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The BASICS : Using References
Published: 2011-08-30 19:21:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 193105; Favourites: 7048; Downloads: 2583
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If you like this tutorial or do not like it, please take some time to tell me why so I will know how to make any future tutorials! Thanks
USING REFERENCES
Disclaimer: Some will disagree with me on how to use references, which is totally normal. This is just how i believe is the best and more beneficial way to use them. If you disagree and have a better tutorial feel free to link in the comments with your (polite) argument, i won't delete them if they aren't flamey or antagonistic XD. Alternate viewpoints to consider: [link] [link]
This is just born out of seeing what a lot of beginner artists do, which is straight up copy a photo and re clothe it. Sure it's legal and like stuff to do this, especially if you credit the photo, but it's not IMO the best way to draw with references. This is not the same as studying from a photo or doing live modelling sessions. Studying is not passed as original art and the goal is to learn and get close to the original. Drawing from the mirror or a live model is also different because of the way your eyes work. You have to actively decide how to flatten the 3d image your eyes receive into one 2d flat image you draw and this exercises your brain in ways photos will never do.
Just copying a single photo for what you have problems with or the entire pose isn't going to be as helpful as examining many, this attempts to replicate what having a live model would do, that is give you dimensions and 3d form to learn from. I believe it's the best way to use references and I believe it'll be beneficial to many beginners.
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Stock images are taken from *SenshiStock and ~Nemesis-19 as well as google to illustrate my point. If you have any issues with this please contact me via note
Other basic tuts:
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Comments: 827
Ahh this is great! I found this tutorial both useful and entertaining, I was actually laughing out loud at the yelling part! c:
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XD so much angry yelling T_T
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Wooo this is awesome! I never thought of references like that at all, but it makes great sense - thanks!
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Aw that's great! I hope it helps
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I am sure it will
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XD you aren't the first to say that, lots of people make the same mistake so everyone can improve together once they learn the right way
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Your tutorials on references is something I do all the time! I like and it made me laugh at your motivation for those who give up too quickly.
And yea it is a pain at times but you do learn to not have to rely on the photos all the time.
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XD it just made me sad to see so many beginners just copy poses @_@. Whenever i draw something new i have like 10+ tabs open for ref pictures hahaa
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LOL that sounds like me XD
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AMAZING TUTORIAL! THANK YOU!
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Thanks! I'm glad you like it
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This is very, VERY helpful!
I used to have the problem of 'must adapt the pose I want to the pose of the reference photos', and even sometimes I'd mix two different photos (like one for waist-up and another for waist-down) and come up with some really awkward, uncomfortable poses.
I definitely will stop that today! This was very enlightening and I'll be sure to try this method in the future. Thank you very much for making this <3
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I think it's a common problem cause people keep shouting at artists to "USE REFERENCES" but people are like.. what? how? do i just copy the pose??
I'm glad i can could help people understand how to use them in a more flexible way xOx
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Yes the 'How' part usually doesn't get developed.
This tutorial, I'm sure, will inspire many more of it's kind, maybe one day this will be the obvious way to use references.
Also, I'm sure this is applicable to other things like landscapes (mountains, rivers, trees..) but instead of building a skeleton one could determine the main shapes and volumes.
The more I think of it the more valuable it becomes xD Great work!
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I think ti's applicable to lots of objects, like phones and guns and light posts and such
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This is totally a "face-palm" moment, I had never really considered a methodology for using references other than see+copy . I've been using references wrong for sooooo long.
Heh, thanks for tutorial, it was really an eye opener.
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Sometimes the most obvious things can just escape us, it seems so duh after XD. I'm glad it could help you see
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Thank you for the tutorial it really has taught me alot C: I have to admit I would copy a pose and not really understand how it works, but I will stop that now lol. I have one problem and its just I have huge difficulty to coming up my own poses DX Do you have any advice how to overcome this?
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Hmm.. well there are a few things you can do, first is to study from life more, like go to the mall and draw people walking, look at photos of people do sports and acrobatics, gynastics and dancing. Copy those pictures for practice (as in don't show them off or say you mad them up), the more you draw different poses the more you understand how the body can move.
When you go to draw your own picture, ask yourself what is my character doing? And then imagine in your mind what a person might look like doing that. If you've already drawn and looked at lots of pictures you can have a better idea of what someone will look like instead of having to google
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Omg thank you so much for the advice! ; w ; I am definitely starting to observe how people move from now on C: Just again thank you so much for your time, this will really help me create my own poses
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For sure, keep drawing
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I will, thank you ^__^
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This was very helpful, thank you. ^-^
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Thank you for this! I never really thought about it that way 
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Good to hear! I hope it helps your future art
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WOW. This is extremely eye opening for me! Thank you so much for making this.
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Thanks! I'm so happy it could help in any way!
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Thank you for the tutorial, it helped a lot : D
Now to stop copying references. XD
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thank you! and haha glad it could change your habit
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Thanks for the tuto, it help me to realized that I do not need an exact picture of what I have in my mind to do the drawing.
Because I almost neither find what I had in mind while searching for reference shots.
So I already try to do as you said here, but I will try harder!
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Perfect! We never want to limit our imaginations like that
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Hm, I never thought about refs in that way. I rather didn't use them at all and tried to construct everything.
Must try this out.
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I think at some point it's tempting not to use references for the sake of what we think is integrity, but at some point you'll hit a wall where you don't know exactly how muscles work or some such. And there's no way to really learn unless you reference and practice from life or photos, since learning from a drawing isn't really as accurate. But i think using this method makes it obvious you aren't copying, so integrity isn't an issue
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This is simply awesome 
Love it
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I'm glad it was helpful yay!
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I used to try this when I was little and it never worked out because it was always to slow for me, which i think you mentioned at the end. But seeing it again, and the fact that I realized I was just copying from the picture yesterday, I think I'm gonna try and see if i can make my self work slower with this process. Thanks!!
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Aw that's fantastic. Remember no one learns everything in one day, but you'll definitely realize you learned much more! Start with easy poses where only one or two things are confusing and work your way up
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I actually didn't know any of this stuff!
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Aw now you do know though!
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Mmmh...
In past i did things in the way this tutorial explained, after i started to draw the whole pose from reference (using shots of myself) combining to some picture for copy proportions and details my body doesn't have (i'm a fat woman and i need pictures of slim women or men).
Also, some comic artist suggest to use references for everything and to draw them in the way you see them, changing only features.
After having read this tutorial, now i want to try to do what you say. I have a drawing in mind i wish to do from a lot of time, but i never was in the mod to do it, until today. I will try to do what you say.
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Using references to draw what you see is a great way to LEARN and practice, the best way next to drawing from life, but i think for original art you'll get more by following the tutorial. Side note, you should totally draw larger women, the world needs more art of different body types
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