Using references is not cheating. In fact, it's the most reliable way to keep your art from sucking. Anyone who disagrees with that is stupid and probably draws generic desu crap with terrible anatomy and no backgrounds.

So it's about time VA got a thread specifically for pictures that will your help you suck less.

The rules:

When you're having trouble drawing something and have a hard time finding references, feel free to ask here.

However, before you ask, you have to either help someone else out with their request  ^*

or post something that you think would be a good all-around tutorial or reference for artists.

Since there's no one above me, here are two random ones:

• A series of amazing mugshots from the '20s Anyone drawing a period piece should download these, keep them on a special place in your hard drive, and tell them how much you love them every night before bed. (Hit "open image in new tab" to see the full-size pictures.)
• And a really, really comprehensive guide on the basics of drawing the body.◊

---

Now for my request:

I need a good place to find real photos of middle and high school students. Preferably candid ones.

edited 6th Feb '11 7:38:40 PM by Wheezy

Project progress: The Adroan (102k words), The Pigeon Witch, (40k). Done but in need of reworking: Yume Hime, (50k)

I like using Panoramio to look for random photos of places. I wish it was faster, but eh. It's also more useful if you've got a place in mind beforehand, but it's still fun to go and pick a random place on the map.

Tumblr here.

I need a lot of stuff (with an average pencil)

• tutorials for drawing hair.
• Refrences for the head in varios angles (front view profile and 3/4 )
• Hair references
• Nude model references

and please no anime tutorials at all please I beg it :)

edited 6th Feb '11 8:59:10 PM by FallenLegend

Make your hearth shine through the darkest night; let it transform hate into kindness, evil into justice, and loneliness into love.

This is a nice chart, but it might be too close to an anime-style. To me it's semi-realistic, but I'm not sure what your standards are.

Tumblr here.

And if that was too animesque, here.◊

Project progress: The Adroan (102k words), The Pigeon Witch, (40k). Done but in need of reworking: Yume Hime, (50k)

Dunno if this will be of any use to anyone, but here is a cool website. Maybe if someone needs some face references?

I thought this was interesting as well.

Tumblr here.

Thanks a lot.Tough my hate for anime stuff is not becuase I dislike anime on the contrar I love it :).

It's just that anime is very bad for newbie artists. Only advanced artist are able to draw in anime style.

Make your hearth shine through the darkest night; let it transform hate into kindness, evil into justice, and loneliness into love.

that site with the average faces is amazing by the way. Just what i was looking for :)

Make your hearth shine through the darkest night; let it transform hate into kindness, evil into justice, and loneliness into love.

Odd, I always thought animé art was easier to draw, because it has been simplified (side mouths, anyone?) and usually very simple.

Posted from another thread for great justice

Mostly gives advice and not references, but it's got quite a few faces to take inspiration from.

Read my stories!

well yes an no

It is easier if you are an experienced artis.However if a newbie artists tries to draw anime , that artwork is doomed to be awful.

Drawing anime is like bending the rules. You can only bend them if you know them.If your don't you will just break them.

edited 11th Feb '11 5:06:21 PM by FallenLegend

Make your hearth shine through the darkest night; let it transform hate into kindness, evil into justice, and loneliness into love.

Well, I mostly agree with you, but I wouldn't really go so far as to say that it's doomed to be awful. It's got a pretty good chance of being awful, but if you want to draw stylized from time to time it's not going to destroy your ability to draw ever. Anyway, Almyki's really the one you want to talk to if you feel like debating this, not me. XD

edited 11th Feb '11 5:18:55 PM by Tumbril

Tumblr here.

Nonsense. Anyone starting off with any type of art will be more skilled in that style than any other type. Newbies will ALWAYS be bad at a new style regardless, and get better as time goes on.

Read my stories!

I am not an authory on this either.That is what my mentor taught me, there is even a page about this.

Make your hearth shine through the darkest night; let it transform hate into kindness, evil into justice, and loneliness into love.

Kindly link to this page. Newbies tend to copy animé badly because animé is very popular at the moment, and thus has the highest amount of shit in it. It's a proportional thing. There are just as many shitty western artists, proportionally speaking.

Heck, there are prolly MORE shitty western artists, because at least when people are copying an animé style, they are copying something that can be perceived as good (originally). Some people just draw point blank, and end up fumbling in the dark a lot.

edited 11th Feb '11 5:34:50 PM by MrAHR

Read my stories!

@Tumbril: That second link might be the most useful thing I've ever downloaded.

I'll see how useful the first is when I have time to sign up for it.

Project progress: The Adroan (102k words), The Pigeon Witch, (40k). Done but in need of reworking: Yume Hime, (50k)

Ooohhh, do I hear my name being called? XD

Well, it seems I've made my thoughts on this subject heard before, but yes, I believe starting with cartoons and anime is much easier for a rank beginner than starting with realistic anatomical drawings, for reasons I'll refrain from cluttering this thread with. There is truth, however, in that observational drawing can be much easier than drawing cartoons because observation drawing requires little to no thought, planning, or design application, but that's another story.

Anyway, if we're sharing references (and maybe we can collect these links into a list one day once we've amassed a decent amount), here's some of mine:

- - -

Posemaniacs - Greeeat for pose references, gesture drawing practice, people drawing practice in general. I try to do the '30 second' drawings at least a few times a week, filling up a page in my sketchbook at a time. And when you start filling a sketchbook, you can use that sketchbook as a reference too when trying to think of a pose.

ConceptArt: The Nude Reference Thread - Concept Art.org has a whole reference subforum, and I found this gem a while ago. I use it to practice rendering humans in detail, though most of it is women, which is a bit disappointing. Then again, I'm still working through the first post.

Pen Tool Tutorial - I found this on dA long ago, and it's awesome and clear for learning the pen tool and basic cel shading.

Digital Paint in PS Tutorial - I most especially appreciate this for the first trick on how to separate the lineart from the white of the page, but it's got lots of other good tips.

Color Theory Crash Course - Quick, lots of info, learn the jargon, very clear on the AB Cs of color theory.

Lots Of Art Tutorial Links - Exactly What It Says on the Tin

- - -

I might have some others I could dig out, like for pixel art, isometric pixel art, or other stuff, but I'll leave this here for now.

<3 ali

edited 12th Feb '11 1:37:57 AM by almyki

My iMood

Anyone has reference for emotions? Preferably drawn not real life. I think I don't do well with real life reference yet. I better stick with what I am familiar with. That lackadiasy page is great, but I prefer human references.

This is really useful, but the example drawings are not very detailed. Helps to better show the basics of each emotion, I guess, but I'm not sure if you're looking for detail or not.

Tumblr here.

Anyone having trouble with body types?

Happy Birthmasukah.

Project progress: The Adroan (102k words), The Pigeon Witch, (40k). Done but in need of reworking: Yume Hime, (50k)

The accurateness/quality of the expressions are varying, but I thought this was an interesting project.

Tumblr here.

Athletic Body Diversity References For Artists

And it is kickass.

Read my stories!

What.

Project progress: The Adroan (102k words), The Pigeon Witch, (40k). Done but in need of reworking: Yume Hime, (50k)

Whaaat? This is the thread for tutorials AND references, is it not?

Read my stories!

Click the link I posted.

Right. Before. You.

Project progress: The Adroan (102k words), The Pigeon Witch, (40k). Done but in need of reworking: Yume Hime, (50k)

Son of a bitch.

edited 2nd Mar '11 11:32:45 AM by MrAHR

Read my stories!