Why Tracing is Bad

[Bacon_Barbarian]

I'm trying to explain to someone why tracing will never help someone increase their artistic ability. Help please?

[GunZet]

I know it's not what you're looking for, but I support tracing, to a certain degree. I got my start by tracing various super saiyans back in Elementary school, and then I'd go and try to do it without tracing.
Basically tracing is like training wheels, and it's a different form of practice. It lets you feel what other artists are doing, instead of trying to see it and copy it. So to put it nice and simple, tracing is a good way to up your confidence, and learn some new stuff at the same time.

The only downside to tracing, is that you often pick up bits and pieces of the artists work. Every character I drew looked like it was straight out of DBZ for years after I developed my own style. Another thing is that you can get attached to tracing, that's when it gets bad. Don't get attached to tracing, whatever you do. It's only meant to point you in the right direction if you're lost, new, or just trying something out.



tl;dr
Tracing is good, don't abuse it though.

[Hamachi]

For example - would you want to be a pianist that reads off sheet music all the time, or one who actually knows how to play songs from their head and improvise?

Actually, scratch that. Tracing is like playing sheet music with the recording of that song going off in the background for comparison. Sketching from reference or a life source is like playing sheet music. Illustrating, which I imagine is what you'd want to do, is improvising. Now there are skills that are common to all three forms, but the best way to get good at something is to practice doing that very thing.

[Fenn]

For example - would you want to be a pianist that reads off sheet music all the time, or one who actually knows how to play songs from their head and improvise?

Actually, scratch that. Tracing is like playing sheet music with the recording of that song going off in the background for comparison. Sketching from reference or a life source is like playing sheet music. Illustrating, which I imagine is what you'd want to do, is improvising. Now there are skills that are common to all three forms, but the best way to get good at something is to practice doing that very thing.

Tracing is like playing music with the letters written under the notes and on the keys.

[ClockHand]

Tracing is like playing music with the letters written under the notes and on the keys.

like rocksmith?

[nextweek]

like rocksmith?

lol... this is the best example yet

[Fenn]

like rocksmith?

Yes. Like Rocksmith.


I think tracing is okay when you're younger, but really once you have a sense of making lines on paper and how it feels to draw I'd go with, at the least, copying (as in looking at an image and drawing it).

[Cloudy]

Actually I have to disagree, tracing can help you develop skills similar to copying, it's only really bad if you claim the art you trace as your own.

[AlphaShard]

Agreed. Tracing actually lets your arm learn how to move in sync with your hand.

[FrancysPai]

I use tracing to do anatomy studies. I basically draw all of the structure lines over the original image (all the muscles, the circles, lines etc. The basics down to "the blobs) and try and mimic it on a separate part.