i consider myself a very good painter, but not so great at drawing. i was never good at getting proportions. i am in an advanced painting class and i still grid out my faces and draw it on my canvas using the grid. this is how i originally learned to do it in my beginning painting classes.
also, is tracing using a projector or something similar cheating
Not cheating at all.
Most of the great Renaissance painters (and many artists since then) used similar aides and devices.
You do whatever it takes to get the result you want.
February 19th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
I don’t think it is cheating. If you get the proportions wrong the portrait looks wrong, of course!
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February 19th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Not cheating at all.
Most of the great Renaissance painters (and many artists since then) used similar aides and devices.
You do whatever it takes to get the result you want.
References :
February 19th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
No this method is definetly not cheating. It is a good way to get your proportions correct if you aren’t that comfortable with your measuring skills. If I were you I would just work on your measuring skills. Don’t rely on a projection or traced image. A lot of people seem to think that is a good way to get comfortable but in reality you will end up relying on those methods more than using them as stepping stones. There is no originality in tracing. So if all else fails stick with the grid, but don’t get caught up in what is in just one square, remember to keep the whole image’s compisition in mind.
Don’t want to hurt your pride, but in order to be a good naturalist painter you have to have strong drawing skills. If I were you I would practice drawing more than painting for a little while. Or just draw as much as you paint. The two go hand in hand. Here is a good trick for measuring: http://www.learn-to-draw.com/members/drawing-basics/0111.htm
Hope this helps.
And yes, tracing is cheating because it causes laziness instead of developing skill. Time and effort will get you where you want to be. Making art is just like playing a sport, the more you practice the better you become.
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BFA, Professional artist
February 19th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
its not cheating because you are still drawing. My lecturer at Art Uni suggested doing it for large scale mapping out. i think that its perfectly ok. Michelangelo gridded the sistine chaple, infact he got his students to do it for him.Renaissance artists invented the gridding system!
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February 19th, 2010 at 6:20 pm
of course it’s not cheating, if you were truly accurate you wouldn’t need to, but then you would be a robot. We must use what we can to get the best results.
If you can make it look like you did it free hand, that is where the real skill is.
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Fine Arts Degree
February 19th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Personally I think tracing is cheating, unless it was just for a school assignment and the student wasn’t a good artist.
But if you’re tracing and showcasing it and getting profit off of it, I’d say it’s cheating.
Of course grid lines aren’t cheating! It’s just a strategy to help you get your proportions right, so your portrait doesn’t come out looking like a mess. (:
When I was in middle school, in my very first art class my teacher taught us that trick, and I have to say it helped a lot.
If it makes it easier, go ahead. (:
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February 19th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
As others have said, early artists gridded out designs. For a design that is especially complicated, it is an easy way to get an image when you are beginning to draw. As for tracing a design, although your teacher might approve, you will not learn any drawing skills and also the final product will look pretty stiff in comparison to a hand drawn portrait or a gridded portrait. All you have to do is to do the same portrait, gridding one and tracing the other, and you might understand what I mean. For now, go ahead and grid but also take the time to practice drawing daily. In time, it will become easier and more enjoyable. The book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is a good introduction to drawing. For me, I will often look at a photo as I am slowly contour drawing and have happily discovered that good drawing skills can be achieved with practice.
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February 19th, 2010 at 8:13 pm
I am lucky that I have a fairly good eye for proportion, yet…. you cannot always rely on it.
Whether it be griding or just drawing out guide areas. You would not get the best proportional depiction of your study.
And when it comes to portraits, there are certain rules that apply, no you do need to go with guides. Maths does come into it, and which ever way you find best to get your overall proportions right.
That the way you need to go, so don’t feel as tough you are cheating, we all need to get the measurements right. There is no hard and fast rule.
As peoples faces are all different and fall into different shape groups.
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February 19th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
C’mon, it’s cheating, all of those methods are cheating, and rather than relying on some child’s trick to get proportions right you should be training yourself to see and copy properly so the grid won’t be necessary.
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