As an "artist" myself, I had always wondered why Thommye was tracing CGs and sprites. Originally, I didn’t care because I had thought that everyone could tell that her “art” was in fact just tracings.
Then one day, an anon spoke out and essentially said to her, “You traced your art” (the anon wasn't very polite or explicit and it could have been phrased differently, but that was the main message) to Thommye, who then responded with a series of screenshots.
Thommye said that she didn’t copy anything, and that she only used references.
After seeing her response to the anon’s message, it finally hit me.
Nobody- except for the anon and myself – ever suspected that that was not completely her (Thommye’s) art.
I also saw someone saying “Wow, it seems like a real CG!” on one of her artworks at a later date.
And they’re right-they do seem like a real CG. The lines, the placement, and everything looks like it’s an exact replica of the art drawn by Voltage.
There are several possible reasons for this: Thommye has an amazing ability and is able to copy the CGs and the sprites almost perfectly and her art style is just eerily similar to Voltage’s style. Or, like the anon had said, she might have been tracing the CGs.
To be honest, I strongly believe that she did trace an actual CG-at least to some extent.
Before I go even further, I would like to clarify one thing. To me, I do not care what she does or what she draws or what she decides to call her “art”. But, what has irked me is how she has potentially betrayed the trust of other people-her fans, her followers, her friends.
Of course, I can’t force my opinions upon you or force you to believe me, so it’s up to you what you ultimately think of the situation.
After seeing the anon’s claim, I decided to go further and investigate-was it possible to just find a character’s head from a CG, then overlay it and trace it?
Please take a look at the photos I’ve uploaded. In response to the anon’s claims, Thommye had posted responses with screenshots of WIPs that drew Roberto and Chihaya. The first photo is of the Roberto she drew, but I’ve placed over an actual head sprite from the game, then I changed the opacity of it to show how it looks when placed upon her art. The following series of photos are first, the Chihaya she drew, the second is a Chihaya photo from Voltage applied to her drawing, and finally the two are overlayed once again achieving a similar effect to the Roberto artwork.
Copying DOES NOT EQUAL tracing. Copying is when you have an image by your side, and you are trying your best to make a copy of it. It’s called a copy because it’s not expected to be perfect to the original. Of course, some artists are gifted and they may do better than others-but it still will take years and YEARS of experience to be able to almost get an art style down to the exact same as another’s.
References are usually used to study difficult poses. That’s why they’re called a reference, but not a template. You shouldn't copy references-and people who make references (for example, on DevianArt) say explicitly to “not copy”. Looking at references then thinking about how to draw it yourself. That’s how you improve-you practice drawing and the reference is there to help you, but not for you to trace and use.
Also, we can look at the hands of the characters on her art.
When copying, you still need to keep in mind small details and proportions. At least with some of Thommye’s art, the hands don’t match up to the faces or bodies well in terms of proportions.
Now, let’s see what Thommye said about her artwork, taken from her responses to the anon’s claims:
“Maybe this isn’t’ enough to prove anything” (referring to screenshots of her WIPs)
Layers can be easily hidden from digital programs. It can also be removed, then a screenshot will be taken, and you re-add the layer after taking the screenshot. Basically, it can be fairly easy to fabricate with only screenshots, vs. a video tutorial or a pencil sketch.
“Everyone has their own style of drawing (…) I have none”
Apart from the fact that the statement is a bit contradicting itself, EVERYONE has their own style. That’s how art is created. People with different styles see the word differently. If I drew stick people, they would probably be different from stick people other people draw.
You find your style by drawing and drawing, and practicing. But, you probably won’t have your own original style by tracing.
“And I don’t really know how one can copy/trace a coloring off a CG”
Please see the other picture I’ve posted, I’ve traced a Roberto head sprite by having layers and changing the opacity.
“It hurts”
While I agree that the way the anon approach the subject wasn't the most correct way to do it, I've also been hurt by the entire experience-especially when I took the anon’s words and decided to experiment. Some of the art just seems too close to be just mere coincidences.
“It’s disheartening to receive such messages”
I’ve put together this post because I’m also disheartened. The stuff that I’ve found has me convinced that at least to some extent, Thommye’s work is not entirely her own. And if that is the case, then not only have you fooled your followers, your friends, your fans, you’ve also fooled yourself as well.
That’s really all I have to say. Maybe Thommye traces some of her art, maybe all of it, and maybe none of it. I’ve said what I personally believe in, and everyone else is free to make their own opinions of the situation. I just wanted to put what I’ve found out there. It’s always good to see the full picture.
One final thing: If you have unfollowed “i-dropped-my-heart” for her comment on Thommye’s post or based her, then I think you should reconsider your actions-no one deserves that kind of hate or flaming.
