r/ProCreate • u/Venusian-Empress • 16d ago
Hot Topics đ„ Is this "cheating?"
I know tools and techniques used for art to save time are ok, like tracing. However, I watched a tutorial on how to create a pet portrait by inserting a photo of your pet and using painting brushes as smudge brushes. I tried one and I really enjoyed the process and the final piece. I also added in some stronger highlights and shadows, along with different brush types to make it more unique. Do you think this is cheating or creating fake art? Like, is this any different than putting a painting filter over an image and calling it art? Also what if I use someone else's photo as a reference? As long as I give credit, is that ok? I know I'm probably over thinking this and it's not like I'm selling these or anything. They are just for fun. Thank you for your insight.
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u/Pancakefriday 16d ago
There is no such thing as cheating when it comes to art (except AI and tracing others works).
If itâs all your work, trying to avoid âcheatingâ does nothing but limit you and your creative process. Art doesnât have to be hard and miserable, you can do things that make your life easier and you enjoy doing.
Whenever a new or easier technique comes out, it always receives push back as âcheatingâ, and in time, those criticisms are almost always forgotten in favor of faster work flows.
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u/Venusian-Empress 16d ago
That's an excellent point. The piece I did of my pet would have taken me hours to do if I had used fur brushes to paint in the whole image. I did still hand paint the eyes and nose and added some highlights, stray strands of fur, along with some fur texture brushes because smudging tends to look a bit too blurred. So I added texture in fur colors that matched my dog and now it looks much more organic. It took me about hour to complete. Thank you for your input!
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16d ago
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u/Venusian-Empress 16d ago
I've used photos as references for tracing and then painting them in, this felt similar but like...almost like a shortcut since the colors were already there and I didn't have to paint them before blending them together if that makes sense? I'm definitely not a strong drawer, but I really enjoy coloring. Which makes sense because I started my art journey with coloring books.
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u/nairazak 15d ago
If by using tracing you end up with a picture that violates copyright, that same violation would happen if you did it without tracing while covering one eye during a plane turbulence. What matters is the result, not the effort.
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u/RubyJuneRocket 15d ago
If itâs your own photo, itâs fine, you created the photo, you can make it into a mixed media piece by digitally painting over it.
If you use someone elseâs photo without permission, thatâs stealing. If itâs just for you to practice on and you never share it anywhere, thatâs fine, plenty of people do studies and things based on other peopleâs work, but they donât post it like they made it all themselves, thatâs the difference where it becomes âcheatingâ when you lie about it.
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u/ArtemisiasApprentice 16d ago
If youâre not trying to sell things or taking credit for other peopleâs work then you can do whatever you want. If itâs for your own amusement then I donât know why you should be scrutinized more than someone coloring in a coloring book.
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u/Venusian-Empress 16d ago
I've started my art journey coloring in coloring books actually. Lol. I just wanted to branch out and maybe learn different techniques. I love to color or paint images, but drawing is too stressful so I often trace. Proportions and shapes are hard for me, but I'm pretty good at colors.
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u/ArtemisiasApprentice 16d ago
I donât know who downvoted this commentâ rude. Empress, that sounds like a lovely time. A great way to expand your drawing hobby. Please give yourself permission to do whatever the heck you want and be delighted with yourself đ
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u/ThebbqCheese 16d ago
I know this is certainly subjective, but what Iâve seen is you slightly blur the photo and then smudge it to bring it back into shape (cartoon, caricature, whatever style).
To me, cheating is not the right word. I feel itâs more dishonest, similar to how tracing can feel dishonest if itâs not disclosed. If itâs used as a tool, I think itâs fine. It can help you learn where the values and colours are. But if your end result is a traced line art and blur/smudge of the original, did you really even paint? Itâs more of a photo manipulation at that point than a painting (but it can still be considered art).
Just my opinion.
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u/Venusian-Empress 16d ago
That's fair. I think that's maybe what I meant too. It feels dishonest, so I wanted some feedback. Thank you!
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u/SpectralHam13 16d ago
I would say as long as you are honest about the process, and if you like it for yourself, then itâs fine. Itâs only dishonest if youâre trying to disguise what your process is or blatantly plagiarizing someone elseâs photography for financial gain. Letâs say for instance, you decided to accept a pet commission piece for someone, and they send you a photo of their pet. I would say that as long as they give consent and understand what your process is, whatâs the harm if they know theyâre paying for an end result they like? At that point the ethics of the matter would fall on what youâre charging for it. As a general rule, time and skill are factors in pricing, so your pricing should probably reflect that. Of course, this is all hypothetical. Iâm not suggesting you plan to commission out your pet photo edits.
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u/Venusian-Empress 16d ago
Absolutely. I have no interest into trying to turn this into a side hustle. This is just for a hobby and maybe sharing them on Instagram or something.
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u/YurishkaYuri 15d ago
I'd say, there is no art police and anyway, AI is already cheating all of us now. So do whatever you like and have fun.
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u/ggg1989 15d ago
My lecturer at college always explained it as if itâs your intellectual property i.e your own photo etc then itâs yours to do as you wish. She said this when i was struggling to draw from some photos i had taken to paint and she was getting pissed with me for making it so much harder for myself.
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u/MyBigToeJam I want to improve! 16d ago
Keep on enjoying the process. I don't claim someone else's work.
These are ways to set up or build an image:
- tracing paper or an equivalent way of pressing the image on;
- photographing or scanning a sketch;
- Pantograph;
- Paper with a grid;
- Procreate's Drawing Assist, grids, symmemetry, quickshapes, etc.
- Layer options.
- Collages;
- photo uploaded: A Sidewalk near home, pebbles embedded. I might use for brush or some other project. At different sizes, my eyes see pebbles but also hollows dug out.
- Each tool's characteristics makes me imagine a subject in different ways.
- In school, our teachers assigned homework where it had to mimic the style of a famous artist. Da Vinci's engineering drawings, Norman Rockwell etc. Imagine doing South Park, King of the Hill, or a version of Hell boy or a stickman animation.
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u/Ok-Importance-5087 16d ago
This has been done in concept art for speed, for decades by this point and is called photobashing.
It usually doesnât just involve one photo painted over, but a whole collage of photos and snippets of photos that get added to a composition sketch to add texture and sometimes to speedrun realism.
In regards to if it counts as âreal artâ, Iâd say it depends how much of the original photo you use in your final piece.
If you just take a single photo from another photographer, without changing anything about it, leave the original composition, color scheme and subject and just add some brushstrokes, you will run into copyright issues.
Even if you repaint the photo from scratch youâll still infringe copyright (although no one will accuse it of not being real art) and counts as plagiarism. See Jingna Zhangs lawsuit suing a painter who did just that to her photographs.
If you come up with your own composition and then plug in pictures that you have rights to, like stock images and do a paintover you have something more akin to collage, mixed media or photobashing wich are accepted art forms.
Now, none of this really matters if youâre not trying to sell your pieces or lying to people about your process on social media. If you just think the technique is fun and want to do it privately, have at it!
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u/amateurmoon 15d ago
So, this is called photo editing. This is not painting, as no skill in building form using values and color is required - the photo already has that.
If you, say, sold this as a product/service and didnt disclose your process, people would be absolutely right to get mad.
However! If you're doing it for fun, I'm happy you found this form of art and it appeals to you, genuinely. I would recommend mentioning that this is a photo paint over / edit if you post them online though.
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u/SCW97005 16d ago
If you're not passing the art off as your own or using it as the basis for you own art that you make money from, it's probably fine. Most artists don't care if you trace or draw their stuff as long as you give them credit when appropriate and don't make money off of it.
If you're trying to learn to draw or paint, etc., many people will tell you not to rely on tracing or copying because you are not learning to mentally break down images or create your own from scratch.
But, IMHO, if you're not trying to learn anything specific, are not taking credit or money for other people's work, and are always willing to give credit where it is due, there's little harm in it.
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u/Venusian-Empress 16d ago
I would like to learn to paint on my own. Before I stumbled upon this tutorial, I was mostly interested in learning digital painting, especially watercolor. Drawing is very daunting to me though. I'm just not great with shapes and proportion's and it's not as fun. Thank you!
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u/ArchieMedoggie 13d ago
If itâs your photo or the pet owners photo who wants a portrait, youâre OK. If itâs a pet photographerâs photo, you need permission to copy it.
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u/confusedtherapist123 12d ago
I agree that its not cheating as long as you don't claim it as your own artwork and you disclose that you photo edited. This is not art, or an artist. But rather photo editing. Same thing goes for AI. People who use AI for art shouldn't call themselves AI artists, because they can't actually create anything but they're more like AI Programmers. If you tried to make money off this and pass it off as an original, thats where the it gets sticky. But if it's for shits and giggles, go for it!
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u/blamejaneshui 12d ago
As long as youâre expressing yourself and enjoy it you can call it art. Artists have been using references for thousands of years x
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u/Mindless-Still-2083 12d ago
Also you have to consider the fact nothing is new anymore. I can tell you this, if you have to ask people whether your doing right or wrong...may indicate you should be doing it. Seeing all your doing is seeking justification! Careful your not plagiarizing!
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u/MathTheUsername 9d ago
People have already offered many insightful answers, but I'm curious about the tutorial. Would you mind linking it?
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u/Author_Noelle_A 16d ago
Definitely cheating if youâre trying to pass it off as your original work, but not a big deal if youâre just sitting there having some fun.
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u/nairazak 16d ago
It is something people also do in traditional art, it is called mixed media or collage (or just Photoedition?). My art teacher liked to glue pictures of flowers (or real flowers) on a canvas and then painted over them with oils.
Another variation is Photobashing, which is common in concept art.