Art
Yes, Natalie. You Are An Artist!
Some of the Greatest Artists in History Have Used Tracing.
Dear Natalie,
You recently wrote this story:
As a mutual artist, I was immediately struck by your artwork.
I wrote:
Wow, I love that Pooh Bear Drawing.
And you wrote:
Thanks for your fun loving comment — although, let’s fix the misconception ASAP! There is only one of us who can dabble both in the physics realm and that of an artist like a pro and that’s you!! 👏🏽😀…kind sir, what I did was printed a picture and then started all of this with a trace!! The good-ole-tracing technique that only non artists use!! 😂…that was the AI technique in the 80s when we had to draw — and goodness, back then it was, “I hope I can find a decent size picture so I can trace it and hopefully it’s not near the crack of the spine!” 😀
I understand why you said what you said, but in the most sincerest and logical way possible, I completely disagree with you. The moment you decided to use your creativity, you created art and your are an artist. In fact, in my reality, you can’t not be an artist (yes, that’s a double negative). It’s simply impossible.
The Artist in Me Sees the Artist in You
I see so much more in your Pooh art than simply a tracing of Pooh Bear. Your choice of leaving the crayon shavings on the paper invokes a feeling of your presence. It’s a brilliant choice because it connects me to you, the artist. And it’s original because I’ve never seen that in a work of art before.
Is your art the paper with the crayon or is your art the entire photo collage that you put together? It’s both. I see the smallest hint of your fingers on the left and you’re showing the evolution of Pooh from an outline to full color. It’s an original idea to include parts of you and the tools in your art.
Art is a State of Mind
As you will see in my artwork later on, it never occured to me to incorporate myself and my tools in my art. You were definitely thinking outside the box. And maybe you didn’t even know it.
I believe that art is anything you want it to be and here are two extreme examples.
Voice of Fire
The National Gallery of Canada purchased Barnett Newman’s painting, “Voice of Fire” for $1.8 million. It was accompanied by much controversy.
Yes, the painting is the blue and red striped piece on the wall. There is a pure black painting on the sidewall but I’m not sure what that is. If I was to imagine, it would be called “Darkness” and the gallery probably paid $3.6 million for it.
So let me see. Would I choose to have “Pooh Bear on Crayon” by Natalie or “Voice of Fire” by Barnett Newman hanging in my living room? It’s “Pooh Bear” all the way for me. It’s an easy choice. Although if someone gave me “Voice of Fire”, I would sell it but I would not hang it in my house.
Here’s a close up of the painting.
I wonder where he got the inspiration from:
What if Art Was Simply Words Added on To Someone Else’s Art?
Richard Prince is a controversial artist that is known as an “Appropriation Artist”. He takes other people’s creations and adds words to them. Richard Prince and his defenders argue that his works fall under the doctrine of fair use, which allows for the use of copyrighted material for purposes such as commentary, criticism, or parody. Prince contends that his modifications and presentation of the images transform them into new works with a different meaning. He has been sued before but never successfully.
One of his most controversial “art” pieces was his unauthorized use of someone else’s instagram post. He simply captured the image of his computer, enlarged the post and added: richardprince1234 No Cure, No Pay …
It sold for $90,000.
Tracing History
The use of optical aids, such as camera obscura and camera lucida, by artists throughout history is a subject of debate among art historians. While some argue that certain artists employed these devices to assist in their creative process, others contend that these claims are speculative and lack concrete evidence.
Camera Obscura
This is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings onto a screen or surface. It is essentially a darkened room or box with a small hole or lens through which light enters, creating a reversed and inverted image on the opposite wall or surface. Some art historians speculate that artists like Vermeer may have used the camera obscura to achieve precise detail and perspective in their paintings.
There is no direct proof that Leonardo da Vinci used the camera obscura specifically to create his artworks. But Leonardo’s notebooks contain numerous observations on light, shadow, and perspective, and he discussed the principles of the camera obscura as a tool for understanding these phenomena. Some art historians and researchers have suggested that he might have used the camera obscura as an aid in achieving accurate perspective and realistic detail in his paintings, but concrete evidence supporting this claim is lacking.
Tiny scratches or bold, confident lines may reveal a hidden technique in the works of 19th-century American painter Thomas Eakins — tracing from photographs. Philadelphia Museum of Art curator Mark Tucker suggests Eakins wasn’t alone, citing collaborative research suggesting artists as far back as 1430 traced images from optical projections or real-life scenes. Surface scientist Charles Falco aims to unequivocally prove lens use from 1430, making every artist since then potentially suspect. Falco noted skeptics become converts when presented with visual evidence.
My Own Masterpiece Was Traced
I call it “my” masterpiece because it feels like it is the peak of my artwork. It is a piece that made me feel so excited and enlivened when I created it, unlike any other painting I’ve done. I also used tracing to create it.
It invokes a feeling of the universe being the womb of creation and a female energy is floating in that ethereal space.
This piece was done for an art class project. To understand why I used tracing, you have to know how I created the background. I first laid the blank canvas on the floor and created a one inch high wall around the edges using masking tape. This created a box of sorts so that I could pour water onto the canvas without it seeping over the edges. There was at least a 1/16th inch of water covering the entire canvas. I then started adding paint to the water. I added blobs of solid paint and also diluted paint. I used an electric fan to blow the paint around. It created an ethereal effect that I saw as the Celestial Universe.
I let the painting dry and then I had to paint the woman on top of it.
I didn’t have anybody to use as a live model so I found a photo of a partially nude woman. I altered it in many ways but I used the general proportions as a guide. I didn’t want to spend hours drawing a proportionally correct copy of the photo, so I used a computer program to enlarge the photo and I traced the outline onto a 30 x 40 inch carbon paper. It’s very difficult for me to draw in large scale because I’ve mostly drawn on sketch pads.
If I was to draw the figure onto the painting, it would have ruined the paint if I made any mistakes and had to erase the pencil. The outline of the woman had to be traced once and it had to be done correctly and precisely. I could only have achieved that by tracing.
Once I traced it on, I then painted the figure. I used blue and white paint to paint over the traced outlines to create the flesh and depth and of course her face. The face already had the outline of where the eyes, mouth and nose were, so I painstakingly filled them in. It was the hardest part of the process because of how small the features were.
So it’s kind of a more complex version of your adult coloring books, but it is the same process.
I Tried to Be A Child Again
During my art class, I was looking at the works of art that were hung up in the classroom. Many of them were animal paintings created by children. I was so inspired by how a child paints. Their simplicity and innocence was what moved me. I also see that in your Pooh drawing.
So I went home and tried to access that part of me but the adult took over and I couldn’t find my child artist. In this painting, I did not do any tracing but I am now inspired to try one using a tracing like you did.
I did experiment with painting on to a crumpled piece of corrugated cardboard. I distressed it after completing the painting by stepping on it, wrinkling it and tearing small pieces off.
Where I Am With Art Today
I haven’t created any physical paintings for a long time. I think the Animals to Cuddle is my last one from 5+ years ago. I’ve switched to digital painting as a way to honor the planet by not using physical plastic acrylic paints that get washed into the environment.
I totally enjoyed writing this story and sharing our art. It would be fun to do more!
Three stripes, adding words on to someone else’s photo, colored and traced Pooh Bear, traced woman floating on liquid paint, and animals on a scrunched cardboard box. It’s all art because someone created it and because somebody sees it as art.
I see your Pooh Bear as art.
So be it.
It is art.
You are an artist.
