►►Get my FREE downloadable PDF 12-Step Guide to painting realistic skin tones in your acrylic portrait→ realisticacrylic.com/12-steps-to-painting-realistic-skin-tones-in-your-acrylic-portrait/
“Good artists copy, great artists steal.” I love that quote! Seriously though. I believe that all artists need to understand tracing. It is a great learning tool. Tracing a complex subject will improve your overall understanding. From the angles and proportions to the relationships and subtleties that make up the overall piece. Artists should use the tools they have before them. It helps demystify the process of art. Bob Ross said talent was only pursued interest! Anything you're willing to practice you can do. Sadly a lot of people don't understand the art process. Quick Story:. I was in Paducah Kentucky there's a flood wall with murals painted on them. An artist was commissioned to draw another mural. He drew the work and projected it on the wall to keep the proportion correct. He was actually arrested and they sued him for the $30,000 they paid him for the mural saying he had "cheated". I watched an excellent artist become a criminal. I almost always transfer my art to my canvas. I'm lazy lol. I'm not going to draw this twice!
Wow. They arrested him for tracing? Remind me to never a paint a mural in Kentucky, lol! As I’ve said before, there’s nothing wrong with tracing, but it helps to learn other methods like freehand sketching and using a grid. I would invest more time into the other methods, especially freehand, because it helps you rapidly improve your painting skills. Another thing about tracing: it tends to exaggerate details to where they are just as important as the primary forms and contours of objects in the image. If you overdo it, you end up with a complicated jungle-kaleidoscope of shapes! It can also make it hard to see certain details too and they look strange when you’re done. I never paint over a tracing without spending about 30 minutes to an hour (or more) sketching on top to tighten things up. Thanks for your comments, Allen. Yes, I think you’re right. You can learn a lot just from the process of tracing as to what is important and what isn’t.
Thanks Matt! In my opinion there's two ways of looking at tracing. As a commercial artist of 40 years I feel whatever it takes to get the job done. As a fine artist as well it comes down to what do I have left to prove to myself. Anybody else's opinion is irrelevant. As a portrait painter no body ever congratulates you for an excellent drawing under that paint...bottom line is did you achieve their likeness? Like blue prints to a house construction nobody really cares unless they are not accurate. Just my 2 cents on the topic.
Hi Den, thanks for weighing in! As a began to work on my project, I thought, "should I hide this process or just address the elephant in the room?" I agree with you, we don't need to prove ourselves to anyone. We just need to do quality work and be honest about our process. It doesn't mean we need to herald to our portrait or commercial art clients what process and tools we used to get the job done. But if they ask, we should be able to confidently say, "this is how I did it." It takes skill to build a house by hammer and nail, and it takes skill to build a house with an air-nailer. But one guy will probably get the job done quicker than the other. :) Blessings to you!
Matt I have Traced many times---plus free hand----Norman Rockwell Traced and I said Hum if he could I can too---I have two projectors Love it when I have to do a portrait in a hurry
I’m so grateful you answered this! I spend a lot of time freehand sketching, but having some guidelines to get me started on my bigger projects has been so helpful. It’s also helped me get to know details. My last one I used this tool for, I spent 20+ hours on the project freehand too.
Thank you, Matt, for this tutorial. I have studied under a few artists in my life and some of them did the tracing as time was a factor, however, they also encouraged the students to do free hand drawing often as you have said. It is always good to have more than one method. Thank you.
I haven’t used an overhead projector for 20 years. For tracing, I prefer apps like Da Vinci Eye. I use a tripod to mount my iPhone, but otherwise the technique is pretty much the same. I can adjust the opacity with DVE and use the strobe feature to get an incredibly accurate sketch. I do enjoy the freedom of freehand, alla prima painting more though.
Hi Matt, Thanks for the great video! My students are always have very polarized opinions about tracing, and now I can show them this video! Beautiful idea about blocking off the tonal values. If you are on the Clubhouse app, I would love to connect to you! I think you would be great in that form of communication. They need more Christian artists on that app!
Hi Masha, thanks for the kind words and glad this video helps. I just got my invite accepted from Clubhouse, so I think I will check it out. I'd love to connect with you there as well!
►►Get my FREE downloadable PDF 12-Step Guide to painting realistic skin tones in your acrylic portrait→ realisticacrylic.com/12-steps-to-painting-realistic-skin-tones-in-your-acrylic-portrait/
“Good artists copy, great artists steal.” I love that quote! Seriously though. I believe that all artists need to understand tracing. It is a great learning tool. Tracing a complex subject will improve your overall understanding. From the angles and proportions to the relationships and subtleties that make up the overall piece. Artists should use the tools they have before them. It helps demystify the process of art. Bob Ross said talent was only pursued interest! Anything you're willing to practice you can do. Sadly a lot of people don't understand the art process. Quick Story:. I was in Paducah Kentucky there's a flood wall with murals painted on them. An artist was commissioned to draw another mural. He drew the work and projected it on the wall to keep the proportion correct. He was actually arrested and they sued him for the $30,000 they paid him for the mural saying he had "cheated". I watched an excellent artist become a criminal. I almost always transfer my art to my canvas. I'm lazy lol. I'm not going to draw this twice!
Wow. They arrested him for tracing? Remind me to never a paint a mural in Kentucky, lol! As I’ve said before, there’s nothing wrong with tracing, but it helps to learn other methods like freehand sketching and using a grid. I would invest more time into the other methods, especially freehand, because it helps you rapidly improve your painting skills. Another thing about tracing: it tends to exaggerate details to where they are just as important as the primary forms and contours of objects in the image. If you overdo it, you end up with a complicated jungle-kaleidoscope of shapes! It can also make it hard to see certain details too and they look strange when you’re done. I never paint over a tracing without spending about 30 minutes to an hour (or more) sketching on top to tighten things up. Thanks for your comments, Allen. Yes, I think you’re right. You can learn a lot just from the process of tracing as to what is important and what isn’t.
Thanks Matt! In my opinion there's two ways of looking at tracing. As a commercial artist of 40 years I feel whatever it takes to get the job done. As a fine artist as well it comes down to what do I have left to prove to myself. Anybody else's opinion is irrelevant. As a portrait painter no body ever congratulates you for an excellent drawing under that paint...bottom line is did you achieve their likeness? Like blue prints to a house construction nobody really cares unless they are not accurate. Just my 2 cents on the topic.
Hi Den, thanks for weighing in! As a began to work on my project, I thought, "should I hide this process or just address the elephant in the room?" I agree with you, we don't need to prove ourselves to anyone. We just need to do quality work and be honest about our process. It doesn't mean we need to herald to our portrait or commercial art clients what process and tools we used to get the job done. But if they ask, we should be able to confidently say, "this is how I did it." It takes skill to build a house by hammer and nail, and it takes skill to build a house with an air-nailer. But one guy will probably get the job done quicker than the other. :) Blessings to you!
Matt I have Traced many times---plus free hand----Norman Rockwell Traced and I said Hum if he could I can too---I have two projectors Love it when I have to do a portrait in a hurry
Thank you for sharing, Matt. God bless you in all you do!
I’m so grateful you answered this! I spend a lot of time freehand sketching, but having some guidelines to get me started on my bigger projects has been so helpful. It’s also helped me get to know details. My last one I used this tool for, I spent 20+ hours on the project freehand too.
You're so welcome!
Thank you, Matt, for this tutorial. I have studied under a few artists in my life and some of them did the tracing as time was a factor, however, they also encouraged the students to do free hand drawing often as you have said. It is always good to have more than one method. Thank you.
I’m glad the artists you studied under had a balanced view. And yes, absolutely, we need to do freehand sketching as much as possible.
Loved it!! I need a projector! Great tutorial Matt. God bless you.
Thanks!
Loved these tips and happy to know that tracing is acceptable!
Thankyou
Great video and I really loved the Shakespeare at the start ;-)
Oh, thank you! Sometimes you have to do something a little unexpected from time to time. :)
I haven’t used an overhead projector for 20 years. For tracing, I prefer apps like Da Vinci Eye. I use a tripod to mount my iPhone, but otherwise the technique is pretty much the same. I can adjust the opacity with DVE and use the strobe feature to get an incredibly accurate sketch.
I do enjoy the freedom of freehand, alla prima painting more though.
Hi Matt,
Thanks for the great video! My students are always have very polarized opinions about tracing, and now I can show them this video! Beautiful idea about blocking off the tonal values.
If you are on the Clubhouse app, I would love to connect to you! I think you would be great in that form of communication. They need more Christian artists on that app!
Hi Masha, thanks for the kind words and glad this video helps. I just got my invite accepted from Clubhouse, so I think I will check it out. I'd love to connect with you there as well!
@@fineartbymattphilleo I’m just followed you! Would be glad to create art and faith related rooms on CH!
@@mashahemmerling what about other religion artists
@@uniquemasterrocks2221 what about them? I don’t understand:(
@@mashahemmerling you said they need a christian artist so i said what about other religion artists