How To Use Reference Images For Drawing (And Smart Copyright Tips For Artists)

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Find Out Where To Find Free Artist Reference Photos For Your Artwork

 

It can be easy to just search ‘reference images for drawing’ or look at your favourite pictures on Instagram for inspiration, but there is a lot more to referencing photos than meets the eye. Whilst they are a staple tool for almost every artist, some of us can be hesitant to use them as part of our processes, unaware that working from a reference photo will actually help you to improve if you find the right one and use them in an efficient way.

 

 

What is a reference photo? 

In the world of art, a reference image is an essential tool for any beginner artist; serving as a dynamic piece of information that helps artists to fill in gaps where our knowledge and creativity may lack. That’s not to say their use is limited to beginners only, in fact, reference photos are used by creatives of all different skill levels right up to professionals, and across all mediums, including paintings, sculpture and interior design. 

 

 

Is it okay to use a reference photo when drawing?

In school you were probably taught to draw at school through still life. Well, photo referencing is a very similar process; the difference being one is a photo. You may have seen your teachers or your favourite artists draw something from memory, but it requires years of practice to conjure up all the information you need for a piece from just imagination alone. No matter the style of work or how tenured the artist is, a reference picture is an important guide for artists and there is a need for guidance in everyone.

 

 

Where can I find reference images for drawing?

It’s very easy to find drawable images online, however with those images comes copyright and licensing issues making it so you wouldn’t be able to share your beautiful work online. And whilst Pinterest and Instagram can be great for models, poses, and the occasional landscape, very few of those images are copyright free. So to help, we’ve compiled five of our favourite websites to find public domain images:

 

• Unsplash – A variety of free and hand-selected photos gifted by the Unsplash community. All photos are under the Unishplash licence and the photographers who upload images to Unsplash grant users a free copyright licence to their work. 

 

• Pixabay – Self-described as a vibrant community of creatives, Pixabay is a site that shares copyright-free images, videos, music and illustrations. All of the content is released under the Pixabay License. This means the content is safe to use without permission or credit to the artist. 

 

• Pexels – Pexels is a site that provides free stock photos and videos, all licensed under the Pexels license. These images are high quality and easy to search through.

 

• Wikimedia Commons – Wikimedia Commons is a Wiki site that, according to its licensing page, only accepts free media files, including images that “are not subject to copyright restrictions which would prevent them being used by anyone, anytime, for any purpose”.

 

• Death To Stock – Death to Stock is a very different type of image site; a subscription-based one. Meaning it doesn’t have a gallery of images like the other sites, it sends you 20 new photos every month when you sign up for its newsletter. You can find their content licence here.

 

 

Do artists use reference pictures? 

Yes, artists do use reference pictures in a number of different ways depending on their practice. As mentioned before, photo reference in the world of art is very common. With the majority of artists having used a reference image at some point in their careers. 

 

Points of reference are limitless and have been used by artists throughout history and as time has gone on they are still very prevalent, evolving with artists as their need changes.  One famous example of photo referencing in practice can be seen within Disney’s earlier animation, through a technique called Rotoscoping. It was extremely popular back in the day and it’s how the movement was so fluid in animations like Popeye, Snow White, and even the 1964 classic, Mary Poppins.

 

 

 

Is reference drawing cheating? 

No, using reference photos for art is not cheating. Photo referencing is a very common part of an artistic process; however, the practice has dispersed views both from within the art world and externally. Some would argue that it’s cheating, in the sense that it reduces the work’s originality and the artist’s raw talent.

 

But this idea that all our work must be original, new and without influence is something that is instilled in many artists by non-artists. A lot of people believe that illustrators, designers and artists make things up on the go, and for the lucky ones that is the case. 

 

One artist who is most notable for using references in and around his art is American illustrator and artist, Norman Rockwell. Whilst a talented illustrator, Rockwell never free handed. His work was almost always commissioned by magazines, so to be accurate he would work from tracings and photographs, sometimes using a projector. 

 

In Rockwell’s case, the reference images he used for his work were a crucial part of his creative process, as they helped with the compositions and proportions of his subjects. His work was created by piecing together different references – which is considered to be the correct way of approaching the technique. 

 

 

 

 

Our top referencing tips

1. Analyse the photo 

Using references isn’t the same as simply copying. Referencing is using an image as a base, and working from that. However you might still find  when using a reference photo that your drawings can end up looking stiff. A good way to escape the rigidity is by properly analysing the photo. As you’re referencing and not copying the image you have the freedom to alter your image, changing shapes, tones, and adding values that don’t exist. Take from the photo what you need and leave out the aspects that don’t fit what you’re doing.  

 

2. Combine references

With a better understanding of the image, you may feel comfortable changing larger elements. Start small, try to use one body and a different face, or one figure and a different landscape. As your confidence grows, add in other elements; one image for movement, another for a lighting reference, and maybe look up some colour scheme ideas. Combining lots of different references is a great way to get those creative juices flowing and make your work more unique.

 

3. Create your own references 

This is one that many artists do daily. Creating your own references is the best way to get what you need. You may be fortunate to have someone nearby who you can pose and manipulate into the ideal model for your work, if not a camera or device with a timer will work best. Depending on what you’re going for, rummage through a closet and take a few minutes to pose and think about the story you’re trying to tell. Use sources like Pinterest, magazines, videos, or even manga for pose inspiration. 

If you often need a model and are unable to pose for them yourself, there are 3D online figure modelling tools that you can download; a free and popular one is DesignDoll.  

 

4. Use the right photos

Whether you’re taking them yourself or finding them on Unsplash, using a reference with good lighting and exposure is key. When starting out, a lot of beginners look to fashion photos for references. Fashion photos are a great recourse for figures and faces; however, a lot of fashion photographers choose to remove the shadows in their work. So, when picking an image look for one that has light and dark values, a well-lit nose looks great in a picture – but translates horribly to a tonal drawing.

 

5. Plan ahead 

Sometimes, using reference images can place a false sense of security over your process. We’ve all been there, trying to rub out or paint over that one dark tone in an area that was supposed to be white. Accidents do happen, but they can happen a lot more when you’re creating the shapes and lighting – so it’s never a waste of time to do a practice sketch.

It doesn’t have to be anything major or beautiful, it could even be a tracing – it just needs the basic shape of what you’re drawing. Here some things you need to consider in your practice sketch:

 

• Your subjects pose
• Your subjects motion 
• The composition of the image
• The direction of light in relation to the subject
• The direction, quality, and colour of light

 

 

What is Copyright Law? 

Copyright is a form of intellectual property that protects a person’s work and stops others from using it without their permission. You may have been told not to take references from google images, and that’s because not all sources are reliable; they might stolen images. 

 

Copyright protection is automatically applied to works as soon as they are produced in physical form, and it entitles the copyright owner to royalties and a say in how their work is used by others. The laws of copyright also apply online. Although it doesn’t affect the level of protection your work has; a good way for it to be known that your work is protected is by adding the copyright symbol © with your name and the year of creation somewhere on the work. 

 

This might be something you’ve seen on brand or artists websites. However, it’s important to know that this is not considered proof that you own the copyright. So as a creator it is important to get into the practice of documenting your work. Having it on a space online, like an artists website, and in a physical form as evidence if your copyright is ever infringed. If you’re in a position where you can do this, sending dated documents of your work to a trusted to a solicitor is also helpful.

 

3 ways to reference an image without violating copyright

As a beginner artist it can be difficult navigating the world of copyright, but there a few things you can until your comfortable and understand the laws and potential risks of using specific images as references:

 

1. Use images with Creative Commons licences

Sites like Unsplash, Pexels and so on are pages that use a specific licensing called Creative Commons. As a non-profit organisation that uses free legal tools to enable the sharing and use of creativity, this licence helps creators to retain copyright and be credited for their work whilst giving other accessible content.

 

2. Always ask permission to use a photo.

This is a good habit to get into as a beginner artist. Permission is very important when referencing, especially if you like your interpretation and want to post it online. A very good example of this happening was with the Barak Obama “Hope” print.

 

In short, the artist, Shepard Fairey, sued for a declaratory judgement that his poster was a fair use of the photograph. The image that was used for the print was by freelance journalist Mannie Garcia, who said to the New York Times, “I don’t condone people taking things, just because they can, off the Internet. But in this case, I think it’s a very unique situation…”

 

3. Give proper credit to the creator of the photo

Similarly to the example above, it’s important to credit the creator if possible. If you don’t get permission, or can’t find the artist to ask – sometimes it can be okay to just credit the artist. Overall, being respectful when using someone else’s work is very important, but extra care when working with someone else’s art, specifically don’t take credit for their work or claim it as your own. 

 

 

 

Copyright is a tricky thing for artists of any level as it varies depending on your location, but luckily it’s something you rarely come across when you know the ins and outs of referencing. So, whether you are a sculptor, avid doodler or painter on the go – it might be useful to reference this article when you need some help.

 

Do you know of any other reference image resources? Let us know in the comments below!

Don’t forget you can always share your art with us! Become the next Artist of The Month or tag us on Instagram @darkyellowdot.

 

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SITES TO HELP:

Discover Norman Rockwell’s Reference Photos For His Most Famous Paintings
The trick that made animation realistic
How copyright protects your work – GOV.UK
Intellectual property: Copyright – GOV.UK
Creative Commons

 

COURSES TO HELP:

Copyright and Public Domain Basics For Online Entrepreneurs

Drawing from Reference: How to Maximize your Reference Photo’s Potential

Copyright Your Artwork, A Step by Step Guide