The Art of Tracing

Recently, while working on a stop-motion animation for a commercial, a skill from my youth came back into play: tracing. The project required handwriting to be done frame by frame. Beforehand, the client approved the final look of the handwriting, but the real challenge was re-creating it in real-time for each frame.

I used the sample I had provided to the client and carefully traced my previous work—word by word, frame by frame—to achieve a precise result.

This reminded me of an important lesson I learned early in my art career (thank you, Mrs. Shell and Ms. Babcock): how crucial it is to develop a skill like tracing. Whether you’re duplicating your own work to make adjustments or working on intricate projects like stop-motion animation, tracing can save a significant amount of time and effort in a pinch. And it's a super affordable skill—you don’t even need a fancy lightbox. I often press my drawings against the window and use the natural light to trace. I also own a small, portable Porta-Trace lightbox for those heavy tracing days when getting up frequently isn't good for productivity.

Tracing is also a great way to hone your drawing skills. By copying the works of masters or your own lines, you give your hand the practice it needs to create those shapes independently. It’s a simple but effective exercise that builds muscle memory and precision over time.