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A senior artist told me my digital work was just 'fancy tracing' and I still think about it
About 8 months ago I posted a detailed digital painting in a local art meetup in Austin. An older guy who does traditional oils looked at it and said 'you just traced that from a photo, right? Not really drawing.' It stung because I spent 12 hours on it using reference but no tracing. On one hand he has a point that digital tools can make things too easy if you rely on filters and layers. But on the other hand isn't using a stylus and tablet still a skill? Do you think digital art needs more barriers to entry or is gatekeeping just old school thinking?
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claireo673d ago
The 'fancy tracing' line hits a nerve but it's the same pattern you see everywhere. People who learned a skill one way think any shortcut is cheating. My dad learned to rebuild car engines by hand and now he insists using a diagnostic computer is 'not real mechanic work.' Meanwhile my nephew watches YouTube tutorials to fix his bike in half the time. The real issue isn't digital vs traditional, it's that every generation thinks their way is the only valid way. You spent 12 hours on that piece. That's real work no matter what tool you used.
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elizabeth_bailey263d ago
My dad still uses a flip phone and swears it's more reliable...
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