"I Want to Paint Not Draw"

Is it cheating to use a projector? I have thought about this a lot.

I have tried all the methods of which I'm aware to apply a drawing to my paper (or canvas or board, etc.).

This includes:


- draw freehand

- make a grid and transpose the image line by line, section by section

- trace from an enlarged reference photo on tracing paper using a light box/table, then apply graphite on the reverse side, then flip over and transfer by re-tracing

AND, the subject of today's blog--

- trace an enlarged image of a reference photo using some type of projector onto paper (etc.) taped to a wall or, if you have a really good set-up, the projector may be hanging over your paper, making it easier to trace

Is this cheating, that is, using a projector?

I think not, well, not any more than using a grid or light box/table is cheating. Why?

Well, there are probably as many opinions as there are painters, and you know what opinions are like, right?

A professional painter I know said,"I want to paint not draw." And that's what I want to do, too.

That doesn't mean there isn't a place for top-notch draftsmanship in rendering drawings, and I do applaud and admire all those painters who can do that and who, it seems, also studied architectural design.

But c'mon, what about the rest of us? Please, just let me get my drawing onto the paper the best (and easiest) way I know how so that I can get to the main course, which is painting.