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Saw something weird at the Denver Art Museum doodle session

I went to the free sketch night at the Denver Art Museum last Tuesday and maybe 30 people showed up. But almost EVERYONE was just tracing their phone screens onto paper instead of looking at the actual paintings on the walls. Like what is even the point of going to a museum if you're just copying a photo you could look up at home? Am I the only one who thinks doodling from real life is WAY better than using a reference pic from your phone?

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3 Comments

charliestone3mo ago

Honestly I used to be one of those phone tracers but you're right, real life sketching hits different.

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drew_bennett243mo ago

That's what got me too. Did you find yourself going back to certain spots or subjects more when you switched from tracing to freehand? Like for me it was old buildings with a ton of detail, phone pics never did them justice.

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elliot_johnson313mo ago

Have you ever tried sketching from a moving car window? I did that once on a road trip through the mountains and ended up with this wild, blurry mess that somehow looked more alive than any photo I could have taken. It's like the imperfection of it captured the feeling of the moment better than something clean and precise ever could. Old buildings definitely have that same kind of pull for me, especially ones with peeling paint or weird angles that a camera just flattens out. I think there's something about the time it takes to sketch a detail that makes you appreciate it more, even if the sketch itself isn't perfect. Phone tracing is fine for getting started, but you miss all the character that comes from just sitting and looking.

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