Drawing VS tracing - which one is better?
Let's tackle the age-old debate: drawing or tracing? It's like choosing between pizza and tacos - both awesome, but which one suits your artistic appetite? 🍕🌮
Drawing – the best place to start:
In my opinion, everyone should learn to draw (that’s why I teach people how to draw online in my Artory Acadmy). Drawing is the beginning of all good art and it’s not that hard when someone shows you how! The best thing about drawing is you’re not just copying, you’re putting your own spin on things. Your own interpretation. A little line drawn thicker here, a shape slightly rounder. It personalises your drawing, even if you’re basing your drawing on a photo. And that’s when style and art really begin.
Tracing – Like a Boss with Training Wheels:
Tracing, on the other hand is like a shortcut to a cool artwork without the hassle. It’s perfect for when you’re short on time, or if you're not feeling that artistic vibe but still want to create something eye-catching. It’s particularly useful for representational art (art that needs to look like a photo). You can skip the painstaking drawing process because the result would be the same anyway! A flawless drawing with every line in exactly the right position.
But the downsides are you loose the style, the individual quirks that you will inevitably put into your drawing. You can loose the looseness. And starting off a painting by tracing up your subject rather than drawing, can put you in a tight frame of mind when it comes to doing the painting. So if you want to be LOOSE in your art, drawing rather than tracing, is the way to go.
The Verdict:
So, which one's better? The truth is, it depends on you! Drawing is for the bold, the visionaries, those who want to forge their own artistic path. Tracing is for the laid-back, the ones who want to create without the stress of a blank canvas staring them down. But in both cases, I think you should learn to draw BEFORE you start tracing. They’re both useful tools when it comes to art making, but we use them differently for different purposes.
Learn drawing and painting with me
in the Artory Acadmey
Drawing Online? Both drawing and tracing have their place in the digital world. Whether you're sketching from scratch or putting your spin on existing images, online platforms offer a canvas for your artistic adventures.
Artwork Classes Near You? If you're hitting up artwork classes nearby, chances are they'll teach you the ropes of both drawing and tracing. It's like having the best of both worlds – learning the fundamentals while also having a blast experimenting.