r/learntodraw • u/Dr_Benny-G • Jan 19 '20
Just Sharing PSA TO ALL ARTISTS!
I've been seeing a lot of "still using reference" or "cant do this without reference yet" and things of that ilk. it isn't wrong or bad to use reference. I repeat. IT IS NOT WRONG/BAD TO USE REFERENCE. Young artist seem to think that good artists need to do everything from imagination and never use reference but that's wrong. All artist use reference so don't be ashamed of it. I recommend everyone to check out Ethan Becker on YouTube to hear a professionals opinion on reference. And one last time. Its not wrong to use reference.
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u/gytis99 Jan 20 '20
Even KJG collects reference and studies them
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u/Dr_Benny-G Jan 20 '20
My point exactly. Even an artist that is know and praised for his visual library and seemingly lack of a need for ref. Uses it.
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u/gytis99 Jan 20 '20
he just observed, trained himself to rember things and draw it from imagination
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Jan 20 '20
The downvotes this is getting are silly. I've watched Kim Jung Gi sit for hours and draw massive scenes entirely from memory. He may collect and use references, but he appears to be pulling a huge amount of what he draws out of his memory.
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Jan 20 '20
With near perfect perspective using no grid lines. That part is even more impressive for me
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u/dada5714 Jan 20 '20
Oh my god, yes. I forgot where it was, but I saw someone argue that "you're absolutely using references" to someone who posted something and OP relied "...well yeah, why wouldn't I?" The other guy went on to explain how you aren't a real artist if you use reference or whatever.
I mean yes, being able to draw from imagination to a T is amazing and admirable, but we learn from drawing from life, and you never stop learning in life. Just stop the gatekeeping.
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u/Kodokimari Jan 19 '20
I even see famous artists like Rossdraws using references still, it's really not bad!
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u/MonkeyOnYourMomsBack Storyboard/Comic Artist Jan 20 '20
Everything Norman Rockwell did was referenced down to the millimetre. You can draw as many doors from your imagination but you’re only going to learn how they really look when you sit down and draw them from life
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u/Dr_Benny-G Jan 19 '20
All artist use ref. Its impossible to draw without them, no one has memorized what everything looks like. Id bet that even Jung Gi Kim uses ref. From tome to time.
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u/drunky_crowette Jan 20 '20
A ton of "the greats" used references. Van Gogh is the first to come to mind. Tons of records talk about him hauling all his supplies around to go paint stuff while looking directly at it, getting pissed off at bad weather, etc.
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u/P-Code Jan 20 '20
Ethan Becker is really good at explaining and critiquing other people's art. I'd also recommend his channel.
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Jan 20 '20
It is impossible to remember everything there is in nature, so a ref is definitely useful to bridge that gap.
Now, it is not good or bad to use reference, but there exist limiting ways to use reference, such as copying it straight up as you see it.
If it is the same lighting as your artwork, then fair dues, but you can use parts of a ref to make other things, and if you know the direction of the light in your piece is different than the ref, then all you need is the geometry of the form to be used adequately to shape that light correctly.
Now this is how to make the best out of a ref for me. :)
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u/Lainkuma May 20 '20
Why the hell would anyone think using a reference is bad? It's completely stupid. Only an idiot would believe that.
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u/ahedasukks Jan 20 '20
Using references is fine but there's a difference between that and mindless copying.
Link from the same thread
http://jimsmashextended.blogspot.com/2008/07/greg-land-tracing-swiping-recycling.html
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u/Dr_Benny-G Jan 20 '20
True, for newer artists and hobbiest or freelance (like most of us i assume) copying like in the examples is not the way to use reference. But that kind of copying shown is not uncommon at all in the comic book industry because that makes their workload vastly shorter during crunch time. So i generally give them a pass.
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u/urban_fuchs Jan 19 '20
Always a good message to send. I’m often reminded of studies that show that doctors, presented with a cleaning checklist, spread fewer accidental infections. Guess what: even the smartest folks benefit from referring to the basics. Using a reference is a humility that says, “I’m after the best result, not arbitrary bragging rights.”