Can we talk about the people who trace over screenshots and call it original art

I keep seeing these posts where someone clearly just outlined a photo from their phone, no shading or any real effort, and they claim they drew it from imagination. It frustrates me because I spent 3 hours on a wonky sketch of my cat last night and it looks like a potato with ears, but at least I actually drew it. Has anyone else noticed this trend and does it bug you as much as me?

2 comments

2 Comments

faith_perez14d ago

ok but tracing is a legit way to learn how to draw though. like how are you supposed to understand anatomy or lighting if you don't study how real images look first.

nathan_thompson6214d ago

When I was first learning figure drawing I literally printed out photos and traced over the main muscle groups to understand where they connect. It helped me see that the bicep doesn't just start at the shoulder and end at the elbow, there's actually a tendon that crosses the joint. Then I'd try drawing the same pose from memory without tracing to check what I absorbed. Tracing gets a bad rap but it's just another tool in the toolbox if you use it to study instead of claiming the art as your own.