To trace or not to trace—yep, that’s the question.
And, while there are (probably) some very strong opinions on this one, I’ll just tell you now, artist-to-artist, that tracing is not always cheating. Hear me out!
Specifically, I’m talking about tracing a preliminary sketch for a painting that you might do. Because… why would we even consider that “cheating” if you’re just going to paint over it anyway?
And, to hear more in my defense of why tracing does not equate to cheating, check out the full video below!
Video: Is Tracing Considered Cheating?
Because, honestly, tracing can be a shortcut for us painters who don’t have a lot of time to draw a sketch for every single painting we’ve got on our to-do lists. Sometimes, tracing is the answer to make life a little bit easier!
And, if you are looking to paint without needing to sketch anything, be sure to check out my online painting classes in which I provide the pre-sketches for all of your paintings!
For example, you can learn to paint things like this without ever needing to draw a thing…
All you need are a couple of tubes of paint, some brushes, and some canvas or watercolor paper. Check out all of the classes now available below!
Because tracing or using a pre-sketch provided to you is never really cheating. It’s like that old saying: work smarter, not harder.
So, give it a try, fellow artist, and let me know what you think!
–Kari
Kari Lynn M. 