From tracing to drawing on your own, step by step
The way from tracing to drawing on your own is to use a little less of the guide each time: trace a picture once, trace it again with the guide fainter, then draw it next to the picture, and finally draw it from memory. Each round hands more of the work back to your eye and hand. This guide gives you a practice plan you can follow with any picture, plus the habits that make the switch feel natural instead of scary.
Tracing is not a dead end. Artists have used tracing, grids and projectors for a very long time, and it's a good way to train your hand to make confident lines. The goal of this guide is simply to help you take what tracing teaches you and use it without the guide underneath.
What tracing already teaches you
When you trace, your hand learns things that are hard to learn any other way:
Line control. You practice making long, smooth lines and stopping exactly where you mean to.
Order. You see that a drawing is built from big shapes first, then details.
Proportions. You feel how big an eye is next to a head, or how long a petal is next to a stem.
Confidence. You finish drawings that look good, which makes you want to draw more.
What tracing doesn't teach on its own is seeing: measuring shapes with your eye, deciding where a line goes, and fixing it when it's off. The steps below add that skill gradually.
The four-step practice plan
Pick one simple picture, like a flower, a cup or a cat's face, and take it through these four rounds. Don't rush to the next round; repeat one as often as you like.
| Round | What you do | What you're training |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Trace | Trace the whole picture with the guide fully visible | Line control and order |
| 2. Fade | Trace again with the picture much fainter | Trusting your own lines |
| 3. Copy | Draw it on a fresh sheet, with the picture next to your paper | Seeing shapes and proportions |
| 4. Remember | Draw it again without looking | Memory and your own style |
Round 1: Trace
Trace the picture as carefully as you can. Go slowly and notice the order: which big shapes come first, which lines connect, where the details sit. If you use a step-by-step lesson, the lesson already shows you that order, one part at a time.
Round 2: Fade
Trace the same picture again, but make the guide harder to see. In Pencilbloom you can lower the picture opacity while you trace, so the lines are only a hint. You'll find yourself guessing a little, and that's the point: your hand starts making decisions.
Round 3: Copy
Now put your phone or the printed picture next to your paper instead of under it. Draw what you see. Start with the biggest shapes, compare them with the picture, and fix them before adding detail. Your drawing won't match perfectly, and that's fine.
Round 4: Remember
On a new sheet, draw the picture from memory. Then look at the original and compare. Notice what you remembered well and what you forgot. That gap tells you what to look at more closely next time.
Same picture, four rounds. Repeating one subject teaches more than ten.
Habits that help you draw without a guide
Start with big shapes. Before any detail, block in the main shapes lightly: a circle for a head, an oval for a body, a line for the direction of a stem. Lessons build drawings in this order for a reason.
Draw lightly first. Light lines are easy to change. Press harder only once a line is in the right place.
Compare, don't guess. Ask simple questions while you draw: is this shape taller or wider? Does this line lean left or right? Is the eye closer to the top or the middle of the head?
Turn your drawing upside down. When something looks off but you can't tell why, flip the paper and the reference. You'll often see the mistake at once.
Keep your old drawings. Pencilbloom records a time-lapse while you draw, and the photos of your finished drawings collect in Studio. Looking back after a few weeks is the clearest way to see your progress.
Choosing what to practice
Some subjects make the switch easier than others.
Good first subjects to draw on your own
- Flowers and leaves: simple shapes, and small mistakes still look natural
- Cups, mugs and fruit: round shapes that train proportions
- Simple animals, like a cat or a bird, drawn from the side
- Cartoon or anime faces, which follow clear rules
- Your own photos turned into clean lines
Faces and hands are harder, because people notice every small error in them. Practice them too, but expect more rounds per picture.
You can also make your own practice pictures. Turn a photo of your pet, your garden or your coffee into a line drawing with photo to line drawing, trace it once, then take it through the four rounds above.
How Pencilbloom lessons fit in
Pencilbloom's step-by-step lessons are built for this exact path. Each lesson breaks a drawing into small steps, big shapes first and details last, so you can trace each step, then try it again on your own. Short courses link lessons together, from simple subjects to harder ones like faces.
A good routine looks like this: open a lesson, trace it step by step, then close the app and draw the same subject on paper. Next time, try the drawing first and only use the lesson to check.
Try it on real paper
Open Pencilbloom, pick a picture and trace it with your own pencil.
Questions about moving from tracing to drawing
Is tracing cheating if I want to learn to draw?
No. Tracing is a tool, and artists have used tools like grids and projectors for a long time. It only becomes a problem if you never practice without it. Use tracing to learn shapes and line control, then follow the four rounds in this guide to draw on your own.
How long does it take to stop needing tracing?
It's different for everyone and depends on how often you practice and what you draw. Instead of counting weeks, watch for small signs: you need the guide less, your copies look closer to the picture, and you start changing drawings on purpose.
What should I draw first without tracing?
Start with simple, forgiving subjects like flowers, leaves, cups or fruit. Small mistakes still look natural in them. Leave faces and hands for later, once you're comfortable comparing shapes and proportions.
Can I keep tracing and still get better at drawing?
Yes. Many people trace for some drawings and draw freehand for others. Tracing a detailed picture can be relaxing and still trains your hand. Just add some practice without the guide each week so your eye keeps learning too.