image isn’t properly credited or even worse if it is not credited at all.
In conclusion, while tracing can be helpful in certain situations, it should not be used too often as it can hinder an artist’s growth and even lead to copyright infringement if done incorrectly. It is important for artists who use tracing as part of their artistic process to understand the implications of doing so and take steps to ensure that they are not infringing on anyone else’s copyright.
Ultimately, each artist must decide for themselves whether or not tracing is right for them and their artistic journey.
Conclusion:
Tracing can be a useful tool for learning how to draw but should not be relied upon too heavily as it can hinder an artist’s growth and lead to copyright infringement if done incorrectly. Each artist must decide for themselves whether or not tracing is suitable for their artistic journey by understanding its implications beforehand