Downvote Addict

"it’s a good crutch that allows anyone to actualize their ideas regardless of their skills."

Same thing I say about using ponymaker for your OCs. If the idea is what's important, they're good tools. It only becomes a problem when people use this crutch to try and become an actual artist, and scam themselves out of the possibility of improving over time like every other starting artist does. Even worse when they start selling commissions. Yeah I'm talking about Drawponies. Tracing always elicits a bad reaction because of people that abuse it. I traced for a long part of my life because I lost all hope of becoming an artist. I know what good it can do. And I know better what harm it can do. I wish I had not been told that common lie that "tracing helps you learn the style and be a better artist" because that is 100% untrue… 95% untrue. I found myself drawing every character I tried to make after that with Goku's hair because I spent like 10 hours on tracing that one time and, I guess it kinds got stuck in my mind. In a bad way.



Tracing's for ideas or image repair only. Don't trick yourself into thinking you can't draw. Everyone is capable of drawing. It's not enough to practice despite the advice that "practice makes perfect" if you don't even know how to practice. I can link to a few artists here who have no gotten better at drawing despite doing it for 3-6 years. And that's cause these people only draw what they can draw. That's another trick that makes you feel better to do, but will hurt you in the end. Always draw what you can't draw. Can't do front poses? Start drawing front poses. Can't draw low angle views? You get how this goes… By avoiding what you can't do, you ensure you'll always be unable to do it.



The thing no-one ever told me was that to get good, I had to fail first. What I saw as proof that I'd never get there, was really utterly normal and a sign I was on the right path. If drawing isn't challenging, you're not getting better at it. This is the rule for all things in life. I've seen people get better at drawing in weeks faster than I have seen others get better in their lives. You just need the courage to draw as many bad drawings as you can, so there's only good drawings left to make. Failure will soon become something to love as you see yourself becoming better than you ever imagined. To get to that point where the people you looked up to now begin asking if you'll draw for them. This is in reach of everyone reading this. If you want to be an artist, you can be. Make a terrible drawing today so that you can make a good one tomorrow!



…I went a little off-topic I think. Good tutorial on tracing!