HOME | DD
Shattered-Earth —
The BASICS : Using References
Published: 2011-08-30 19:21:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 193081; Favourites: 7047; Downloads: 2583
Redirect to original
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.
-----------------------------------------------------
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:
Related content
Comments: 827
haha! nice tutorial! im learning here!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
While I'm at the point myself where I know this, I'm favoriting your tutorial in hopes that other new artists will see it. This is the sort of tutorial that if someone had shown it to me years ago, I would have saved myself a lot of time and had a much better understanding of drawing earlier.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks! I'm glad you think so, it's kind of what i aimed to do when i made these, thinking back to when i was younger and what would have saved me a lot of grief @_@
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
You've got the most helpful and hilarious tutorials ever man. XDD
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
aw thank you! I'm glad you like them xOx
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I use references a lot to get things right, but now i realize sometimes i'm just copying.. though i hope i'll learn a lot more in the future..! thanks a lot, the tut helped!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Once you realize how to engage your brain while looking at references the learning goes by so much faster!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
It's happening to me...... right now
This really helped me.. THIS MADE MY LIFE (?)
Thank you <3
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
LOL thanks! I'm glad it could be of help!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I had never thought of that, I always tried to "copy" drawings but never really learned something >____<"" Now I understand why )): You helped a lot, I'll try my best! >_<" (And sorry for bad english.)
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
We all start some where! Good luck :3
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
no problem, glad it could be of use!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
After reading this for about the fifteenth time, I stared at my computer screen and thought. And thought. And then I had a mild epiphany/realization: "Hey, maybe I can actually use this tutorial to help me in art class!" And then the thought of all the different poses I could learn kind of excited me. I can't even draw a basic pose, but now I feel like I have the confidence to try something new. Thank you.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
This is awesome! Glad someone else uses references like I do!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
"Your brain on references" ROFL
Great tutorial.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Haha this helped me A LOT!
I was always wondering about references and how to use them... Thank you
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Aw awesome, glad you got something out of it
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I like how you included the running sub-commentary through the tutorial, ads humor to the learning.
A resource that really helped me understand the human anatomy from an artistic perspective is 'Bridgeman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life'. It's filled with multiple sketches of different parts of anatomy from different angles - as you have just explained here. The understanding that I took away from the tutorial (and the book) is that we should be spending more time sketching and re-sketching variations of our concepts to find the perfect pose BEFORE we jump right in and start colouring and adding details. A buggered up perspective can really ruin an otherwise good picture.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Haha, i'm starting to think they're a bit too corny actually but it seems epople still like it @_@
You should definitely do various thumnails and refinements to get things down, and never be afraid to erase or even start over if it's just no working out
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
This is really applicable to hands and feet for me. Actually, in my spare time, I take references of friends' feet and hands and some copyright/royalty-free images and just sketch them over and over again - if I never use the pose, at least I can make observations about the way these extremities move and bend and just overall work in other poses.
Thank you so much for sharing! This was wonderfully presented and very clear and concise!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
XD yea it's just good practice! I find the best way is to use a mirror and draw my own left hand though! Although feet are much harder, i actually had to take a video of my foot to draw it >_>
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I just creep on my friends at the table, usually, or while they're playing video games if it's not my turn. They're used to me breaking the cellphone out and taking snapshots or just making them sit their feet still while I sketch. XD Creepy, I know.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
LOL! Wow, well i'm glad they're used to it and not just.. like.. staring at you LOL
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
It's only the strangers that get creeped out. XD
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I learned this one the hard way after doing the copying thing that apparently everybody does at first, and it's good to see it validated here. I avoided tracing for a long time until I read the work of genius (IMO) that is "Thinking With A Pencil" by Henning Nelms. He lifted the taboo on tracing by pointing out that some of us are kinetic learners and therefore learn best by doing, and tracing can speed the process a little bit, *as long as we don't allow ourselves to rely on it*. (He also advocates tracing for those times when you have one perfect element but need to recreate the rest of the picture for whatever reason).
On the whole, though, he agrees with you, and I only traced once or twice even after that. Even though I'm a kinetic learner, I find these concepts "set" better if I reason them out the hard way.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Although I do not think it's the best way to learn for a lot of artists, i have nothing against tracing for practice so long as it stays as for practice or creditted (to works that allow tracing/reproduction of course). People know how they learn the best, and if not tracing gels in your brain more i encourage you to go that way
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Now that I've been practicing for a couple of months, I'm forced to agree with you about tracing. I've improved a lot since I started trusting myself and stopped relying on it. Just wanted to put that out there.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Aw i feel bad that you feel forced, but on the other hand i'm really glad you feel you've improved with this method!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
lol omggg "you'll just know how to draw shit and you'll pump it out like a gosh darn genius.
your tutorials are hilarious!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
xOx they seem really corny now but i'm glad you like them lol
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Finally, something I can link people to when they get confused about my group's photo-ref rules. Thank you so much! (How has this been around for almost a year without me finding it?)
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Haha thank you! I'm not that popular so i get eclipsed by other tutorials (that may teach the wrong thing about referencing...), but I'm glad you found and like it anyway!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Submit it to more groups ;D I found it through #Manga-Apps but this is such a universal concept that I think any sort of drawing tutorial or drawing group with a tutorial folder wouldn't mind xP
And of course, I'll do my part in sharing this with those who need it.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
oh gosh it's already in 23 groups, i don't know where else to put it! XD.
I am thinking about redoing this though, i wonder if i should just update this one or upload it as a new deviation D
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
A new deviation would be seen by more people xP
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
true, but i don't want to seem like i'm trolling for page views too @_@.. eep..
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I think if it's sufficiently different, it's okay. If it's just a remake with better text/images/formatting, then you should make it an edit of this one, but if you're adding new information, I think you should submit it as a new deviation.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
hmm, I rarely use any references before, gonna try using them
thx for the tutorial
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
<= Prev | | Next =>