Thanks for the invite Alex. This blog is pretty cool.
This is something I posted on my blog.
1) Take an image you want to copy
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2) Trace on top of it
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3) Make separate layers and color pick
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4) Toggle original on/off to check accuracy
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4) Done
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Yeah, I saw this from your blog! Pretty cool. Just don't get too dependent on tracing and color picking, but understand why they did stuff.
ReplyDeleteYou probably know that already though, so I'm just being redundant. :P
Also, in your future post, do you mind tagging your name like at CDA? I already did it in this post for you, but it's a nice way to organize.
Thanks for joining and can't wait to see more stuff from you. :D
yeah thanks. hey you know - i've never think i've seen anyone direct trace/ color pick like i've done here before. i don't see anything wrong with it. it's like people think it's too easy or something. why don't you think people do this?
ReplyDeleteI think it's because people consider it as cheating? I don't know. Especially for learning purposes, I don't think there's anything wrong with it. However, like I said, just be careful not to use it as a crutch and then have to depend on it later. Shrugs.
DeleteJust do whatever it takes to learn. :)
Yeah totally - that's what i thought too!! that it's "cheating." however that implies that there are "rules" to art. I'm breaking rules? saying that there are rules in art is crazier than saying.. ionn.. whatever! right?
Deleteregarding the crutch thing. right. of course. you should be able to draw from life/ imagination. and of course do without it. figure drawing, imagination drawing - don't have that option.
but in terms of drawing. i was just at a demo (mike butkus) where he traced over a blown up version of a photocopy. in fact - plenty of golden age illustrators used projectors. professionals trace all the time. and digital matte painting, people just import the photos and paint right next to them. just plopping a helicopter into the painting or something.
and in terms of color picking. people like charles lee, james paick, criag mullins - they would paint directly on top of photos and color pick from that. everyone color picks from their own paintings during the process of painting.
i feel like no one has ever told us NOT to do this. we've been conditioned at a young age that tracing over stuff was wrong (cuz we sucked at that time and it looked bad). but when you really think about - nothing is stopping us except self-imposed limitations.
i mean - sorry for going all crazy with this discussion. i have a lot to say cuz i've been thinking about this a lot. and if anyone has been anti-arguments - i'd be pleased to hear them. i know i'm really excited about this - i just feel like i'm apart of some kind of political revolution!
I think the only big no no is obviously art theft. So I guess actual tracing might be considered similar to some people, so that's why? Haha, this is all just speculation, I have no idea why for sure.
DeleteIf anything the tracing will help with muscle memory. It's just not my fave way to study is all. I think if you were to copy instead of trace, it'll help train your observation skill more.
totally - i think that 90% of people will say that tracing is cheating. tracing has a really bad rep to it. i've actually traced academically it for quite a bit - so it's been confusing. but let me tell you my experience.
Delete1) when i was learning chinese calligraphy, the teachers would have all the students trace over the masters calligraphy for practice. only after we traced it many many times, were we allowed to write freehand.
2) when i was learning with glen orbik - he encouraged us to put tracing paper over photos and trace over them. we did that to practice our shadow shapes. we would use tracing paper to reduce a complex photo into only 2 values - like a stencil. Now that i told you my experience, here are some tracing myths that I would like to debunk.
myth 1) tracing is easy/ mindless/ lazy
reality: tracing can be incredibly difficult. it's obvious where to draw the lines when there are hard edges. however it becomes a matter of judgement and discretion when you are dealt with many firm, soft and LOST edges. When you have a "LOST" transition - when there is no line - it's really difficult.
there is also a lot of decision making when it comes to making curved vs straight lines. When I was tracing over low contrast drawings, I often had to trace it 3-4 times to get it to read correctly.
myth 2) you don't learn when you trace
reality: you just different things when you trace. when you freehand you focus on the bigger pictures - like composition. That takes up most of your time and energy. When you trace - you can focus more on details - like edges, transitions and stuff. you can really zoom in and learn about the detail handling.
Bicep Curls!
now that i thought about it for a couple of days - I think tracing is simply an isolation exercise - similar to bicep curls. Yes - it is a crutch - but it's a crutch that enables you to work deeper and concentrate more on a particular target.
Yes, you should do observation drawings, imagination drawing also - but tracing is a way to refine and concentrate on certain aspects in your art. I don't think there is any reason NOT to trace/ color pick. Doesn't mean you abandon other parts of your exercise. It's just another supplement to your training - like a vitamin.
Truthfully, it does all come down to a person and how he/she decides to learn drawing. I've actually never heard of (artistic) tracing being used academically (besides for the alphabet!!) because while growing up, I was used to having great artists as teachers who encouraged freehand and said to draw instinctively by chain of thought.
DeleteBut I've seen plenty of new artists start with the form of tracing (and learn from it) because they were unsuccessful with freehand, and a particular style or picture may have also encouraged them to trace it to learn the ways of the original artist. I know I have done that because I thought tracing would give me the closest "replica" of the art, therefore making it an awesome drawing done solely by me!
But eventually I realized that people wouldn't be proud if I traced directly (a pivotal point where my idea of tracing became a no-no), so I learned to observe the drawing or my surroundings instead and re-draw the image as close as possible so that people would be proud of my freehand work. I was receiving encouraging compliments for the hard work, and soon my dad told me I should start taking that and applying my imagination to my freehand.
Ultimately for me, it was observing from life and observing other styles since I was 10 that I picked up on plum lines, angles and composition instinctively - and no teacher has told me this until I finally got into high school/college and I learned the proper terms for it! It was so key that I learn observation that I would even try to pick out the unapparent parts: like the black lines in black colors or shadows or a soft edge.
Tracing may be useful on what you're trying to improve in the end. On the other hand, I feel that tracing something may force you to indirectly pick up bad habits based on another artist's perception; errors that make that particular artist unique.
I don't disagree that one can learn from it, but at the same time I believe an artist with an understanding of the arts shouldn't rely on it either and has the ability to focus on a different approach to learning a subject; therefore challenging themselves and their mind. My form of 'tracing' is a observational redrawing of an image freehand - but that's because that method works for me! (:
I believe tracing would be a form of "cheating" because you're solely taking the work of someone else and altering it to make your own. But in the case of study, it depends on what you're trying to improve. If you're focusing on the painting aspect of this image, then I can understand why you chose to trace it. But if you're studying composition and other parts of the drawing itself, then drawing it freehand would of been a better choice.
ReplyDeleteAlso tracing is laziness, and I feel that it would only make my hand conform to this practice in a negative way. But I don't think color picking it cheating (it's a method of using reference).
thanks for the reply jenki! i posted a reply to alex's comment - i addressed your issues also. please let me know what you think.
DeleteYou have some good points there, Chris.
ReplyDeleteI think it really just matters on the individual and which method works best for him/her. The whole point is just to learn. :) Which ever means it takes for one to get there, just do it :D (Obviously within reason.)
Hey Alex and Jenki - thanks for taking so much time to write your thoughts and comments for this discussion. I certainly found your thoughts worthwhile. I look forward to seeing all our work on this blog in the future.
ReplyDeleteNo problem. :) Now get some images up there mister! D: Doesn't have to be a master copy. :)
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