I’ve
recently been asked by more than one person if I project my pictures that I
paint. The answer is a BIG no. In my opinion (tracing, using an art-o-graph,
lucy or projector) is something a fine artist shouldn’t do (with the exception
of blowing up a drawing). If you start a painting after projecting or tracing
the outlines, than your finished painting is no different than a piece of glorified
coloring book art. Except for the fact you’re not using crayons but a more
professional medium it’s exactly like what a child does when he buys a coloring
book and fills in the lines.
A good
drawing is the foundation of a good representational painting. It’s arguably as
important as any of the other elements that make a good painting. Anyone who’s
ever tried to paint before quickly realizes how important the initial drawing
is. Learning how to draw is hard and takes most people a lot of study and
practice to accomplish. A lot of great artists I know carry a sketch book and
are constantly practicing their drawing. It’s something good artists are always
trying to get better at. I’d also argue that a great drawing maybe isn’t as
accurate as a projected image but has much more life to it. There’s a certain
flair to a good drawing that carries over to make a good painting.
As a person
who makes a living making fine art paintings it’s hard to compete against
artists who use projectors. I’ve never once heard a projector artist tell their
client they use one. If I were buying a painting I’d sure like to know. I’ve
watched artists who I know use one become much more famous than me and beat me
out of juried shows (they never inform the shows they use a projector). Also
because they don’t spend their time drawing they produce more work (a good
drawing takes more time).
If you use a projector I’d encourage you to
stop and actually take the time to learn to draw. I’ll bet you’ll be much more
proud of your finished paintings and you might even like them better. The
honesty will show through in your work and you’ll have a much better chance of
finding that distinctive style you’ve been looking for. Like handwriting the
way people draw is very individual. That’s something that is lost when you use
a projector.
P.S. I
should say that up until 2007 I considered myself very adept at drawing. Unfortunately
I contracted Ramsey Hunt Syndrome and the nerves in my ear didn’t heal the
same. I’ve had bad vertigo and funky depth perception since. This makes drawing
much harder for me. It would be so much easier to use a projector but I haven’t
let myself, Even though my drawing ability isn’t as good as it used to be I’m
still proud of the way most of my paintings turn out.
