how do work with references if that makes sense? could you give like an in-depth explanation? also i love ur crimson rivers fanart a lot !!
It’s funny you ask that actually. I’ve only started using references really recently, mostly for the sake of efficiency. I used to be one of those people who denied themself any access to them for whatever reason (I genuinely don’t know). As of right now I think I finally started forcing myself to use them about a month or two ago, maybe.
It really all comes down to preference. Ive done massive paints without any references at all, and greatly enjoyed them (I’ll put an example below), but others may feel way differently about such things!
Anyways, for me right now, it depends on the type of artwork I’m doing. I can range between heavy usage, or none at all. If they’re studies, I will reference more heavily than say if I’m doing a commission or more of an experiment.
I have two main types of references that i use. Pose references and lighting references. I mostly use the former. I mainly find references in photographs i find on pinterest, or screencaps from movies!
When using a reference (at least in procreate), I’ll usually put it down as a layer to get the rough shapes, then after I get the basic geometry, I open it on the side as a reference layer. (when I’m using something just as a lighting reference, I skip that first step completely obviously)
When I use clip studio, I usually scan the pose in the 3d tool they have, and then tweak it until I get something i like, plus i usually change the angle!
Sometimes I skip that first step completely, and like to make my own references. When doing so I mainly use blender!
I do this so i can have complete control over the pose, lighting, etc. Here’s an example for that, with no artwork yet, since I haven’t finished it (though I’m sure you can guess who it’ll be ;P)
Ive been doing a lot of lighting and pose studies recently, so I’ve been experimenting with complex lighting and composition, hence why some of my more recent works are more heavily influenced by their reference work.
I however try to stay away from referencing other art for my poses, if i can. It just doesn’t feel right to me.
Here’s an example of a reference i’ve used in one of my recent works (which was a commission), to give you a bit of an idea!
I do want to say that I don’t think theres any shame in copying a pose from a photo. Even I do it sometimes! I believe it is one of the best ways to get acquainted with anatomy as an artist. As long as you’re not infringing on anyones copyright, or lying about it, should be okay :)
As an example for that, here’s the reference I used for my recent! I kept it on the side completely, as I was practicing freehand painting/the lighting, but yeah! I just wanted to put that out there.
I think that’s it! I hope that helps :)
