Drawing from a Reference is not Bad!
No matter if you are a character designer, a 3d modeller, an animator, an environment artist, or even a sculptor, you need a reference for your art.
When I first made an Instagram back in 2019, I was overwhelmed. Sharing your art as an artist is part of the marketing process whether we take it seriously or not. Once you put your art out in the public, you are letting the world know who you are and the work you can do. Some artists wanted to share some advice which was very cool and helpful to those who were looking for tips. However, not all advice was good. I was surprised when I saw some artists saying that using a reference is considered cheating and is not allowed. That advice my friends, is simply not true. Professional artists all over the world in various companies and top studios use references for their work. It may be a surprise to many of you who are beginner artists but, yes, using a reference is a common thing we do far often than you realize.
But what do you mean 'using a Reference'?
When artists say 'use a reference' it means taking an existing photograph or a real world object to study/observe and then translating that information into your own art.
For instance, if I wanted to draw a dude playing a guitar, I will not attempt to draw it using my imagination. Why? It's because in essence, I do not know how a guy holding a guitar looks like.
Notice the word 'how'. How high is this person holding the guitar in relation to his head? How long are his arms supposed to be in relation to the length of the instrument? Is he looking up or down? Is he playing it or just holding it as if he is just about the play a note? How big is the guitar in relation to his body? How many strings are there actually in a guitar? If you do not play a guitar these questions are very important. You will just be guessing the answers to all these questions. My drawing will reflect my knowledge about the subject (which is not much). Sure, I know what a guitar looks like generally. But in order to draw something accurately, you have to know exactly what it looks like. Otherwise, it will look off. Remember, we are going for professionalism here. If you want to draw a guitar for fun, go for it. But, if you want to use it as a means to study what a dude looks like while holding a guitar, then I suggest finding a reference will be your best option. In the picture above, I found a music video that featured a dude playing a guitar. I just paused it and drew in my sketchbook for a couple of minutes.
But why use them???
Like I mentioned earlier, we are aiming for professionalism. Your imagination can only take you so far. Having a vivid imagination can be exciting until we try to put it on paper and realize that the monstrosity we just drew is definitely not what we had in mind. References help in this area until you have taken in all the information possible. And even after all of that studying and retaining of information, you will find that there is so much more to learn. It's truly an ongoing process.
And the best route for myself was to use real life for everything. I believe that can be very helpful for you as well. Honestly, have fun drawing your favourite superheroes and Disney princesses. However, in order to have an understanding as to why you are drawing from life, the better and faster you will improve. It helped me improve so much. Trust me, I used to draw my characters in an anime style many years ago when I was just starting out. I used to use a lot of stylized images as references. And you know what, they did not help me. There is something about raw footage that allows your mind to fill in the creative gaps. You can take a very boring picture of a book and take it to another level. All you need, is the information to answer the 'how' questions.
Where do I find References?
I find my references from the internet mostly. Unless, I find a nice composition of a live object with the sun hitting it just right, I will use that. However, the internet is a great source of information.
Another tip to keep in mind is that I use references from real world photographs, not cartoons. Many beginner artists make the mistake and find their favourite cartoons and use that as a reference. And that's cool. However, as a professional in the making, I highly suggest you use actual photos of real people, animals, environments, or objects. There is nothing wrong with drawing from your favourite anime. But, all anime is inspired from real people and environments. So, why not go to the source instead?
I use photos from professional photographers all the time for my work.
Some online websites I use are Pinterest, Pexels, and Instagram. I follow a few photographers on my Instagram so go check them out if you like.
Another source I use for references are athletes. Yes, I watch sports fairly regularly. Especially track and field and basketball. Watching sports has been a great source of learning for me and I learned so much just from observing and consistently practicing. You can see some of the drawings I made of some of my favourite athletes on my YouTube channel.
Taking your own pictures is also a great source of reference for yourself. If you are out on a trip, take pictures of your environment and use that as a reference. It will be great when you can capture a moment and draw it out completely from your own perspective. How you see the world can only be seen through your own eyes. Get out there and snap some pictures!
How do I use References?
Now, you must note that references are, for the most part, specifically used for studying purposes. Notice that all of my drawings above are exactly that; studies. I took the information and interpreted them in my own way. If you want to know how to draw a picture of a girl holding an apple, find a reference photo of a girl holding an apple. If you want to animate a person running, then you find a real world video footage of a person running. If you want to paint a tree, go outside (if you can) and paint a tree. It is that simple. Anything you can think of that you can't draw, the answer is in the world around you.
You are allowed to use whatever kind of references you want, but for me, real world is as original as I can get. Take a look at how Disney's Hercules used their references. They used video footage of real people. You can see the overall pose of the character is generally the same but the movie is still look very different from the reference. Now that's being creative. You are not copying. You are simply taking a certain amount of information and putting it on paper or computer in your own unique way.
Most of the time, I use existing concepts from visual developers or photographers for my 3d modelling projects.
I always give the name of the artist who developed the concept because it was his/her idea, not mine. Just remember to keep that in mind if it is just one reference you are using especially for 3d modelling portfolio pieces. Give credit to the illustrator, concept artist, photographer etc...
Closing remarks
That is all I have to say about using references. It is usually the 1st step after coming up with an idea. So start applying this step into your art process. You can see my process in my animated Christmas short film blog. Hopefully, you will see how much references are a great help to a final project like a 13 second animation. You will realize that using references can really bring your art to life because that is where you are drawing your inspiration from; the real world through your own eyes. And that's not a bad thing.
Thank you for reading!
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