Camera Lucida: An Optical Illusion for Artists

Imagine an optical device that allowed you to see what you wanted to paint or draw as if reflected on your piece of paper. All you'd need to do would be to trace the subject, no more struggling to get the perspective or someone's features accurate. Sounds too good to be true? Well, a camera lucida does do this.

Of course, it a camera lucida can't teach you how to choose what to put in or leave out of a sketch, nor what kind of marks to put down. But, by eliminating the need to measure to get the perspective accurate, it will increase the rate at which you work and free you up to experiment more as you haven't invested so much time in one picture. Find out how a camera lucida works...

See Also:
• Art Equipment Review: A Modern Camera Lucida
• David Hockney's Theory About the Old Masters Using a Camera Lucida
• Book Review: Secret Knowledge by David Hockney

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