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The BASICS : Using References
Published: 2011-08-30 19:21:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 193057; Favourites: 7047; Downloads: 2583
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Description
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
This is very helpful
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Great Tutorial, very worthy of the DD it received, thanks for sharing it with us.
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Well done! And fun tutorial.
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Β Β Awesome, I think that I learned something today.
Because I normally just took the pose from the reference. Β Β
Β But now I'll start doing this amazing technique.
'Grats on the daily deviation, by the way!Β Β
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Oh man... call me weird but I'm not a huge fan of this method. I understand that it may work for other people but for me, I have to see exactly what pose I should be drawing before I even start. I used to use stock images for drawing, but now I just take pictures of myself. There, I won't have to worry about people thinking I copied a stock photo AND I'll have the exact pose I need in order to draw my picture. Basically, I won't have to go all over the Internet just to find that one pose because I already have what I'm looking for.
Hopefully this didn't come off as offensive to you. This method just takes me much longer than it needs to because I'm very impatient with drawing. I want fast, yet accurate results.
Regardless, good tutorial; I'm sure it would help someone.
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I think that in the end, you use the same method as the tutorial above. You are still looking at the joints and breaking down the picture to how you need to draw it. I think if you do that for so long, you probably wont have to take pictures anymore
So, I pretty much think that you use the same method, but instead of looking at COUNTLESS pictures that dont even have the angle you want, you look at one that has the EXACT angle you are going for, and you see how the joints and thing go into it. Sooooooooooo, it MAY take longer in the "learning every joint and how it bends and being an absolute genius on joints and such" department, but it would take the same considering you're saving time actually finding references.
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Good to hear, good to hear.
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It's not offensive, if that's how you work then so be it, all the better you take your own photos. I will say how ever I have also taken photos for some of my stuff and it takes way longer Β to get it right., likely because if I have to take a photo the. The pose must be very complicated. I often draw from my mirror for hands and such, but if I had to take a full body photo for every drawing I did it would over time take much longer due to how long and how much I've drawn, does that make sense? Β
Anyway at as far as I'm concerned in the end if you took your own photos of yourself you are Β still Β doing all the work so if that's what works for you then that's that!
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I have no idea why; that method's just much faster for me. XD I know what to do right, and I know what do to wrong, and in the end that helps me draw correctly. XD
That's true. Honestly, as long as the drawing looks great I think it doesn't really matter.
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Just imagine though, a world where you never had to take a picture and then upload it to your computer or keep looking at it, you can just think of the pose you want and draw it! It seems faster to me but if you've already tried that and it just never works out then there's nothing else to discuss i suppose XD, i just want to suggest that it could be even faster if your goal is speeeeed~
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True... I guess I'll just have to stick on what works for me. Even if I did try your method, my perfectionist attitude would still kick in and I would still feel the need to look back at a ref. I haaate making mistakes in art, I tell ya'...
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Haha unfortunately making mistakes is going to happen a lot, how do you improve without making mistakes D
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That's true... I just want to be in check though so I can make less mistakes. XD
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The thing about your method is you don't get the "learning" experience. The above method makes it so you can now draw and arm holding a gun at practically any angle you want, no pictures even needed! After you map the figure out and learn how it works and how the arms bend, etc, you have the ability to keep that information in your head and use it whenever you want! Then you wont even need references! Though taking pictures of yourself in the exact pose can be helpful, I still suggest mapping out your body and how it works, there may come a time when you want to draw something without copying a picture, or you may not be able to do the pose right. Either way the method shown in the tutorial is supposed to help you learn, which is very important to improving as an artist!
It may take much longer than say, copying yourself doing the pose, but you will learn WAY more and you will IMPROVE, which is the important thing!
Sorry if i'am annoying you, I just wanted to help out a bit! Copying poses wont help you improve as an artist, though it may be quicker.
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You're not annoying me. I'm in a bad mood today, but you're not annoying me. :U
I dunno... I mean I may not be a professional artist but I feel like I'm improving with my method as well. Now that I think about it, I MIGHT have done this method before, it's just that I didn't notice it, but I probably don't do it as often as my other method. I feel that I can improve in anatomy in general when I draw poses from real life and do a reference every now and then. Weird method, but it works for me, or at least I think it works for me.
I believe that there are many different ways to improve. I don't think that certain people will just stop improving just because they don't stick with a certain method. Regardless, I should probably try this technique more often and if I don't like it, I'll stick with what I do best.
As a matter of fact, aren't all artists supposed to use references? I don't believe that there's such thing as a pro artist that doesn't use one. Bleeh art sure is confusing.
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Yes, you're supposed to use references for the sake of improvement! Plus you do want to get things right, but I think many artists get to a point where refs are no longer needed, and are only used for checking accuracy after the drawing is done. Confusing indeed!
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I'll just use refs until I feel like I don't need it anymore. e.e Even then, I'm so bent on making it right, so I guess I'll never stop referencing.
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You need a medal. Seriously X"D This is so helpful to so many of us on here!!~β₯
I guess a DD is a great medal~ ^_^ And thanks for the comedy throughout X"D
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Oh, how I wanted for someone to make this tutorial!
When I look for references I often go through links in comments with 'I used your ref here, thanks', just... because. A little less then all are just traced and adjusted. That's not referencing, that's tracing, it never improves anything and there's nothing to take credit for. So good someone did the tutorial to show hoe it is done for real! Great job, and I'm very happy it got the DD and therefore expose it needed.
I usually say that referencing is just looking on a picture when you feel confused.
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lol I love this because I keep saying to a friend to 'Reference' a picture, and she ends up tracing. So I was thinking of making a tutorial myself, but then I saw this - like God sent much -
Thanks so much for this tutorial <3 I hope more people see this~ I know I'm going to link this so hard!! *takes all the tutorials and runs away with them*
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HAHHA YOUR COMMENTS TO YOUR TUTORIALS IS HILARIOUS!Β
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Wow this is one of the best tutorials explained I've seen! The "interaction" with the reader make the thing more alive and enjoyable
You really deserved your DD ^^
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"You'll just know how to draw shit and PUMP IT OUT LIKE A GOSH DARN GENIUS!"
Β Made my day.
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THANKYOU!!!!!!!!!! I never did a ton of different positions because I never really understood how they worked and now I do! Thank you so much!
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this is SO TRUE!
Last time I used a reference I thought I should do a tutorial like this - but now I'm just recommend this one instead
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I've never seen this before
It's amazing!!!
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I can't believe how many people copy! It's completely awful, and it doesn't even look right because you can practically tell that it was copied.
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woah this is amazing and really helpfull! thank you!
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I am naughty and still do it the first way, lol. It's just that I'm incapable of copying in any capacity and end up changing it up so much my finished product never looks like the original ref. Β But I do it your way as well! Thanks for making this, it was very interesting.
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Congratulations on getting a DD! This is a really helpful tutorial that I go back to from time to time.
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a DD oh dear, i must brace myself for the comments now lol..
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Just a tiny price to pay for success!Β
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Haha, mostly i'm afraid of the possibly arguments that could arise, though i hope the already prelinked arguments will stop them. I'll just run off to tumblr when if i get stressed i guess~
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Guess arguments are what deviantART seperates from pure image sharing sites, aint it?
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Oh, I didn't think of that! Geez people will argue over anything... Try not to get overwhelmed, kay'?
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This is so accurate and so amazing I can't even
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You're perfect. Seriously. I love your approach. I never looked at this this way, I am self-taught and this actually helps a lot (I do practise poses but it also always felt like I was just copying stuff)
Thank you and congratulations on your DD
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Over 1400 downloaded this so they could reference Shattered-Earth's gun photos.
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Congrats on the DD!
Have a nice day!
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I'm glad this awesome tut got a daΒ
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I totally agree - I might use an arm here, a headshot there, etc. But to blind copy a picture with no understanding of the forms within leads to disaster. You're also right - not just one, but SEVERAL shots.
I'm making a webcomic www.facebook.com/aliceinzombie⦠, and the lead character's face is similar to actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead. I developed the character and realized the resemblance later. So, I have dozens of photos of MEW from many angles and expressions. Like you said, the more the merrier!
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Thank you. Β <3 Β This will be very helpful, I believe.
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I think that this is the best way to learn but I have a problem and I never find useful references, no matter where I look, I can't find them, it's so frustrating that I just give up :c But the tutorial helped me a lot anyways, it's really useful. And congratulations for the DD too! :3
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This was a very helpful point of view! I realized I was just copying, and that was exactly the reason why it looked funky, and why I had to keep going back to stock images of the same thing over and over again, because I was paying attention at just getting down the copy of the image instead of observing how it worked. Thanks!!
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