On Artistic Tools: Is it 'Cheating' to use a Projector or Grid System?

A recent painting where I made use of a Grid System

Today I’m going to address a topic that will only be relevant to visual artists. This isn’t to say that a non-artist can’t read this blog entry and find it informative; it is instead to say that the topic at hand is field specific. And, while I haven’t done much writing on the topic of art lately it is ‘technically’ my area of expertise, as my academic training is in Philosophical Aesthetics, and I am a practitioner of the visual arts, as well.

From my experience I have noticed that there is, at times, controversy surrounding the use and implementation of certain artistic techniques, particularly the use of tools such as grid systems or even projectors to achieve more concise layouts and designs.

Eventually someone always asks, “Isn’t taking advantage of such techniques simply a crutch, or a form of “cheating?”

Well, there is no short answer to this question, but most artist I’ve encounter don’t view such methods as ‘cheating,’ per se. Although, in certain situations it may definitely cause one to question the integrity of an artist. So, let’s look at these methods a little closer and judge for ourselves when the use of such methods may be deemed admissible.

Simply put, art is about creativity and expression. Therefore, there are no set rules on how one chooses to use their creativity or how they express themselves. Yet, I’ve never known a visual artist who doesn’t take pride in their (or others’) ability to draw or paint freehand or with the use of limited tools.

In regards to the use of grids or projectors, a simple question one might ask is: “could you produce the art piece without these methods.” If one answers yes, then they are likely only using either of these techniques as a tool to enhance of expedite the production of their art. If their answer is no, then it is likely that these methods are in fact a crutch and the artist is more dependent on tools and tricks of the trade than on talent. Yet, this isn’t to say that there isn’t a time or place for the use of either of these methods.

In short, an artist should not depend on these methods in order to achieve success; instead, they should use these methods to enhance success. In the same way a talented athlete will take advantage of the most sophisticated and up-to-date training, equipment, and sports medicine to achieve the greatest outcome, professional artists should not hesitate to use the most sophisticated techniques for drawing or painting.

I have found that in most cases, even the most talented of artists will make use of both grid systems and/or projectors in certain situations. For simplicity’s sake I’ve narrowed it down to three main areas of usage. The areas are: time, size, and style.

Time: Many artists will make use of certain tools like projectors, and in some cases grids (depending on how involved and time consuming the grid system itself is), to speed along a process. Simply put it is a matter of pragmatics. The more art an artist can produce, the more art they can sell, and subsequently the more money they can make. Many artists are crunched for time and have to produce a wide body of work in a certain amount of time for a show. It is much easier to use a projector to speed things along, rather than layout each piece by hand. Accordingly, I’ve known many artists who are very talented and gifted using loose free hand skills, yet they will still take advantage of a projector for simplicity’s sake.

Size: The relative size of a piece is a key factor to consider whenever planning your layout. Inevitably, as a piece gets larger it becomes more difficult to maintain proportions, especially if the piece itself extends beyond one’s normal field of vision. Therefore, many artists won’t bother with a projector or grid for smaller pieces. But, if he or she begins working on a piece several feet in length and width (or larger), many will grid their canvass or even use a projector. From a historical perspective, the grid system is a classical tool that artists have been taking advantage of since antiquity. Long before photographs artists would use live models. If they were painting a “smaller” piece they would paint by sight on location. But, if the painting was to end up as a large mural on a wall or even on the ceiling of a chapel they would often sketch the piece from sight, grid the sketch, and then transpose the grid to a larger off site location. In this respect, the grid system has a more historical and relevant place within classical art history than does the use of photographs. Yet, I don’t know anyone who’d argue that drawing or painting from a photograph rather than using a live model is “cheating.” A projector is, however, a different story. Yet, I imagine that if digital projection was an option in the classical age some would take advantage of it too.

Style: The style of the desired art piece is perhaps the greatest determining factor as to which tools an artist uses. This is most certainly true when using grids or projectors as well. Simply put, many artists want their work to be interpretive, in which case they will intentionally avoid gridding their canvasses or using a projector so as to allow for more freedom of expression. Yet, at times artists will want to achieve ‘photo realism.’ In such cases proportions and exactitude will be of the utmost importance. In these instances the closer a drawing or painting is to the original, the better. Therefore a grid will help and a digital projector is optimal. Most photo realistic painters are now using digital projectors routinely. Therefore, their artistic skill is displayed less in the initial layouts and rather in the actual painting process, where they are blending and shading objects, etc.

Personally, more often than not, I choose to free hand most of my works. This is because I like them to have a looser interpretive quality. If however I am working on a large scale piece where I want to achieve ‘photo realism’ then I will use a grid system. I in no way feel that this is “cheating.” If anything I view this as taking a page right out of antiquity, since they too often made use of grids. As far as the use of projectors goes, I personally don’t own one. If I did I might at times use it. I have tried using a projector on a few occasions in the past, and from those minimal experiences I came to two conclusions. Firstly, I realized how much enjoyment I get from the preliminary layout work. Even with a grid there is still a lot of measurements and mathematical formulas one has to figure out before creating a grid, and I personally enjoy the process and challenge. Secondly, I was surprised at the amount of skill still required even when using projection. This is especially true when painting (verses drawing) because once one begins to apply paint to canvass they will inevitably cover over their initial layout, in which case they will still be dependent on their eye and hand for detail work. The projected layout simply gets one started on the right track.

Like all matters of art, there is no one definitive method or answer. Each person will have to make their own choices. All forms of artistic expression begin by an individual artist and their personal journey. Where the journey begins and end is entirely up to them.