References are fine as long as you didn't cheat and trace it :P

I realise that is the case, but that's where the issue comes in. i used what they call 'grid referencing' to draw the image. That is when you make a little paper box over a photo, for example, and then copy out what is in the box to paper or screen. Problem is however that the moderators consider that a form of tracing, even if it isn't actually tracing any lines... It confuses me to how that makes sense, but it was easier to just take it down, lol.

Well thats fail. Using a grid is just the same as a good artist having that much experience that they can nail it down first time.

How the fuck is using a grid tracing/cheating, rofl x3

That was my arguement. I have done a lot of portraits similar to this one of celebrities, using the same method and it never goes well the first time. It takes a very long time to get the features looking correct and in some cases they still do not work (please refer to Tennant's mouth XD). If I had actually drawn over a photo, then I would have traced. Gridding is nothing like that, even though I'll admit its a form of copying.

That said however, how can portraiture NOT be a copy if you use a reference? youre copying their face to paper... -ripose, parry and touché at Y!G-

xD DAVID TENNANT FTW!

xD And yes, using a grid is what professional artists do for selling portraits. If you showed this to david he might even buy it!

>=3

Haha, I wish. It'd not THAT good XD

He is the cutest doctor. ^_^ I love his hair the most, but in real life and this picture :D


Griding is tracing now no wah D=
Back in my schooling days the art class made grids using wooden box frames with string criss-crossing over it. So that way you could hold it up and grid/frame live figures or arrangements to sketch.

Boo, not a trace. :(

It annoys me how gridding is referred to as tracing. I very rarely use it, unless I'm trying to get a particularly awkwardly shaped head proportioned correctly. I do however make use of numerous photos in order to get the proportions more accurate.