Tracing is rendering another version of an existing image using most if not all the elements present found in the base image. The final output can be an exact copy of the base image or some alterations are done in an attempt to raise the transformative value of the new work.
This is just my opinion but tracers do not necessarily have to be artists. Tracing is a method that also requires some skill to render the new image as close or with semblance from the base image. You can train a person how to trace but they don’t necessarily end up becoming artists once they mastered the craft. Artists will have tracing as one of their tools but tracers will mainly use tracing as their tool for the trade.
I take inspiration from centuries back when cartography had fewer tools available for mass printing. Cartographers had to hand drawn each map and each map required some level of artistry to render. Because of the surge for sea exploration, the demand for maps sky rocketed and there are not enough cartographers around to keep up. It was natural to employ people that only need to know how to trace rather than educate them about the discipline of cartography just to keep up with the demand. Tracers will eventually have the option to learn the formal study of cartography while being employed as a tracer.
Tracers do not necessarily have to be a plagiarists. The distinction lies on the intention of deceit. A plagiarist will intentionally not disclose their content as traced or imply that they are the sole creator of the product when they stole the idea or content from somewhere else. This is different from a new user entering Hive ignorant about not mentioning their sources of inspiration. The plagiarist is conscious about withholding the info.
| Developing that muscle memory again | Is like learning how to draw again |
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Tracers can declare the content was inspired or based off an existing work for transparency. Transparency about the art process and giving due credit is what separates a tracer and a plagiarist. Plagiarist can be tracers but not all tracers are plagiarists.
Artists build on from the ideas of other artists that came before them. It’s absurd to think tracing wasn’t part of the tools used to facilitate learning. Some artists can grasp form and translate them to media available but some aren’t fast learners. Tracing helps getting that muscle memory of rendering shapes and extend hone some familiarity with rendering forms. The skill is merely a training wheel to help the artist be guided by the natural rules before they break them and find their own artistic path.
Tracing is supposed to be a tool. It can be your training wheel on your art journey, or it can be your tool as a plagiarist when you’re too lazy to be a better artist.
Having been exposed to social media platforms that cater to art content, I have noticed the toxic pattern of praising traced work and how plagiarism can thrive. The common practice art plagiarists do is steal content from another artist with a small following then alter the content to suit their own agenda. And yes, this happens without due credit and they get away with it. This is quite common on Instagram where there are hardly any repercussions from the “free publicity” these plagiarists offer to the struggling artists. It’s much faster to grow your IG account by getting content from low traffic creators and posting in on your own blog.
Content creators with an established following have some degree of protection because their content is recognizable across several platform. The art style established content creators have is a protective trademark from their art style. Sakimichan, one of the top artists at DeviantArt.com has grown in popularity that her art style is recognizable on several social media platforms at a glance as an example.
Each content takes time to create so there is no way an unknown artist can compete with an account that has plenty of options to get their content from the sea of undiscovered artists out there. You’ll be lucky to have a mention on your profile if they ever used your content for their page but most can get away with it as “oops, I forgot so I’ll just edit it and mention you.” They are not at a loss if they take down your content from their page anyway. This is the culture a lot of social media platforms that showcase art foster.
But in comes the Hive Blockchain where people can post or share content and get actual monetary rewards from doing so. Let’s say plagiarism isn’t the prevalent issue but a surge of content creators that rely on tracing for the bulk of their content.
| I'm practicing using my graphics tablet | It's going so bad |
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Tracing is quicker to do because most of the composition, form, and patterns have been laid own on the base content. They don't necessarily have to do an overlay on the same image and copy like conventional tracing. One can just publish a post under the context of a redraw while showing minimal personal style to the finished content. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel there.
Content creators that are not transparent about basing their works from an existing content can be branded as plagiarists. This is due to the intentional nondisclosure of how the content was made that curators are misled. But what about tracers that have been open about tracing content or altered some parts of the existing work?
Should this type of content be encouraged to receive monetary rewards? If the content creator claims that the art shared is part of a blog to show the progress of their art journey then until how many posts like that do they have to make before they are supposed to grow up as an artist?
It’s not right to brand them as plagiarist when they openly declared the base work or their sources of inspiration but I think it’s also not right to give tracing type of content a free pass for high rewards or cumulative rewards.
It’s faster to publish traced content than come up original content. I would look at it as spinning written content in one’s artistic style. Another thought is that most of the sourced images mentioned on these posts, the author has no direct permission to trace upon the work and shared for monetary gain.
A Hobby Illustrator
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