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The BASICS : Using References
Published: 2011-08-30 19:21:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 193068; Favourites: 7047; 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
I have to say I disagree. Drawing in general is what's going to make you better, there's no one right way to do it. Sometimes as an artist you find a perfect pose that goes along with your idea. Other times it's not that simple and you have to find several other references to make your idea come out. There's absolutely nothing wrong with using the same pose as your refs. One of the best ways to get better is by doing studies. I know many artists who incorporate studies right into their commercial art as well (much like your first example).
Some of the biggest and most successful artists do it as you can see:Β www.deviantart.com/art/Inspiriβ¦
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I'm fine with that example since it says very clearly that if his stock is used for commercial purposes they royalties must be paid and that just shows that using stock is offloading some of the work onto the stock artist
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I think whether or not a stock photographer requires you to pay them to use their poses (basically the issue of whether or not someone can own poses) is another thing altogether.Β
I'm not talking about payment or who owns what. I'm saying that using entire poses to paint something is just fine and tons of artists do it. And it most certainly isn't going the easy route.Β
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I think lots of professionals use it, and often times even take their on photos or get their own models because they are in a time crunch or want exacting detail. But tbh i will never agree that you can tell a beginner to just copy photos from the start of their career to the end and think they will be better than someone who exercises their mind more *shrug*Β
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People like Dave Rapoza have literally said doing studies and incorporating them into their own pictures are exactly how they developed their skills. You can even look at his sketchbook. At the end of the day the more you paint, the more you'll learn. Over time you'll begin to incorporate new angles/objects/etc. into your picture because one pose/ref isn't always exactly what you need for your painting. To do this you need your foundations, things that you get from thousands of studies.
This tutorial is going to mislead new artists into thinking they need to be able to create new angles out of their head without even having a basic understanding of shapes.Β
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You know the other weird thing about your posts that i'm feeling, you're acting as if the only time you have to do studies is for final pictures, i don't know why you would put so much importance on this one point otherwise. If you're still learning your studies should outnumber your fully rendered out pictures like 10 to 1 if not more, and even pros still study, so your finished pictures for commissions and for jobs shouldn't all be just google image photos recreated, you should be doing those every day on your own time :/
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Hm no where does it say that you can't do studies though I even mention doing studies and I even post studies I do in my gallery clearly labelled as such and actively tell people to draw from like and f they can't, draw from photos. I also even say you need to understand shapes and seeing Β shapes to break down images to use this method. It seems to me you are imagining that I am sayingt things that I am not saying to try and justify how you work because your imagining an attack on it.
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Strangely enough, when I started drawing, I didn't have a computer to look for references, so, all (ALL) my drawings had the basic "facing the observer" pose. I couldn't draw hands or feet, and, with time, instead of getting better, I couldn't draw knees too :I
I got better by observing other people's works when I finnaly earned the delicious internet acess (by 13-ish), so I barelly looked at 'real people's photos. Nowadays I can do just about enough of what I want, but I don't know where it came from, though XD
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If you look at enough Β art you build a vocabulary of "symbols" you can reference from in your head. Unfortunately if all these symbols are based of other's people's art you can inadvertently reproduce their errors and not be able to think of new poses too. But if you are happy with where you are then it doesn't really matter
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XD I don't make enough difficult poses to test, let's say, my 'inability', and I'm always giving up on making hard perpectives so I can escape my own mistakes, but that's the price I pay, right?
But yeah, you are right, observing other people's art may help getting better but I also take their flaws with me
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This is perfect, I think everyone should see this!
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I love this so much <3 Thank you!!
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np, glad you like it!
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Sound advice! Thank you very much!
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glad you found it sound
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this is SUPER helpful! answers the question i've been asking for years on how to learn effectively...
thank you for making this amazing tutorial OuO
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wowu thanksss you're welcome!!
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Ok, so I guess I figured the first half of this tutorial before I got here,
and the second is a revelation of sorts. And I get nauseated on regular basis
when trying to figure out this or that part of body in that angle etc but I agree
wholeheartedly that it works - so far I've been able to learn a bit about perspective
of human's face using this method and somehow you don't forget this once it get's to your head -Β
it's like riding a bicycle - it stays with you and when you need it it there - a drawer opens upΒ
somewhere inside of your head and your hands know what to do next.
Great tutorial really, finally found a DRAWING tutorial (because there're a lot of COPYING
or TRACING ones and as you mentioned above - that methodes don't teach anything).
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Beautiful, I'm so glad this could help you advance your art in a new way to you. Thanks for taking the time to tell me, i apologize for taking so long to respond!
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It's ok, happy you wrote back at all
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I'll admit, when I think of reference pictures, usually I'm just thinking of essentially copying the pose. I haven't used them much (because typically when I'm drawing, it's at a time/place where I can't be getting references. Like in class. I am only a doodler. 
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Well if you ever move beyond doodling, trying to think of your own poses first then finding refs will probably give you a jump start in processing bodies
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plus there is a cat wondering around in the background of the reference picture... XD
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LOL, hey that just makes it awesome actually XD
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I liked the irony in it, and yeah it all makes sense...
then there is me...the one that isn't able to get the basic shapes neither
lol
whatever at least this confirmed the fact i need many references to get one right, and also that since i suck balls i should stick to the image in my head because references make my drawings look like the first one..people in awkward positions and me all sulking and being "why if i copied it perfectly it isn't working" ;^;
Β thanks
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You're welcome!! I hope this will really take you places where you wanna go with your art
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I'm actually doing that right now with kneeling poses... If you look at the top of a page, you'll often see a bunch of little doodles and stick figures of where I tried to figure something out. But the next time I don't have to take so long.Β
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Fantastic! Someday you'll be really fast
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If I keep working at it, maybe.
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I can't believe I haven't fave'd this yet....done!!!
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Ahh thanks! I hope it's of some use to you <3
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I feel like I need to send more people here sometimes
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haha really?? warn me if you do this is so old it's almost embarrassing LOL
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The concept is important though! It's nice to find a reference that's perfect for what you need, but most of the time you're just going to find things that are close. Why comprise? It's an approach for people who are farther along in their development, but it's such an important step!
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True, i hope people don't ask to do the same photo with an arm slightly different or something when you have so many photos to study off XD
In any case.. some day in the distant future when i get time i do want to redo these anyway to be at least.. cleaner..
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BUT THEY DO. ALL THE TIME.
It makes me bonkers, but only because it's incessant. xD
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whoa this is just what I needed!! thankyou!
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hurray! i'm glad it could help!
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*favourites it over and over! >w<Β
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gaaah thanks TUT!!
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Wow thanks for the helpful advice!!
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gad you found it useful!
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All those gun handling pics and not a single "Hollywood Teacup"--I'm impressed!Β
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I just had to google this, and haha I actually didn't avoid that on purpose, I guess the stock artists i chose just knew what they were doing. I chose ~Nemesis-19 specifically because I think he's trained ... I'm just glad i'm not showing bad examples so thanks for letting me know what not to do!
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Excellent tutorial! Picking the right references is key! Back before the internet (yes, there was such a time) I had filing cabinets filled with photos, catalogs, pages from magazines, etc. to reference for drawings. This is a great tutorial resource for any artist wanting to draw and get it right. Well done.
And thanks for including me! Yes, I guess you could say I've had a little training with those things...
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Hah! I just didn't want to assume but i think we can all tell 
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Haha, sorry, I realized after I posted how weird that would sound to someone who didn't know the jargon.
I'm glad you understood what I was getting at, despite my saying it poorly: that your choosing good references was a really important part of the whole process.Β
Actually, how to find reference images would make a great follow-up tutorial. A lot of beginners like myself just use the first page of google image search results.Β
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