Re: I just HAVE to know this...
As an illustrator, I'll let you into a little secret; many illustrators trace from photographs.
Yes, it is true, even many very big names trace from photos. It is now believed that the sudden increase in realist technique in the renaissance may have been due to the invention of various cameras (not film of course) and optical devices which allowed artists to 'trace' what was in front of them. With illustration the point is the finished image not how you got there. The method of production may in some cases affect the look of the finished image, but it is mostly down to the personal preference of the illustrator.
If you like drawing freehand or from your imagination or tracing, then that is the route you take. Personally I use 3D software to compose most of my work nowdays; Dazstudio and Sketchcup are excellent, easy to use and free.
As far as method goes; whatever floats your boat and gets the job done is the way to go. The only note of caution I would give is to try not to infringe someone else's copyright. Photographers are artists too you know, ask permission if you are going to trace or even closely follow a photo that is not public domain or not your own. You can offer to link back to the photograph owners site and even give them a name check when posting your image.
As for drawing from life, it is impressive, but not as difficult to do as many seem to think, so here is my complete artschool for numpties course;
How to draw from life like a pro in one easy lesson; I can tell you one simple technique, that if you follow it and make it habit, will improve your life drawing phenomenally quickly.
A short explanation, it is all about the way we see. Yes, you have heard that before, I know, but to be more precise what stops us from drawing what we see as we see it is a neurological mechanism which is designed to use our brains efficiently when seeing.
Hard though it is to visulaise, this is what happens when you are seeing; the point of focus, of your eyes, is really all you are seeing at any time. By that I mean, when we divert attention or see with peripheral vision our brains are not storing every little detail, but are actually substituting mental symbols for what is there. Yes, it is true, what we see in our minds is not what we see in the real world, we see symbols, a kind of mental shorthand if you like.
This is why, those who are not familiar with drawing or anatomy will draw eyes on a profile that look like eyes from a front view. All those old fart art teachers were right in saying that the trick is to draw what you see, but where most go wrong is trying to teach you what everything looks like, rather than in getting you to see. With me so far?
So how to draw from life? Remember those drawing books you had as a kid, the ones that always had at least on one page a picture in a grid and an empty grid, and you had to copy each little line from each grid square?
You did O.K. drawing like that didn't you? why?
Well partly because of the reference of the grid which encouraged you to keep checking what you were drawing against it, you can still do this, Durer used to use a grid for his amazingly detailed drawings, but your success was also because of the tiny amount of information you were handling at any one time.
So the real meat of this course is this; you must transfer very small amounts of information from what you see to the paper. That is get used to looking up at what you are drawing every second or so. Most people don't do this, they look and then draw, but within fractions of a second the vision is replaced by the mental symbol and they tend to draw what they see in their minds, rather than what they just looked at. Yes, it really is that simple. Think about it, if you were asked to copy a line drawn on paper, you would have no trouble doing that, but if asked to copy a drawing containing hundreds of lines you would probably freak out and fall back into the habit of drawing what you think you see. It is the same with drawing from life.
Start with very simple shapes and proportions, get the proportions right then move on to smaller details, step by step rough out the overall shapes and sizes then, smaller details, then smaller and smaller details etc. Remember transfer very small amounts of information from what you see to the paper, sometimes even looking up two or three times for each line, be patient speed will come later, focus on each step; look, draw what you see, then check it is what you see, not what you think you see. This can at first be tedious, but make it a habit and your drawing will improve very very quickly.
Drawing from life can be very rewarding, but for illustration purposes; copying is copying whether by hand or by camera.
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