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Shattered-Earth —
The BASICS : Using References
Published: 2011-08-30 19:21:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 193103; 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
thank you so much for doing this tutorial
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Now we have to know better XDD
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Thank you very much for these tutorials, definitely very helpful for absolute beginners like me.
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Thank you, i'm so happy you could find them useful!
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People are learning in art schools to "copy" models or still life for a good reason
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Yes, that is why i always advocate drawing from life (at the very least a mirror if you can't go to a life drawing session or the mall) in every tutorial i write and every piece of advice i give
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well recently i'm just reading about tracing and reference and someone give me link to this tut , after read this tut i have questions :
so... basically we must learn how to tracing before using it as reference ?
i usually make my character on paper then i'm make the line , color etc. on computer , did it call as tracing or vector or reference ? O.o
thank you
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I'm not sure i understand you correctly, but i have to emphasize that at no point should you be tracing. You should never be tracing to do this, if you read everything i even specifically said not to trace things @o@
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sorry for my bad english and ignoran ^.^ yes tracing is bad and yes you said it too in your tut , but right now i'm trying to understand the different betwen tracing and reference. from what i read that tracing is when we put photo under transparant paper or something like that (oh man... its hard writing in english 
in your tutorial there is a part where you practice drawing arm , hand and fingger on top a photo , isn't that what you call tracing ?
sorry if i ask to many weird questions (maybe im super random). "Tracing and Reference" is new words that i found in drawing/painting world , thats why i am must know the super mega basic that two words before say it to anyone
Thank you again
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If you read the whole thing, there is a section where i specifically say you are not supposed to trace, the drawing over the images is just showing you how to IMAGINE those parts of the bodies. Once you learn to imagine those parts of the drawings in your mind a lot you can draw without the tracing.
You should not be tracing or copying photos when you reference.
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so before someone can imagine how the musle/body move as reference we must learn how to trace just like the lion cubs when learning how to hunt by watching/tracing the mother for the first time.
i agree that tracing is not good for reference , no argument on that ^^
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Well you shouldn't need to TRACE to learn, you need to be able to dissect it in your mind. If you must trace to do that then you can but you shoul not be doing it forever, eventually you should be able to just see structure to learn too..
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well for now i'm only doing vector... oh one more thing did vector include in tracing territory ?
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I think you will need to find someone who speaks both Indonesian and english because I don't think i can explain this to you. Vectors are just a way to draw like pencil or a pen, you can still trace if you are using vectors. I don't know how you are drawing so i don't know if you are tracing. If you are copying a pose or drawing on top of a photo then you are not following my instructions, that is all.
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i'm vectoring character from manga/anime poster scan on other site. thats ok and thank you for explaining it to me and have a nice day Shattered-Earth
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Well if you are overlaying the vectors over an image then yes, that is tracing.
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it is ? 
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well yes, unless you are doing something original in vector of course that is tracing ^_^;
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Dang!! me must find better way drawing on computer
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tracing your own work is fine since that's the same as inking
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The tracing (red lines) are something to be observed in your head when using references. It's like highlighting important parts of a text.
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ah... that means reference born from tracing right ? and tracing is the mother of all reference
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No, those should only be in head when seeing references. She's just "highlighting" what you should see with your own mind. Don't really trace reference.
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I just read another Tutorial about reference, where this tutorial was linked to
I'm laughing so hard right now
Since I'm not some great artist, and most of the time, I don't know what I am doing, I bought an Art S. Buck for 'reference' and just let him be my model. But I also use reference pictures, but only in my sketchbook until I know, how to draw this and that. Never using it to make profit out of others works.
And since I own a pretty good DSLR I can take pictures myself.
So I don't understand those 'artists' like the one in the other tutorial just tracing over a picture (even when it's only the pose he uses) who says, he's just using reference, when he's clearly tracing the Pose.
So I really love this Tutorial, because it shows, what 'using refernce' is clearly like and that tracing should not be called using reference, becaus the artist is just to lazy to work some more hours on the picture
This one goes into Favorites
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Haha I'm linked to by another tutorial? Could i get a link to that one? XD
It's surprising how many people just aren't taught how to reference, so when they jump to their own conclusions it can lead to disastrous results v_v
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I think you were linked in one of the comments and I don't know where I found this Tutorial. But you were linked as a better example of using reference XD
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oohhh i hope the other tutorial writer wasn't pissed then, i thought you meant some other tutorial linked me as like further reference for beginners or something hahaha.
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I also meant to add that this tutorial seriously needs a DD. I got a DD on an anatomy tutorial last year and this tut is FAR more helpful to beginning artists than mine! Any idea how you go about suggesting a DD? I'd like to suggest this one for it.
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Well I recently got a DD for a journal skin so I can't get another for 6 months T_T, but if you want to try anyway.. depending on how long ago you wrote yours you should be able to click on the "featured by ____" name and just suggest it as a DD to them.
Thank you for thinking it worthy of a DD though! I really need to clean it up haha..
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Oh really? I didn't know there was a six month limitation on that. Good to know. I got mine on July 4 2011.
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Yeeeaa i thought it was 3 months but they recently upped it to 6.. long wait for me.. XD
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Thank you for this - it seems really clear and takes logical steps. c: I'll try it out the next time I'm doing figures.
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You're welcome i'm happy you could find it useful
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i learned this one the hard way...
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A lot of us do 
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im hoping others will see it too.
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I don't know if I've commented on this already, but I absolutely love you for this tutorial. It beats out other tutorials that try to be like this by a LONG shot.
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XD I cannot remember either but i'll pretend you have not, thank you! XD
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Now THIS is how you reference! THANK YOU. This needs to spread basically everywhere.
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LOL trufax. It's surprising to people like us how many younger artists aren't told this at all!
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They seriously need to start teaching the difference between reference and flat out copying/tracing in junior high and high school art classes. It should be a requirement because boy is it ever important.
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Now that you mention it i'm like yea.. wtf why is this not part of the curriculum? LOL They should be teaching you what constitutes art theft in general. Some people like to say omg WHAT ABOUT STILL LIFES OR LIFE STUDY DRAWINGS? And I'm like ~_~ people assume you drew those from life anyway, not even remotely the same as a supposedly original illustration. /cry
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It's depressing to know there are people out there who are stupid enough to think that something you drew for yourself (like a still life or life drawing) could possibly be theft.
Kids either think that reference in any form is cheating and bad, or else they think blatant copying and tracing are A-OK because "professional artists reference all the time!" I'm an illustrator for a living and teach workshops to high school kids for digital art, and it makes my teeth grind every time I hear it. And if you have one of their art IDOLS like a `Senior tell them that copying/tracing is referencing, it mind as well be written in stone because nobody, no matter what education, experience, or credentials they have, can tell them otherwise. Everyone who disagrees is just a "hater" or "jealous" of the `Senior who said it was okay.
IOJ;lgftlfgj it's so frustrating.
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I've always wanted to teach kids.. maybe younger than high school because then I can get the jump on them before they do what you described LOL!
I totally know what you mean though, it's the same kind of attitude people get when they are like WELL PICASSSSSSO DOESN'T FOLLOW REAL ANATOMY (except he did), sometimes people just do not want to learn >_<. I also think it's a little irresponsible for those other artists to say something like copying or tracing is okay too, they should know better. They should also realize they're damning their fans to a life of crappy art ._.
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I just learned something today. Thank you for posting this wonderful tutorial.
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no problem i'm happy i could help!
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Well this is something interesting considering i been afraid of referencing considering i use quite a few references for my artwork.
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Aw well i hope now you know you can definitively use references this way
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