Tag: pictures

Is Copying Wrong???

I’ve dealt with this problem before – is copying someone else’s work wrong??? 

There are two answers to this . . . 

ANSWER 1: NO 

I use a lot of references when drawing, sometimes even copying a drawing line for line. This helps me get better at my own technique, and learn how other great artists do it! 

My mom sometimes says when I copy something my brother does (or the other way around, which isn’t as often) that copycatting is the best way to show admiration. If I think what my brother did is amazing or really well done, I want to try it myself. 

This used to make him really upset, like I was trying to do it better. But really, I was looking up to him and following his example! 

It can work the same way with copying drawings. You may really love how it looks and want to learn how to do it the same way. 

But . . . 

ANSWER 2: YES 

If you want to SELL a drawing, then by no means should it be an exact copy of someone else’s work. 

For example, I just finished my commission for illustrating a children’s book on Tuesday. I used a LOT of reference pictures for that project, since I usually draw in full cartoon or realistic, not a mix of both like she wanted for her book. 

So I would use both pictures of real people and cartoons to help me merge the two styles. Sometimes I would use the exact pose from my reference for a drawing, but NEVER would it look exactly the same. I would change the facial expression and the clothing. Sometimes I would flip a picture or change the angle. 

When I was using a real photo as my reference, my drawing would obviously not look the same as the photo, so I was pretty safe in that regard. 

But when (aside from that project) I draw cartoon/manga characters, sometimes I DO copy a drawing exactly. But I wouldn’t sell that picture. It’s just for me, to make me happy. 

I might show some friends, but I won’t try to market my copy as an original, because that’s pirating. It’s taking someone’s amazing drawing and trying to sell it as your own. 

CONCLUSION 

So if you want to copy someone’s drawing to learn their style, or just to have a copy of it . . . 

Don’t try to sell it or market it as your own. ALWAYS give credit to the original artist if you post it anywhere!!! But feel free to copy whatever pictures you like – it’ll help you get better at drawing!!! 

And who knows? You may be that amazing author that everyone wants to copy someday 😀 

God bless, 

Janet 🦋  

3 Ways to Copy Pictures

Hello! Today I’m going to take you through three of my favorite ways to copy pictures. Now, why might you want to copy a picture??? I’ve given you a few scenarios below, and I’m sure you’ll think of many more ways that this option might be helpful!

Let’s get started! 😀

TEQNIQUE #1—Printer

Say that you like the look of one of your drawings so much that you want to color it a couple times just to see what it looks like. In that case, don’t color the original! You might want to have it in the future 😀

When I am in this situation, I like to use our printer to copy my pencil sketches for coloring, and then I have a black-and-white picture (the copy) to use.

When you do this, you can make as many copies as you want—for your friends as well if they want—and they can all be in B&W because you didn’t color the original. There won’t be any strange shades from the first coloring.

Another great thing about doing this is that you can always go back and revise the original if you want.

For example: say you have just drawn a girl standing, looking over her shoulder. You really like the drawing, but you’re wondering what it might be like if you added another person or an animal (whatever you like, really).

So, go and make a copy of it, and then change the original! You can add other characters to the scene or adjust her posture, expression, etc.—and you still have the copy of what it looked like before if you want to go back to that.

TEQNIQUE #2—Light box

If you don’t want to use or don’t have a printer to copy with, another option is a light board or box. You can buy these online or make one yourself!

I remember when I was little, my brother and I would make light boxes all the time (all the time because the pieces had to be put away when we were done with them).

The way to make a lightbox is as follows:

1. Find a stepstool or cardboard box (something with walls strong enough to support some weight and tall enough to hold a flashlight).

2. You will also need a glass plate or piece of glass large enough to cover the entire top surface of the box you’re using.

3. Grab a flashlight, lamp, or your phone (turn on the flashlight if using this option), and place it in the box with the light facing up. Place your glass object of choice on top of the box.

4. Voila! You have a light box. Simply place the drawing or photo you want to copy on top of the glass and a blank sheet of paper on top of that. Hold it still (don’t let the top paper shift around), and you can copy the bottom picture.

5. If your light isn’t bright enough, you can move it closer to the glass or add a second one.

It’s pretty easy and fun! Of course, it’s important not to shift the top paper around like I mentioned above because then your copy might look a little weird . . .

TEQNIQUE #3—Graphite Paper

Another art supply you can use to copy pictures is graphite paper (GP for short). It’s a thin paper that is covered on one side in . . . graphite (thus the name). You can use it to copy a picture onto another piece of paper, or you could copy a picture onto a canvas or a wall to paint!

Not sure how to do that?

1. Put the GP on the canvas—with the graphite side facing down.

2. Then you put the drawing or photo you want to copy on top of that, and arrange it how you want.

3. Use a pencil or—if you don’t want to draw directly onto the reference picture—a sharp object like a skewer or needle tip, and draw over the lines on your reference picture that you want transferred to the canvas!

4. Voila! You have a rendition of the original picture on the canvas (or whatever you were copying onto).

I personally love graphite paper because it’s so easy to use! There isn’t any setup needed, and you can use one piece of GP many times before you need a new one.

Also, it doesn’t leave any smudge marks but leaves a nice thin line—well . . . as thin as the pencil or skewer you were using—that you can then adjust how you want and finish!

NOTE: you can quite easily paint over the graphite lines on the canvas and erase them once the paint is dry. This is useful for any painting where you want guidelines for your picture. They might show up a little bit, but if you draw lightly, it shouldn’t cause any problems. Be cautious, though, if you want to enter the painting in a contest. Sometimes contest rules force such a painting to be entered as “mixed media” if pencil marks are visible.

Well, that’s all I have on picture copying! See you in the next post 😀

Thanks for reading, and God bless,

~Janet