It's usually really easy to tell when art is traced, but people who are primarily customers might not always know the difference. It's exactly like you said, people who trace don't understand WHY those lines are there, and because of that the shapes are bulky and don't make sense. It also helps mentioning that traced art varies a TON, even more than someone that doesn't have a consistent style.

I was on LD TikTok and a few artists on here were openly selling traced commissions, and that's quite sad because they don't disclose it to their customers. At least this will help customers figure out if they're piece is traced. Tips for customers may be asking for pose references, see if the raw figure sketch is just solid line, or if it's organic rounded shapes. Perhaps ask for two raw sketches of two different poses. If they vary too much, like they don't understand why the body is shaped like that, it's likely traced.

I know a lot of newer artists say that it's fine to trace because it helps build their skill, but this example demonstrates that it doesn't. They don't know HOW to trace. They don't know how to understand the shapes that are in their subject, why they are there, and how to accurately recreate them. It also doesn't matter skill level wise. A kindergartner still understands the shapes in their subject and why they're there ;)

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Sometimes my lineart ends up looking like I traced the photo when i didn't, anyone have tips for this?

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