Is the grid method tracing?

Tracing follows a line directly from an existing image. The grid method asks you to redraw relationships: where an edge enters a cell, how a shadow tilts, and how much space lies around it. You choose the stroke, pressure, material, value, and interpretation. The grid simply makes the proportion question small enough to answer reliably.

The distinction matters in commission work. A client wants a recognisable animal, but they also chose your medium and hand. Use a grid for the initial block-in, then work from the unmarked reference for edges, fur direction, and colour. A Renaissance workshop might use strings across a frame as a visual measuring device; the modern purpose is the same: disciplined observation, not an automatic picture.

If you are learning, make the process visible. Name the landmark, compare the negative space, and decide why it belongs at that location. Those habits remain useful after you need fewer construction lines.