Rant: My art crew can't agree on tracing for practice sketches

Half of us say tracing over photos to learn shapes is a solid way to improve faster, like for getting human poses right. The other half claims it builds bad habits and you never really learn to see for yourself. Honestly, I've done both and my anatomy got better, but I still feel guilty sometimes. Ngl, where do you stand on this for beginner digital artists?

3 comments

3 Comments

jordan_bell3d ago

Back in my first digital art class, we traced over movie stills for a week. It TEACHES you flow and gesture way faster than staring at a blank canvas. The key is to then redraw the same pose without tracing immediately after. That builds muscle memory and actual understanding. Feeling guilty is normal, but it means you're ready to level up. Just don't let tracing become your only method, and you'll be fine.

david_gibson182d ago

Yeah exactly... that redraw step is crucial. Honestly if you don't push yourself to do it from memory right after, you're just learning to trace. Gotta bridge that gap fast or you'll get stuck.

richardhernandez2d ago

Feel that guilt sometimes too. Honestly, tracing over photos taught me more about muscle groups than anything else early on. Just gotta mix it with lots of practice from your head, or you'll never break the habit. Ngl, seeing both sides of your crew's argument means you're probably doing it right.