But should you consider tracing art as cheating or plagiarism?

It’s been a subject of debate for many years… 

But rather than having a fixed view of the morals of tracing, it’s important to understand the context behind its use in artwork. 

Is tracing art so bad? I know what I think… 

What is tracing in art?

Tracing is the artistic practice of reproducing and transferring an existing image to a new surface. This method is used to get a more accurate copy of an image or replicate detailed parts of a reference. Tracing in art can be done using a number of different techniques.

The practice of tracing and reproducing designs has an extremely long history in art. Modern artists aren’t the first to come up with this idea:-)

For example, the ancient Egyptians used a tracing technique known as “pouncing” to copy outlines onto a surface. 

They would make an accurate outline on a sheet of fabric and then perforate the lines with small holes. This was placed over a new surface and sprinkled with charcoal or pigment powder, which was pushed through the holes. The dotted outline was used as a guide for painting.

It’s even possible that many of the masterpieces we admire today used some kind of tracing method! A few researchers suggest that as far back as 1430, artists used optical projections of real-life subjects with lenses.

Tracing methods were, and still are, used by many artists for learning and practice or when accurate reproduction is necessary.

Over the years, artists have come up with a multitude of ingenious ways to transfer pictures. 

Some Tracing Techniques:

Some of the more common ways to transfer art include:

• Transfer paper – artists place a sheet of graphite-coated paper between the reference image and the destination surface. The pressure applied while drawing over the image transfers marks to the surface beneath.
• Projection methods – You can use an optical projector to “project” the original image onto a surface for tracing. This is very practical for changing the scale of the picture. (Amazon)
• The grid method – By drawing a series of equally spaced lines over the reference image and the destination sheet, artists draw what they see in each grid onto the corresponding square on the blank sheet.
• Freehand tracing – You can copy an image using a transparent sheet of tracing paper. The artist hand draws directly on top, then rubs graphite on the back of the tracing paper. By drawing over the outline, you can transfer it to a different surface.
• Light tables and lightboxes – These handy devices illuminate the source image from behind. You can then place a blank sheet on top and use the back-lit image to copy an outline.
• Use a window – if you don’t have a light table, similar results can be achieved by taping your reference onto glass. Place a sheet of paper on top, and the image will show through, making it possible to trace.

Is Tracing Art Bad?

Tracing art is not bad, and there are many valid reasons for using tracing methods in your creative endeavors. 

Let me put your mind at rest if you’re in an agonizing dilemma about whether tracing artwork is cheating.

No! It is not… And here are some excellent reasons why:

• Tracing is a valuable time-saving technique.
• It helps start your artwork with the correct proportions. 
• Composite artwork: Create new compositions and combine elements in new creative ways.
• Use simplified tracing and finish the drawing yourself, leaving most of the creative skill to the artist.
• Learning: Trace only a few reference lines and finish with hand- drawing to improve your skills.
• Incorporate elements from your previous sketches or artwork.
• Artistic Exploration: You can fill a traced outline using your imagination and individual creative style. 
• More precise basis for a work of art (particularly when working on complicated subjects and details).
• Practice: Tracing the same subject several times to practice drawing specific things.
• Change the scale of a drawing without losing proportions.

I’m sure you can probably think of some other good reasons

Some of you may know that I trained and worked as an architect. Tracing was an essential part of the creative process when I was studying. I remember we used to buy translucent rolls of thin yellow training paper (vast amounts of the stuff!). I would use my previous sketches to trace over, keeping the interesting parts and coming up with new options. Also, to work on plans of different building levels, tracing was an indispensable work tool!

Not all tracing is bad, and it can be a legitimate part of a creative process. Tracing can be just as innovative as drawing from scratch.

If you think about it, artists use some form of tracing or copying all the time. For example, artists often use proportional dividers or grid methods to obtain the proper scale and proportions.

If you’re not confident about drawing a subject using freehand, tracing is an excellent helping hand to get started.

When working with watercolors, I trace my artwork all the time, and I encourage my students to do the same. It’s a great way to get started quickly from an accurate outline.

And to be honest, I’m too impatient to get on with the painting part to spend loads of time making a precise drawing

My preferred method of tracing is to use a light box like this. This is the quickest and most straightforward approach to tracing a sketch outline. 

Read my guide for more detailed help on how to trace pictures onto paper.

Is tracing art good for beginners?

Tracing can be a valuable tool for beginners. Artists have been using tracing techniques as a way to emulate and learn from others for centuries! Or simply as a way to make the first stages of an artwork easier. 

You’ll even find a bunch of phone apps to help with this process!

Tracing apps 

Tracing is often used to recreate a contour or outline of the subject. But this is only a tiny part of the creative process. Artistic skill is still needed to complete the picture, and the most challenging aspect of successful artwork relies on building your drawing and painting skills.

Tracing can help you achieve accuracy, but it doesn’t replace the need for understanding concepts such as perspective, composition, values, shading, color mixing, and color theory! These fundamental skills form the foundation of any artistic capabilities.

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Is tracing a bad way to learn?

Using some form of tracing is good when learning to draw and helps produce more confident lines and hand-to-eye coordination. However, the use of tracing should be measured against the artist’s purpose.

Tracing is a helpful support technique to get you progressing in the right direction when you’re learning to draw or paint. A large part of drawing accurately is about comparing your work with the original reference. Artists use various methods to accomplish this, including tracing.

But remember, if your overall objective is to learn to draw by hand, it should not wholly replace drawing by eye. 

Challenge yourself to draw using observation techniques rather than tracing.

Find your art style through tracing

Tracing can be a starting point for artists to experiment with different styles, compositions, or color schemes. It provides a framework that artists can modify or enhance to create unique and original artworks.

Tracing can also serve as a valuable exercise for artists seeking to discover and refine their artistic style. By tracing various reference images or designs in different styles, artists can understand what resonates with them creatively.

Is tracing still art?

Artistic expression can take a wide range of forms. The act of tracing is not widely considered “art,” and it’s more like a tool or technique that can serve educational or some practical use. But it can be regarded as part of the artistic process, especially when used as a foundation for more elaborate and creative work.

And if you trace your artwork, you’re not alone. Plenty of well-known artists have used this process to benefit their art…

Famous artists who trace

1. Pablo Picasso occasionally used tracing and transfer techniques in his early career. One example is his 1904 painting “La Vie,” in which he incorporated traced elements from earlier sketches into the composition.
2. Andy Warhol frequently used a slide projector to trace and reproduce iconic images in his sketches. 
3. Chuck Close, known for his photorealistic portraits, transposed photographs onto canvas. His large-scale paintings, such as “Big Self-Portrait,” are created through this method.
4. Edgar Degas, the Impressionist artist, utilized tracing and transferring techniques in his drawings and pastels. He often traced from his own sketches and photographs.
5. Leonardo da Vinci employed the grid method and is suspected of using other techniques, such as lens projections, to transfer his intricate sketches and studies onto various surfaces.

To trace or not to trace?

I’m a big fan of tracing; if I couldn’t quickly transfer my references onto watercolor paper, I would lose a lot of time. That’s the main reason why I regularly trace.

What’s wrong with that?

And after all, I’m only translating an outline onto the sheet. 

Believe me, the work is far from finished at that point

The post Is Tracing Art Bad? (Find Out The Truth!) first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

In fact you’ll be surprised how convincingly you can convey a subject, if you use this method. I’ll even tell you how to make the initial part of any drawing even simpler! 

The concepts that I want to share with you here are also incredibly useful for understanding how to paint. In fact, they can be applied to most mediums, like colored crayons, watercolors, or other paints like gouache.

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to break down the process for drawing any subject realistically into a step by step approach.

The 5 Steps Of Drawing

To draw realistically, these are the steps I suggest you follow:

1. Create an Outline
2. Establish highlights
3. Shade the midtones
4. Add shadow tones
5. Blend and lift

Hmm…

That probably sounds puzzling, but I promise it will become clearer as you progress through each part! Even if you’re not confident in your drawing skills I’ll show you ways to apply this method that make drawing less complicated!

Here’s a visual example of that step-by-step process using a close-up of the drawing in this tutorial.

What is the key to drawing realistically?

Of all the various components of art, proper use of values is the most effective way to express a subject realistically. 

You might have already heard this, but values (or tonal values if you prefer) are an artist’s way of expressing “light” and “dark”, and everything in between!

A typical value scale looks like this:

When drawing or painting, you might get the proportions slightly wrong, or mix the colors badly, but if you get the values of a subject right, you have a better chance of conveying a realistic scene, and a believable sense of light, depth and three-dimensions.

That’s why it’s important to build a good framework of values in your artwork. 

To do this more easily, in the steps for this drawing you’ll notice I concentrate on 3 main values:

• Light values (or highlights)
• Mid values
• Dark values (or shadow shapes)

By focusing on highlights, midtones and shadows (or white, gray and black if you prefer) you can simplify the creation of depth and realism.

But of course, the tricky part is identifying the light, mid, and dark tones! 

This gets easier the more you practice, but there are a few tools and applications you can use to help with this exercise.

For example, the “See Value” app and the “Value Study” app are two phone applications that let you turn any photo into a value scale image. You can easily adjust the level of detail and range of tonal values. 

Here’s what my reference image looks like when transformed into a three-level value study using one of these apps.

You can also use a traditional gray scale value finder like this one:

Step by Step Realistic Drawing Tutorial

For this drawing demonstration I’ll be using this composition of some cherry tomatoes.

Before starting this drawing I used the See Value app on my phone to simplify the reference photo, and create a value scale image with just 3 tonal values, in black, gray and white. This grayscale reference image helps me determine the shapes of the highlights, midtones, and shadow shapes.

This gives me a real advantage to draw more realistically!

I then printed out a copy of the original photo and the value scale reference image so I can refer to them during the sketching process.

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The tools I Used:

This drawing is rendered with graphite pencil. I used a soft 4B pencil to get a reasonable range of dark tones. It was drawn on a sheet of bristol vellum paper (this type of paper has a slight “tooth” or texture which helps capture mediums like graphite).

The other things you’ll need are as follows:

• An HB pencil
• A blending pencil
• A ruler
• And erasers (I prefer kneaded erasers and the mechanical pencil style erasers)

(Includes links to Amazon)

Step 1 (Creating the outline)

Drawing an accurate outline is the first challenge in realistic drawing. To convey the subject in a believable way, the size and proportions of the main shapes need to be translated into a convincing line drawing.

There are a couple of ways to do this pretty easily:

1. Use a grid system to draw freehand
2. Trace the reference image

Tracing is not cheating! After all, you’re only laying down a sketch outline of the subject. The rest of the drawing process relies on your artistic judgment. But an accurate line drawing provides a proper foundation, and gets you off to a flying start!

Most of the time I use a light board like this to trace my subjects. This is by far the most straightforward and rapid way to trace. (Amazon)

Alternatively you can use a drawing grid as a visual aid.

This is the method I used here. This takes longer, but doing it this way also improves your hand to eye coordination. 

Begin by putting a frame around the edges on the printed reference photo, (in my case this is 8 by 11 inches). Then I drew some 1 inch grid lines over the image.

Next, take a sheet of bristol drawing paper and reproduce the grid, with the same number of gridlines. In this case I simply used the same dimensions and drew a 8 by 11 inch mesh.

I’m doing this with a HB pencil and using a very light pressured line. Keep in mind you want to erase the guidelines later on. (A medium soft pencil and a light touch will make it possible to erase without leaving a mark on the paper surface).

Switch to a soft drawing pencil such as a 4B. Begin drawing the big shapes of the cherry tomatoes. Don’t go into detail or add any shading at this stage. I’m only laying down the outer edges of the tomato shapes, and the leafy stalks. 

Use the grid as a visual guide to place the drawing lines in the correct locations. For example, look for the places where the shapes intersect the guidelines. Then locate the same position on the drawing paper by counting the number of grids, horizontally and vertically. Place a mark at these intersections then join up the points. Look back and forth between the reference and your sketch to judge the angles and position of your lines by sight.

When you’ve finished outlining the big shapes in the composition, erase all the guidelines using a kneaded eraser. These have the advantage of not leaving any debris on the paper surface, and you can pinch and mold them into a small point for more accurate erasing.

Mechanical pencil style erasers are also good for precise erasing.

Step 2 (Identifying the highlights and light tones)

Now with the help of the simplified value scale reference image, I located and sketched in all the highlights. Draw the highlight shapes with a light pencil line. Use your observational skills to roughly pinpoint and sketch these light-valued shapes.

Doing this will make the next step less complicated.

These shapes will be left untouched so the white paper shows through to represent the lightest values.

Step 3 (Shading the mid tone values)

Now that you know where your highlights are, you can shade the midtone layer of your pencil sketch.

Simply shade over the whole of the tomato shapes using an evenly applied hatching. Leave the highlights untouched. Use medium pressure and try to keep the hatch lines consistent. 

Don’t worry about varying the shading or trying to replicate the realism of the original reference image at this stage. Just put a gray tone over the big shapes, avoiding the highlights. 

Step 4 (Add the dark valued shadow shapes)

In the same way you drew the highlight shapes, now you can locate and roughly sketch in the dark shadow forms on the tomatoes. Again, you can use the value scale reference image to help with this.

Begin by outlining the shapes of the form shadows, then fill them in with a darker hatching. Use a bit more pressure on the pencil tip and apply an uniform shading to fill in these shapes.

Also, don’t worry if your hatching seems rough and uneven. You’ll be fixing this in the next step!

Don’t forget to add shadow shapes to the stalks and leaves.

Step 5 (Blend smoothly and adjust light toned shape with an eraser)

The final step is where the magic happens!

You now have a drawing with the highlights, midtones and shadow shapes blocked out. But the sketch still looks fairly basic.

In the following stage you can start adjusting the overall shading and blend the edges between the different areas of light and dark. I’m using a blending pencil for this, but similar tools such as a blending stump (sometimes called a tortillon) will also do the trick!

Work over the surface of the hatched lines, varying the direction of the strokes with the blending pencil. This helps to smudge the edges between the halftone and darker hatching lines. At the same time, rubbing the paper “burnishes” the layers of pencil lines. This action flattens the paper slightly and pushes the graphite into the paper surface. This distributes the pencil lines more evenly and deepens the tonal values slightly.

Little by little you’ll see the pencil marks blend smoothly and become deeper and darker in tone.

After the blending step, you may find some areas look too dark. This is where you can use an eraser to lift some of the graphite off the paper and reintroduce some subtle highlights such as areas of reflected light.

Use your observational powers to discern these more subtle changes in tonal value on the original reference photo and try to reproduce these in your drawing.

Voila!

Now you’re a master at realistic drawing

This drawing method uses only three simplified tonal values – lights, midtones, and dark values. I hope you can see how breaking down a subject into a limited value scale like this makes realistic drawing so much easier!

Now go check out this other tutorial where I’ll show you how to apply a similar method that lets you paint with depth and realism!

The post How Do You Draw a Realistic Drawing Step by Step? (EASY!) first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

It can get pretty confusing!

I have my own preferred method, but of course, you’re not limited to just one technique. 

Below I’ll explain the options available for tracing a picture onto a sheet of paper. And I’ll even explain the pros and cons of each method

(Let’s get one thing clear…

You don’t need to know how to draw to enjoy painting or watercolors!

I can hear a lot of you breathing a sigh of relief. But I almost always start with a reference photo of the subject I want to paint and transfer it to watercolor paper.

Even if you prefer to start with a hand-drawn sketch of your subject, it’s better to draw on a separate sheet of ordinary paper and then transfer it onto watercolor paper when ready.

Suppose you choose to sketch directly onto watercolor paper. In that case, you’ll need to modify the drawing and erase any errors before you’re happy with the results. The problem is that you’ll end up with many pencil marks, which you’ll have to remove. And when you make excessive use of an eraser on watercolor paper can damage the delicate sizing on the surface.)

So how do you easily transfer a sketch onto watercolor paper?

The Best Way to Trace a Picture onto Paper

The ideal way to copy an image onto a blank sheet of paper is to use a drawing light board. This is a quick and clean method for transferring an image from a reference picture. It saves a lot of time and doesn’t leave a mess.

Having traced multiple photos and sketches onto thick paper over the years, this is my favorite way of copying references onto a clean sheet.

What is a light board for drawing?

A drawing light board, also called a “light pad” or a “lightbox,” is an LED screen that lights up an image from behind, making it easy to trace onto most paper types. 

You can even trace onto relatively thick paper stock, like 140lb watercolor paper.

This is the quickest, easiest, and most comfortable way to trace a subject onto paper.

Before investing in this handy piece of equipment, I struggled to trace drawings, using inadequate and frankly awkward methods.

For example, you can trace by placing your sheets flat against a window, but after a few minutes, the upright position causes pain in your arms! Or you can use traditional methods like carbon tracing sheets, which transfer a graphite outline onto the paper. But this tends to leave streaks and creates an indentation on the paper’s surface, which you cannot remove!

With LED technology becoming much cheaper, it’s possible to buy a decent light pad for the same price as a few packs of carbon paper!

This is the kind that I use (link to Amazon)

My own light table is quite big. I prefer the large size for comfort reasons. But you can quite easily use a small-sized light board and move your sheet around for tracing a larger image.

Using a Light Board

Using a light table is incredibly simple.

However, here are a few tips for getting the best out of this transfer method…

The best technique I have found is to fix the reference image to the back of the blank sheet using low-tack masking tape. This has a couple of advantages.

• It stops the reference image from moving around, so you don’t lose the correct position.
• Also, if you only put tape along the top edge, you can hinge the watercolor paper up from time to time to get a better view of the reference image underneath. This is especially useful if you’re using a photo reference, where it can sometimes be challenging to discern edges.

Here’s how I trace a picture using a light board, step by step:

1. Place your reference image on the light table and put a couple of strips of masking tape on the top corners, sticky side facing up, of course.
2. Next, lay a sheet of watercolor paper over the reference image. Take a few moments to align the image the way you want it. Then press down on the tape to make it stick to the underside of the watercolor paper.
3. As an added precaution, turn the paper over and add an extra strip of tape along the top edge.
4. Use a light graphite pencil, such as an HB, to trace the image onto your clean sheet of paper. 

The light table works really well. Even with thick 300 gsm / 140lb watercolor paper, you can easily see through the sheet for tracing art.

How to Trace with Carbon Paper 

This special type of “transfer paper” can be used to trace a picture. Place the carbon paper between your reference image and the blank paper, then trace a freehand outline using a pen or pencil.

Some of you may want to avoid investing in a light table. The next best method for transferring drawings is to use carbon paper. 

1. Place a blank sheet on top of the watercolor paper.
2. Position the original drawing over the carbon sheet. 
3. When you press down using a pencil to retrace the outline, some of the carbon gets transferred to the underlying sheet of paper at the bottom of the pile.

However, carbon or graphite paper is not always the best option. I’ve always found carbon paper messy, and I end up with smudges everywhere! The lines can also be quite dark and difficult to erase.

Tracing Using a Window

The backlight from a window during the daytime provides an easy way to trace a picture without needing special equipment.

To make the process easier:

1. Tape the original reference picture to the window at a comfortable height for drawing.
2. Position the blank sheet of paper over the reference, and tape it down.
3. Trace a freehand outline using a pencil.

The biggest drawback of this method is the awkward position. Drawing upright with your arm held in the air for an extended length of time can be uncomfortable for many people.

How to use tracing paper to transfer an image

Because tracing paper is semi-transparent, you can see through it to the underlying reference image. However, using it to transfer an image is a long process involving multiple steps. Therefore, this method is more time-consuming than other direct tracing or transfer techniques.

1. Fix the reference image onto a tabletop or flat board.
2. Tape a sheet of tracing paper over the top, so it doesn’t move around.
3. Trace a freehand outline of the subject onto the tracing paper.
4. Turn the sheet of tracing paper over.
5. Cover the reverse side of the traced outline with a layer of graphite using a stick or a soft pencil.
6. Now carefully position the prepared tracing paper over a blank sheet (Tape both down, so they don’t move around).
7. Retrace the outline one more time. The graphite on the underside will transfer onto the blank sheet thanks to the pressure of the pencil tip.

As you can see, this is a longer process, and there are many opportunities for the final sheet to become smudged! If you apply pressure with your hand resting on the tracing paper, you can deposit smears of graphite where they are not intended.

It’s a long-winded technique! 

I prefer to do things quicker

Printing line drawings onto watercolor paper

Using a printer is another option to consider if you want to quickly get an outline onto a final paper sheet before painting or drawing.

This method is helpful if you already have a digital file with an outline (sketch outlines are available for most of my own online tutorials).

The process needs little explanation, but there are a couple of caveats. 

1. Will the printer take thick paper stock? You need a minimum paper weight of 140 lb when doing watercolor painting. This is pretty thick.
2. Is your printer ink waterproof? Non-waterproof ink will run when you apply water. If the outline is very light, this is not a problem. On the other hand, waterproof ink means the underlying sketch outline will remain visible even after painting.

I suggest testing your home printer to try this out and see if it fits your needs.

To Sum Up

You can see now why light boards like this are my best-loved method for tracing pictures. 

Transferring an image is not the most enjoyable or important part of the creative process.

I prefer to get it done quickly so I can have fun painting

The post How To Trace A Picture Onto Paper (Easy Way to Copy & Transfer!) first appeared on Watercolor Affair.