[Oshia]

Ive been drawing with my PC for about 3 years on anad off, not realy done much because im such a slow worker and tend to get bored before i finnish.
But recently ive been using my own photographs, scanned and then "traced" over (so to say), this saves me a hellova lot of time.
But once a picture is finnished I feel kind of ashamed that its not truely my drawing skills, and im missleading people.

Ive never had any real drawing lessons, and what i do is mainly for fun, but if i want to make a career of this......... i meen im gonna be useless
Please tell me other people do this???

[sfr]

I'm certainly not an expert, but if you want to make a career out of it, then you probably should make an effort to improve your drawing skills - most jobs require the ability to bang out stuff from your imagination without photo shoots, extensive reference hunts or whatever method of support. (Most jobs, but not all - for example, I think a texture painter doesn't really need drawing and anatomy skills, as much as general painting experience, an eye for color and the ability to make use of reference material.)

On the other hand, if you're doing it for the "art", the pleasure it gives you, then I really don't see why it would matter. I think people in this forum tend to be a bit too purist about these things. In my opinion, if you're doing it for the fun, why take pressure to do things differently just because of some imposed norm. Just keep on doing the stuff you really like doing, but don't forget to try something new when you feel like it - you'll probably gain from the challenge. Sorry if you find this to be naive advice, it's just my feeling

Saffron

[gLitterbug]

I�d think pretty everyone tried tracing some day in his art career, but I for myself see not much use in it nor does it have much to do with skill.
Everyone can do whatever he wants, and cheating would be if you said you drew it yourself when you just traced something. But I�m pretty sure that if you say you traced it right away from the start that most will look down on you, saying "ah it�s only traced".

To prevent that and even more important to improve your drawing skills, you should stop tracing images, but use them as reference. That�d be of MUCH more use for you and give you a better start in the art community probably too.

Just my opinion.

[Gort]

Shazam - what a topic. You've set yourself up like a bowling pin - lookout!

If you're a skilled artist and you end up tracing to speed up your process - from your owwn photos - then you have a better chance of getting away with it; however, if you've never made any attempts to get a fundamental grasp of life drawing/drafting, then it is, in my opinion, unexceptable. You're creating something but without the fundamental processes for doing so or having a knowledge of doing so.

EDIT: Learn the basics / fundamentals, especially if you want to make a career out of it and recognized by your peers.

[ May 18, 2002: Message edited by: Tom Carter ]

[Impaler]

As you read on this board and other digi-art boards, you'll see a technique called a "paintover", which is exactly what you described. This technique is frowned upon, and seen only as a cheap tactic, not artistic in any way.

Ironically, there is a genre of traditional art that is apprehensively accepted known as photorealism that uses pretty much the same method. Of course, most photorealists have a solid foundation in the fundamentals of drawing.

If you really can't draw, or don't have the patience, then stick with the photos themselves; photography is just as much an art as illustration.

[eyewoo]

If you feel tracing is cheating then you are cheating. If you're comfortable with tracing, then you're not cheating. There are no rules when it comes to making art.

[bearsclover]

There are no "rules", and the "art police" won't get you if you trace, but you must consider that you might be "cheating" yourself if you skip the fundimentals. The more skills you have, the better. The sooner you learn the fundimentals, the better.

If you just want to please yourself, then it doesn't matter. Have fun, draw, don't draw, it doesn't matter. But, if you are planning on going pro or semi-pro, or are planning on furthering your art education, you probably will want to get some of the fundimentals in now. You will not regret it. Mastering fundimentals (like drawing) is never a bad idea. Sure, there are successful artists who can't draw, and sometimes, it doesn't matter for them. It depends on the kind of work they do, mostly.

However, I've seen people with nice rendering skills but poor drawing skills, and they sometimes have to struggle to find the right photo to trace. To never be able to draw from life, or draw from one's imagination is rather restrictive, in my opinion. It's not an asset to not have a drawing skill. It's not an asset at all. I'm not saying that every artist MUST be able to draw. Each person is different, and for some people, it truly does not matter.

But, once again, it's never an asset to NOT have such a basic skill. Especially when there will be so many around you who WILL have this skill.

[ May 18, 2002: Message edited by: bearsclover ]

[Oshia]

Ill just mention that its only very recently ive started doing this
I have the basic grasp of form etc, but with not alot of expeariance, it takes me a long time to get the form correct.
Thanks alot guys for the advice, ill stop the "traceing" right away, and start working from reference and from my mind.

[Joachim]

I guess this question depends a lot on how you feel about it yourself, and what you enjoy.
For work, I think it really doesn't matter how you get it done. As long as you provide the quality and style that you are paid for in a short amount of time as possible. Unless it's a job that you want to add personal pride into.
When it comes to personal stuff, it should only matter what makes you happy. For me personally I like to look at life and photos and try to analyze things, but I like to invent as much as possible with as little as possible except my brain and pen. But, that's my interest. But I don't care how others do it or what turns them on. F.ex I do dig what bradstreet creates, and I don't care that he depends everything he does on photos. ...I'm just wouldn't have been happy if I did the same thing.
And, of course, the matter of what I like myself will affects what I like the most of what I see too. So my favorite artists, are usually those that doesn't nescessarily have the most photo realism style, but those that put more pleasure into lines, and shapes and drives themselves a bit away from realism. But, like I said, it has everything to do with personal interest and nothing to do with what is wrong or right.

-That said, using photos to the max, does require a certain understanding....And if using photo reference is something you do to get away with lower skills, it will always be something that most people or atleast experienced artists will spot right away....So it won't help that much anyway.

[eyewoo]

quote

Quote:

But, like I said, it has everything to do with personal interest and nothing to do with what is wrong or right.

Well put...

[Basse_Ex]

The question is really: Are you cheating yourself?

[zak]

try doing one quick sketch a day. of anything. ull notice the difference in no time. ive been using this method, and althou ive only been drawing sice january, im quite proud of my progress. maybe itll work for you. hope this helped.

[eyewoo]

hahahahahaha... Zak... if I'd done that, I'd have over 14,000 sketches today... (counting from 20 yrs old)

It is a good idea...

[ May 21, 2002: Message edited by: eyewoo ]

[ceenda]

AFAIK, the only times that there's been a flame war about paintovers is when the person who does it tries to decieve the audience, claiming that the work was painted from scratch. If you enjoy it, then that's fine. Just remember that a good grasp of drawing skills opens the gateway to getting more of your ideas on paper without having to rely on reference.

[ May 21, 2002: Message edited by: ceenda ]

[zak]

@ eyewoo.
lol thats true. im racing through sketchbooks like noones business

[eyewoo]

Zak... I'm a bit sorry to say I don't have sketch books any more. I do all my sketching on a tablet. Several months ago I got all nostalgic and bought a sketch book and tried some pencil sketching again... it's been years. Ackk! It was awful... really got rusty...

But... as long as I have the tablet, I feel fine. Sketching is important, not the tool you use, me thinks.

[zak]

@ eyewoo, thats so very true. its whatever your comfortable with and i really like my pencil sketches. ^__^