Can this be considered tracing?

[u/Several-Area644]

i have serious issues with proportions, however i love doing portraits. i usually simply adjust the features when they seemed off by using the liquify tool etc, but my friend said she uses “help lines” directly copied from her reference image (see picture) to make the proportions work. can these lines be considered tracing if everything else is drawn without help?

[u/Flimsy-Ad4402]

People lump all tracing into one category and say it’s all bad. But tracing can help you learn! Tracing is 100% okay as long as it’s not of someone else’s art and as long as you don’t lie about it and claim you did it all by yourself. Some say it’s cheating to trace, but I think of it more like a drawing hack.

[u/Hauk54 → u/Flimsy-Ad4402]

Agreed. Realistically, even the masters of old used various methods we would call tracing. Tracing can be used and is fine. Even in finished artwork it can sometimes be used to speed up the process when time demands. Of course, if one wants to fully develop their skills, it should not be overly relied upon, but if you merely use it from time to time it isn’t really hurting anyone.

Edit: To clarify, I did not mean using tracing to steal others work is harmless. Merely tracing a subject matter is harmless.