I bet that you have traced someone's art before right? Learning the basics through tracing is a notable way to help beginner artists get better at art, but I believe there are certain rules when it comes to tracing another person’s art work. I believe that there is one major rule when it comes to tracing someone’s art: don't claim your traced drawing your own! It can harm you and the original artist when claiming traced art as your own.

One; it’s actually considered plagiarism for you to do so; not considered “illegal” but it’s not a free pass either for you to post a traced art work and claim it as your own. If you sell traced art or post it claiming that it’s yours may open you up to copyright claims. Why I believe it’s hurtful for you to post a tracing of someone else's art is because controversies in the past have been surrounded by people tracing art. Having this burden on yourself of constant judgement can have a serious toll on your mental well being.
It’s harmful to the original artist because you traced their artwork without giving them any credit. Two, If you decide to post their art without any credit there is a possibility that your post can get more views than their original artwork which leaves them with less exposure leading to not becoming a more serious deal in the art community. This causes them to question what they did wrong to not have more views on their post.

I’ve never had personal experience with someone tracing my art or myself claiming that art that I traced was mine, but I’ve been a part of the art community for a long time and I have witnessed a lot of art tracing in action. When this happens either party can be at fault. The original artist can be too harsh to the tracer to pressure them to take the traced art down. Or the tracer can be quite defensive and not take ownership of their mistake. An example of this is in Japan; there has been a recent art tracing controversy. Hisashi Eguchi is facing criticism for allegedly tracing someone else’s work for commercial purposes. The controversy sparked various conversations about originality, and artistic freedom. The illustration that was at the center of the controversy was commissioned by a mall. After the image went public a woman had contacted the mall that it was her artwork. Eguchi explained that he had had consent to use her work, but yet the art work was pulled from the mall after the issue had become public. It turned out to be not the first time Eguchi had traced before without credit or permission.

I didn’t have an exact moment of where I was when I formed the belief but I can tell what I was thinking that made me form this belief. When I formed this belief I remember I was on a drawing app and was tracing someone’s art because I wanted to get better at my skills and anatomy but then the thought of “How would I feel if someone traced my art work?” I actually felt bad for tracing the person's art even though I wasn't going to claim it as mine. For a while I actually stopped tracing for a long time, but as time went on I decided to look up if tracing was bad, and actually a lot of people seemed to agree that it was okay for beginner artist to trace but only if they didn’t claim it as theirs, and that actually made me feel better about myself.

In conclusion that’s why I believe that tracing is a considerable starting point for beginner artists. It’s a good starting point because it helps them get a sense of what they need to work on in order to better themselves as an artist, but only if they know the rules when it comes to tracing. Next time you’re tracing, remember; Ask the artist or OP (Original Poster) if it is okay to trace their work, but clarify you won’t be claiming it as your own. If they say no: respect that and move on. Two; Be respectful. I think that goes without saying to always be respectful to others, but it is especially important when you’re in a large community with millions of people of different ideas about what is right and wrong when creating art.