Not really a dumb question at all! Simply put, in order to use a reference image without tracing,...

Not really a dumb question at all!

Simply put, in order to use a reference image without tracing, you have to make sure that your reference is off to the side instead of directly underneath whatever you are drawing.

Tracing is when you rely completely, or almost completely, on someone else’s art to literally copy it. Basically, instead of drawing it you go over each line with your own.

Anyone can trace - it doesn’t require much focus or active engagement. You just have to have good enough motor skills to draw lines over lines. When you are tracing, you are not producing your OWN art, you are simply copying something someone else has made.

This is why tracing something and saying that you made it yourself makes so many artists grind their teeth in frustration. You might have physically participated in making it, but the idea, the pose, the concept, were not yours.

Even if you go off and draw something a LITTLE differently - like change the eye direction, or draw the arm a bit lower… if your drawing was directly drawn over the top of another artists’ work, that’s still tracing.

On the other hand, using a reference means having your reference off to the side - open in another window, or in a book beside you, or somewhere on the canvas - and drawing it by attempting to sketch the details as you see them, without immediately relying on the details of the original to guide you along.

When referencing, you are probably still attempting to copy the style or the pose somewhat - but you only looking at the reference, and then going back to the blank space and deciding where to put the lines.

Using a reference image doesn’t guarantee that your art will be identical to the original. In fact, that’s kind of the point. It’s a REFERENCE. but the outcome should be your own art. So maybe it’ll be a little taller, maybe the hands will look different, etc… but that’s all expected.

Now, here’s the kicker, because I know tracing is a controversial topic in some art communities:

Tracing is NOT inherently bad.

Many people trace when they are beginner artists. In some circles, tracing in order to train your hand to remember the motions is even encouraged!

However.

There are two big questions for BEFORE you start tracing something and for AFTER you’ve traced something.

1) Before you traced it, did you ASK the original artist whether or not they are okay with having their art traced?

If the answer is NO, then stop tracing and ASK or simply DON’T trace.

2) After you traced it, do you post your traced art online and try to pass it off as original art? Or even worse, try to use it to make money?

If the answer is YES, then you’re profiting off of the work of others, and that is terribly rude. It is only a step away from posting someone else’s art online and lying by saying that you made it yourself.

I have, unfortunately, ran into many people that thought that tracing art is normal, and claimed that all artists trace for their art. The reality is that it’s not true. Drawing by tracing directly over something else - be it a screenshot, or a photo of a painting, or an illustration in a game manual - is not original artwork, and it is not the same as using it as a reference image.

PS: Sometimes, there’s three-step referencing, in which you first trace over something to study the form and THEN use your traced work as a reference. For example, you might do a basic-form breakdown on a photograph to help you understand the anatomy, and then use that as a reference.

This is a valid way to reference as well - because your final piece is NOT a product of copying something via tracing.

Looking at things is important - we draw not only with our hands, but also with our heads. So strap yourself in, slap that reference image down and go to town! The end result should be entirely yours - even if it’s inspired by another piece. :)

- Mod Chekhov (Ko-Fi)

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