Why I am pro-tracing?

“It’s not really my drawing, I traced it.” — is a statement often expressed with a bit of shame. As if the act of tracing somehow negates the value of the work!?

I wholeheartedly disagree.

I am an advocate for tracing everything and anything for children (and adults) for so many reasons.

Tracing helps:

• refine fine motor skills

• strengthen hand-eye coordination

• cultivate a sense of space and spatial relationships

• bring attention to often missed details

• relax the mind

• foster concentration

• encourage problem solving (ex. where will the line go next?)

For budding little artists (whose imaginations and ability to see often surpass their hand’s ability to draw), tracing provides a sense of confidence and a way to have their art reflect the real world they observe so well.

Let tracing be a part of your creative life.

It’s fun!

It’s relaxing!

It’s empowering.

It’s incredibly beneficial.

Trace your hands.

Trace your feet.

Trace cups.

Trace utensils.

Trace toys.

Next, transform them into whatever your imagination desires.

Or here is another idea:

When my eldest was 4-years-old, he spent a good 3 months tracing every Pokemon out there. I saw that he had a desire to draw and a need for stillness and repetition. He had a very clear idea of what he wanted to create, but he lacked the fine motor skills to have his results match his imagination. With this in mind, I got him tracing paper and a light board and printed every Pokemon I could find. We began with simple designs. As his skills and confidence grew, we added more intricate ones. I still have hundreds of tracings to remember those days by. He is now a 10-year-old boy who loves to draw and who has beautiful handwriting. Now, he mostly draws freehand, but he still happily traces from time to time — when it is beneficial to his process. And with no shame at all.

Figure out what you and your children like and trace the day away!

Individually or as a group — joint tracings/drawings are a beautiful way to connect as a family.

Oh — almost forgot! In case you need more encouragement, tracing has been used as far back as Egyptian art. Moreover, it’s still used today by artists to save time and to achieve better accuracy in representational art.