How To Use Reference Correctly When Drawing

When you use reference as a tool to help you draw then you are using it correctly. When you use reference as a crutch, then you're using it incorrectly. To be clear, using photography and models as your reference source is the topic of discussion here. It is not a crime, sin or even cheating to use photos as reference.

Gil Elvgren photo and pin-up art

This is more important when you're doing figure work. When you are drawing backgrounds, which include building, streets, cars, machinery, then it is expected that you stay pretty close to the reference. With figures, when you stay too close to the reference, even if you didn't trace it, it looks stiff, posed, awkward and stands out like a sore thumb from the non referenced figures in your story.

Tracing or copying a figure exactly is using reference as a crutch. Why? Because a normal human body doesn’t fit the idealistic or heroic proportions used in comics. Look at the traced figures below compared to the drawn figure.

Real life woman in photo above has a nice shape. The trace of the real life woman makes her look dumpy. Without changing her height measurements and making some artistic decisions while drawing and looking at reference, she looks more feminine without tracing.

When you are drawing from a photo as reference, you should be adding your own knowledge of anatomy, composition and rhythm to the mix. Drawing every wrinkle you see in the photo does not look good at all. You just need to draw enough information to communicate to the reader. You are extracting the information from the photo you need to help create that convincing reality.

When you stay too close to the source of someone else’s photograph, it becomes a derivative work. There is nothing wrong with this, just don’t try to pass it off as totally original art. I must admit a bias against photorealistic work. While I am impressed with the draftsmanship, skills and patience required to do it. I have an attitude of, 'What's the point?' I'm getting the same information as if I was looking at an actual photo.

It’s always best to start with your own drawing of the pose. Then find or create reference if you are having trouble communicating the authenticity of it. One tool an artist should have next to their drawing table is a mirror. Some expressions and hand gestures are easily solved with this.

It is hard to set forth, firm guidelines for using photography as reference. There are countless big, small and minute decisions an artist is making while drawing. Please study the images below and see how those decisions come into play to create a piece of art. See the differences that artist is making as they deviate from the photo in order to create something more graceful, more individual, more beautiful than the photo.

Gil Elvgren photo ref from chunky to trim and graceful
 pin-up art

Gil Elvgren stiff photo ref to lively pin-up art

Gil Elvgren photo and pin-up art

Gil Elvgren photo and pin-up art

Alphonse Mucha from boring to graceful

Paulonna Donkey by Picasso 1923

Norman Rockwell in studio working on Art Critic, 1955

The Runaway pencil art by Norman Rockwell

The Runaway photo ref and final painting by Norman Rockwell

Use reference as a tool, not a crutch!

And here are some other thoughts on using reference. Very interesting reading.

Amy Reeder

Shattered-Earth

ArtBuisness

Vera Curnow - The line between inspiration and plagiarism needn’t be confusing.

Oliver Wetter - A Tip for Digital Artists

Teresa Bernard

Augie De Blick - Artists: Stop Tracing. Start Cartooning Again

If you know of any free, legal online resources for photo reference, then please include them in the comments below.

to be continued…

read next - Rock That Body
previous - Using Reference

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Do Artists Use Reference?

Have artists always used reference?

Yes they have and you should too. Using reference is doing research to understand what you are drawing. Research helps you create a convincing reality. Artists have been using reference since before photography was invented. The reference they used was called live models and cadavers. Michelangelo and a lot of renaissance artists used models that posed for them. And Leonardo da Vinci surely went through his share of cadavers to learn anatomy, along with many other artists.

The problem sets in when you use reference as a crutch and not as a tool. If you're just going to copy or trace a photograph exactly as it is, then you're using reference incorrectly. Also you're violating copyright laws by using an entire photo, as it already exists. You have to make changes.

The best way to use photography for reference is to take the photos yourself. And that is so much easier now that the film does not have to be developed. Easier and cheaper. You can take a photo with your digital camera or smartphone of most reference you will probably need.

The Problem We All Live With is © 1964 by Norman Rockwell

Artists have always used reference, because they can see. You know how to draw a wooden chair because you've seen it, used it and you have sat in it yourself and drawn models sitting in it. So that you know it well enough, that you can draw it from memory. You will most likely have to use the photograph of a different type of chair that you're not quite as familiar with in order to make it look somewhat realistic.

This will be the case, when you have only looked at something and not really seen it. Because when you really see something, it becomes a part of your mental file that you can draw upon when you don't have time to get reference. You need to become a trained observer so you are always recording something for your mental.

Every artists should have a reference file, also sometimes known as a swipe file, scrap file or morgue. You start by cutting out photos and images from magazines, newspapers, catalogs, junk mail, and books. And file them away under different subject categories. And start cataloging your digital photos on your computer, preferably putting them on an external drive.

Here are some categories to get you started. Architecture, nature, people, animals, transportation, clothing, fashion, science, businesses, churches, schools, famous landmarks and street scenes. You can subdivide and add to them according to what you think you may need or want to draw. However, you should be prepared to draw anything and everything.

If you can’t take the photo yourself, here are some online reference resources to check out.

Reference Photographs for Artists

WetCanvas’ Reference Image Library

10,000+ Free Photos By Dennis Hill And Friends

MorgueFile

Reference Photos

Free Reference Photo’s For Artists

Totally Free Images

Public Domain Photos

If you know of any free resources for photo reference, then please include them in the comments below.

to be continued…

read next -  How to Use Reference Correctly
previous - Body Measurements

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British Library makes 17th, 18th and 19th century images available

The British Library has uploaded over one million public domain images from 17th, 18th and 19th century books.

Artists looking for reference? You can't go wrong here.

Find out more at http://tinyurl.com/l3yzr77

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4 - Using Reference and Tracing Images in ArtRage Studio

Demo using HP TouchSmart screen with reference and tracing images in ArtRage Studio Pro. A drawing and painting application using the HP TouchSmart computer. Using a regular brush to draw and paint to create digital art with the natural look of drawing and painting.

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copyright 2012 H. Simpson

Talking the Talk

How to Make a Comic Strip, Comic Book and Graphic Novel

Terminology Continued

32. INDICIA - A legal statement that contains the name of the people in the company and the address of the company.

33. LOGO - A graphic design used for the title of the book, character and company.

33. BLACKS - Areas filled with solid black ink on the artwork.

34. BWS - Shorthand for Black With Stars . Pencilers write BWS instead of shading in black with pencil to tell the inker what areas are solid black with stars to indicate a space background or starry night. This is helpful for a few reasons. It saves time for the penciler so they put more time into drawing other things. The inker erases all that shading anyway, to get rid of all that graphite. The ink can ride on top of the graphite and can get messy, so the inker is saved some time. This is commercial art, not fine art, so there's no need to do any fancy shading when ink can't replicate it.

35. SWIPES - Other people's drawings and photos which an artist uses as a reference for their own drawings. A good use of swipe is as a reference or inspiration. A bad use of swipe is copying another artist's work line for line.

36. REFERENCE FILES -  A file containing photos/images of different visual subjects for use in an artist's creative work. the subject should contain a wide of any and everything an artist could be called upon to draw such as anatomy, animals, architecture, vehicles, faces, fashion from different time periods, weapons, furniture, etc.

37. COLOR HOLD - Black ink line work becomes color. Usually used for special effects like lasers, clouds, smoke, invisibility, fire, explosions, etc. The penciler can create a color hold traditionally by drawing that part of the art on an overlay made of vellum, acetate or mylar. Digitally the effect can be achieved in various ways; the simplest is to just put it on another layer.

to be continued…

BONUS LINKS!
Photo Reference

Stuart Immonen on Computers and Art

Glossary of Printing Terms

read next - Talk Dirty to Me
previous -  Paging Dr. Howard, Dr Fine, Dr. Howard

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copyright 2012 H. Simpson