Am I the only person on /ic/ who basically never uses references?
I feel extremely constrained when I do.
>>2249911
Nope, I'm in the same boat.
>>2249911
post your work mr dubs man
>>2249918
My instagram is /inkbyalex
Ignore the selfies
>Also not implying that i'm a good artist.
The stigmatization of drawing from observation worries me.
It seems like everyone idolizes drawing solely from imagination which is retarded to me. Using a reference doesn't mean carbon copying it, it means not guessing details when you don't know details.
>I feel extremely constrained when I do
So if you want to draw a giraffe but forget what a giraffe looks like, do you just fucking guess so you don't feel constrained? Or do you google "giraffe" and refresh your memory? That's using a reference, it doesn't mean you need to copy the giraffe's exact pose.
>>2249911
That's because you don't know how to use reference correctly. Unless you have a godlike visual library, your work will be worse for it.
I never use reference for finding poses and the like though. I always sketch first and bring in reference later.
>>2249922
I have a pretty strong visual memory, my problem is that when i work from a reference I lose my ''personal touch.''
Also, if i'm drawing something i've never done before of course i'll google it and refresh my memory but I tend to work in the same categories.
>I'm too good for references
>>2249937
>I completely misunderstand what OP wrote.
Read the post again, I never said any of the following:
> I'm too good for references
> Using references makes for worse art
> The fact that I don't use references makes me a good artist.
Read before you shitpost faggot.
>>2249911
you are so hot, op!!!!!!!!!
>>2249942
>Can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not
>>2249946
It's true, super cute.
>>2249961
Thank you, anon :)
I use as little ref as I possibly can. Usually when I get to the 50% mark on a piece I have to look some things up. Visual library is important, but it's only a small part of what no-ref drawing is about. It's about being able to fill in the gaps yourself using logic, not things you've memorized or things you want to copy. Functional understanding of things gets you halfway there 99% of the time.
It does make things a lot harder and time-consuming and will make you more frustrated when you work.
>>2249968
Is pic related?
I know I have sooooo much left to improve, I'd like to maybe start incorperating some references in my drawing but I hardly know where to start.
>>2249974
>Is pic related?
Yes.
>I'd like to maybe start incorperating some references in my drawing but I hardly know where to start.
Practice sketching/thumbnailing without reference, and fill in the gaps of your visual memory with logical thinking (what is the subject, what function does it perform, what material is it, how is the light hitting it, etc) and then use reference later on down the line. Starting out by looking at reference means you risk relying too much on the ref and limiting your creative problem solving. But this is if your goal is to draw 100% from imagination one day.
>>2249967
you have girlfriend/boyfriend?
>>2250071
He is in love...
I didn't use reference for a while, then I started getting professional work. Now I photobash.
Somebody shoot me.
>>2250180
>Photobashing?
Yeah man. I hate myself for it but it just doesn't make sense to invest the energy and love into painting something when you get paid a flat amount per piece and give zero fucks about the project anyway.
I think making a living doing the exact kind of work you want to make is a huuuge luxury reserved for guys 10+ years down the career path. To start getting paid you have to become a whore it seems.
>>2249911
I used to always be dead set against using reference too, I always felt like it took too long to find and messed up my flow when I had to click back and forth between windows. It really does make your stuff so much more believable though, even if you take a quick look. I still don't really use it for drawing people and poses, but for materials, objects, and environments, and with the convenience of Pureref, I've incorporated it smoothly into my workflow whenever i need it.
>>2249961
i second that
I think references are very useful tbh. If you think you can't use them without putting constraints on your art, you're doin it wrong.
You don't live in a vacuum anyway, Your art is following the references stored in your brain as memories. When you're using physical references in front of you, you simply need to be pick out elements and pieces that inspire you, that are useful to you, and it's not necessarily copying something.
I noticed that your drawings are okay but they're pretty lacklustre and flat. Anatomy is wonky, but in a distracting way, not in a stylish way. I'd use references to study a bit of anatomy, for example.
>>2249920
ur cute
>>2249911
everyone should just do what they can to get by.
>>2250188
Experiencing this exact thing right now. Planning on just getting a day job or something for those 10 years, I just can't draw for others or something.
>>2249968
>a family of saltshakers
>mountains of pudding and a generic cartoon tower
>muh imagination
just please, stop being retarded
I don't like it either op, among other reasons stated in this thread, it doesn't fit well my style (linedrawing), it messes with my freedom and something I feel is important is that it creates unrealistic standards for myself. If I use a reference too closely, I'll be frustrated in my next piece if I don't reference it too because it may look much worse. I may add for context that I'm just a filthy no name hobbyist, I think a serious artist probably should use references.
>>2250824
Post your environment.
>>2250889
here. i don't do enviroments so i suck at it. but still, that's not the point. i really don't understand why some people refuse to let outside sources influence them.
if you need to draw a tree, why wouldn't you google trees in order to get some ideas?
and in the same way, if you need to draw a castle, why wouldn't you look up some images in order to get ideas?
people study anatomy for the same reason: it's in order to understand it better.
do you really think you can make up something and make it equally believable or complex as the real thing?
same with pic related. before looking up some trees, i didn't have a good idea about how the base of a tree normally looks like. after looking up some refs i could at least try to imagine it.
here's the folder of refs i used before i even started.
>>2250908
I agree wit you, only thing I think can hurt you is when you're about to draw something that's on your mind and you start looking for references on the design of others artists instead of first looking at what inspires that design. I mean, you can look at other artists for inspiration and to see how someone else resolve a problem, but you should have a fresh mental library when starting to design something.
Example of what I'm trying to say:
You need to draw an steampunk plane.
Instead of looking at things of the victorian era, machines, etc, you go look the designs of some fantasy steampunk game.
Now your ideas will be "tainted" by the design of other artists.
>>2250281
>I don't do any digital art
That had nothing to do with my point though?
>>2250943
>Now your ideas will be "tainted" by the design of other artists.
won't happen. people aren't idiots, you should trust your own creativity more. in the end you'll draw what you want to draw. and people like OP especially won't do that, i imagine they'd do the opposite in fact. they will go out of their way to avoid getting influenced in any way.
especially like with cases like your example, it'd be like writing without knowing the genre.
also to make this clear, this is only for when you don't know something. if you know the subject/genre well enough, there is no need to look up refs.
>>2250962
I'm not saying to never look at things done by other artists in a theme you're going to work, just don't do it in the same day you'll be designing those things cause it will stay in your mind when trying to come up with ideas... It happens to me, it happens to some concept artists, even Feng Zhu say you should avoid doing that.
