Drawing Freehand or Tracing — Which Is Better?

Hey,

there's a question I keep coming across: should you draw freehand, or is it okay to trace reference images?

Especially with early exercises, I often see sketches being traced as precisely as possible freehand, while guide lines and basic shapes are estimated much more roughly. I felt the same way in my first years of drawing. With practice, drawing freehand gets noticeably easier — though I'm still learning new things about it to this day.

Traditional painting vs. digital painting

Anyone switching from classic drawing to working digitally often notices that the results feel different at first.

That's due to things like:

• getting used to graphics tablets
• the drawing software being used
• different brushes and tool settings
• the missing feel of paper and traditional materials

While traditional artists choose between different pencils, brushes, or types of paper, digital artists first have to configure their tools. The right combination of software and brushes has a huge influence on the result.

The biggest advantage of digital art, though, lies elsewhere:

• unlimited undo
• working with layers
• easy corrections
• flexible use of references

These possibilities in particular make it easier to try out new techniques and learn from mistakes.

Tracing isn't automatically wrong

Tracing is often a controversial topic in art communities.

It becomes a problem mainly when a photo is copied almost pixel for pixel. That can be a good exercise, but it rarely results in an independent piece of work.

For learning purposes, tracing precisely can actually be quite helpful. It trains your eye for proportions, shapes, and details. As a portfolio piece, though, the result should be significantly more than a simple copy of the reference.

When is tracing okay?

In my opinion: when the reference only serves as support, rather than dictating the finished result.

A drawing should visibly differ from its reference.

Especially with horses or other animals, it's worth:

• slightly changing the pose
• reinterpreting details
• adjusting light and shadow
• adding your own color mood
• combining several references with each other

The goal should always be to create something of your own, not simply reproduce a photo.

Work with multiple references

A simple way to become less dependent on a single reference is to use several references at once.

I often recommend collecting at least five different images as a basis. You can then combine individual elements with each other:

• body posture from reference A
• head position from reference B
• lighting from reference C
• coat texture from reference D
• background ideas from reference E

This automatically results in a more individual drawing that differs from any single reference.

Conclusion

Freehand drawing is a valuable skill that keeps improving over time. References, or partially traced basic shapes, aren't cheating, though — they can be useful learning tools.

What matters is how the reference is used. Anyone who uses references to understand shapes, develop their own ideas, and combines several sources with each other often learns faster than someone who avoids any aids entirely.

In the end, it's not about whether a guide line was traced, but whether it leads to an independent piece of work.

Jackie