Do you "cheat" at making art?

[bif]

By that I mean doing things like using a ruler to get straight lines. I've done that lately and my wife says it's not cheating because the masters used things like the camera obscura. I've also rubbed chalk on a photo and then put it over a canvas and traced the outline of an object.

[FalloutShelter]

1. I cheat ALL the time.

There's a lot of geometry in most of my art, and I like a crisp edge. Every utensil is available to artists to use or not as they choose.
Everything is there at your disposal, you choose.

The beauty of being an artist is that you get to decide. It's whatever you say it is. The product of your conception and your skill at bringing it to life.

[CrispyQ]

2. I agree with your wife.

I'm not very good at drawing so I sometimes trace vague outlines of where things go, a path, the general shape of a building. I draw tiny city-scapes freehand except when I add a Ferris wheel—I always trace the circle—but drawing small is so much easier than on a bigger canvas.

We just watched a great White Collar episode with a camera obscura last night.

[MLAA]

3. I must cheat also.

My trick is to use transparency sheets to outline one side of what I’ve painted, the flip it over to see if I have symmetry on the other side 😬

[LakeArenal]

4. Art is art if you think it's art.

Some people us junk yard stuff and call it art.


PS. My rust junk yard ornaments sold for big money at our auction.

Mr Lake was gobsmacked.

[GPV]

5. I cheat. I use photo apps to trace.

[Nittersing]

6. I used the bottom of my coffee cup to make this

My first watercolor lesson. No way can I freehand those circles.

[WalkerinSC]

7. Bill says

[ZonkerHarris]

8. there is no cheating in art. all is fair.

[Ocelot II]

9. It isn't cheating to use rulers or other aids to be sure your lines are straight

or objects are correctly placed and proportioned. You are responsible for the success of the final product, whether you measured or gridded a preliminary drawing or just eyeballed your subject. No matter how you get there it isn't cheating.

[bif]

10. I guess ultimately all that matters is the end product

Pretty much no matter how you get there.

[LiberalLoner]

11. All the time! Absolutely. Grid method, projector, whatever helps.