What is Cheating in Art? with Jeremy and Cedar Vickery

Main idea

“Cheating” in art refers to using tools or shortcuts that either create a victim (someone whose work/rights were stolen) or deceive your audience by claiming a piece is wholly “from imagination” when it was not. Tools and references are not inherently cheating — they are legitimate learning and production aids when used ethically and transparently. The aim of art should be storytelling and emotional impact, not protecting artistic ego or pretending a finished piece sprang fully formed from a blank page.

Key concepts, techniques, and creative processes

Reference vs. copying

• Copying pixels or plagiarizing is wrong.
• Using reference to learn, extract an essence, or build a story is acceptable and valuable.
• Extraction: study a reference’s essential qualities (lighting, color, mood, pose, materials) and translate those qualities into original work rather than duplicating exact imagery.

Historical precedents

• Artists have long used optical tools and photographic references: camera obscura, early photography (Debates around Vermeer, Degas, Muybridge), staged photo reference, etc.
• Many canonical works were informed by photographic or optical techniques.

Photography for artists

• Photo reference captures fleeting moments—light, fog, movement—and fine details that are hard to study from life.
• Good reference requires learning basic camera principles (lighting, lens choice, exposure, composition).
• Phone cameras are sufficient to start; learn the principles before upgrading gear.

3D tools and photo assets

• 3D assets, scans, and models are acceptable production tools for posing, blocking, and iteration.
• They speed iteration and help realize poses/environments that are impractical to stage in real life.
• Use them as training wheels until you can draw/pose independently.

Skill blending (skill sharing)

• Cross-disciplinary learning (photography, cinematography, story, acting, 3D, sculpture) strengthens visual storytelling skills.

Process and production practices

• Iteration, rough storyboards/animatics, mockups, kitbashing, and low-fi 3D blocking are standard studio workflows.
• The rough stage is for communication and discovery, not gallery display.
• Group projects and tight deadlines (e.g., 48-hour film challenges) accelerate learning and force collaboration.

Ethics of generative AI

• Generative AI that scrapes artists’ work without consent is viewed as creating victims and is ethically problematic.
• Distinguish unethical AI (trained on stolen work) from ethical automation of tedious tasks; refuse to use the former until ethical solutions exist.

Practical methods, steps, materials, and advice

Learning progression & practice habits

• Do foundational observation practice:
  • Figure drawing (live)
  • Plein air and color studies
  • Material studies (metal, subsurface scattering, textiles, etc.)
• Copy masterworks historically to learn technique (museum copying traditions), then extract and transform what you learn into original pieces.
• Do many fast studies (2–15 minute sketches) to build visual libraries.
• Make story-driven projects (key art, short films, comics) to force holistic skill development (lighting, perspective, posing, composition).

Using reference responsibly

• Ask: Is there a victim? Are you deceiving your audience? If yes, don’t do it.
• Credit sources when appropriate and be honest about using reference.
• Use reference to learn traits and speed iteration — don’t pass off someone else’s work as fully original.

Photography & camera basics (practical tips)

• Learn composition and exposure fundamentals: aperture, ISO, shutter speed, lens choice, focus techniques, and lighting.
• Use inexpensive lights, smoke, and practicals to craft mood; plan shoots to capture fleeting light (e.g., sunrise).
• Capture multiple angles and poses; use stills and video to assemble storyboards or animatics.

Speed iteration & pre-production workflow

• Start with rough thumbnails and storyboards; assemble animatics to check timing and story beats before costly production.
• Mock up scenes in simple 3D to test camera angles, perspective, blocking, and composition.
• Kitbash or create low-fidelity versions to test ideas quickly prior to polishing.

Group work and creative constraints

• Join group projects or short film challenges to learn collaboration, deadlines, and skills you might avoid when working solo.
• Let project needs push you to learn weaknesses (e.g., needing to represent a car will push you to learn car drawing).

Tools & materials (examples)

• Cameras: phone camera, DSLR, or cinema cameras; various lenses
• Lighting: basic and inexpensive lights, smoke machines, practicals
• Software/hardware: Photoshop, Procreate, simple 3D blocking/modeling tools, 3D scans
• Traditional: cheap pencils, printer paper for drawing foundations

Ethical stance on AI and digital tools

• Differentiate between AI that steals artists’ work (unethical) and ethical automation of repetitive tasks.
• Traditional digital art tools (Procreate, Photoshop) still require the same knowledge of color, value, and composition as traditional media.

Examples & demonstrations

Historical and modern examples used to illustrate reference

• Vermeer (camera obscura), Eadweard Muybridge (motion studies), Edgar Degas (early photography), Norman Rockwell (photo-staged reference), Anders Zorn, Gustave Courbet, James Gurney.

Demonstrations from Jeremy and Cedar

• Using personal photos (fog, sunrise, street scenes, small objects) as reference.
• Turning figure-drawing poses into imaginative creatures through extraction.
• Example pipeline for a short sequence:
  1. Thumbnails → animatic
  2. Shoot reference stills and video
  3. 3D blockout → painted storyboards → final piece
• Course materials include raw filmed footage (e.g., 40 minutes) so students can practice editing and cutting a scene.

Pedagogical examples

• Copying masters at museums as a historical learning path.
• James Gurney’s use of models and maquettes to build imaginative realism.

Courses, resources, and how to continue

Jeremy Vickery (Lighting Mentor)

• Courses: “Photography for Artists”, “Painting Light” series, Foundations of Drawing.
• Mentorship: lightingmentor.com/mentorship and lightingmentor.com
• YouTube: Lighting Mentor channel

Cedar Vickery

• Course: “Cinematic Storytelling” (short films, storyboarding, shot sequencing)
• YouTube: new/linked presence to be announced

Proko platform

• Jeremy and Cedar’s courses are available on Proko (merged as “Cinematography for Artists”).
• Proko offers bundle discounts and student submission/feedback via accounts.

Free content

• Both instructors publish free YouTube content; paid courses include deeper material, raw footage, exercises, and mentoring options.

Takeaway

Tools (photography, 3D, digital brushes, cameras) are not inherently cheating. They belong to a long tradition of artists using aids to observe, study, and build work. Ethical use means: no victim, no deception, and honest intent. Use references and tools to learn, extract, and tell better stories; iterate quickly, practice broadly, and blend skills across disciplines.

Creators and contributors featured

• Jeremy Vickery (Lighting Mentor)
• Cedar Vickery
• Proko (host/platform)

Referenced artists and creators:

• Johannes Vermeer
• Eadweard Muybridge
• Edgar Degas
• Norman Rockwell
• Anders Zorn
• Gustave Courbet
• James Gurney
• Gary Larson
• Dr. Seuss
• Hayao Miyazaki
• Elisa Ivanova

Also referenced: film examples and industry mentions (e.g., K-pop Demon Hunters, Knives Out, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Pixar examples).