You are what you Reference

[Stratadrake]

...or are you?

What kind of references do you generally use, and how do you think this affects your style as a result. Who or what do you look up to, and to what degree do you mimic that style in developing your own?

I know I originally started drawing on my own based on the original Spyro games, but I always imagined dragons as something more realistic, like the CG dragons you see on film, so I would strive for that even without pictures to draw from. Blocky PS1 graphics only go so far, after all. I learned how to draw wings by studying photos, and if I need a specific character to reference I'll look them up, but that's as far as it goes, I guess I just prefer drawing based on imagination, based on what I can do rather than a specific target to achieve.
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[AngelusMortis]

I use references of pictures I like. This usually includes images I see in other people's gallery, but if I were looking for something more specific, like how to draw a motorcycle, or how a tiger looks like, I'd google for some images. I've noticed that when I've been looking at references just before I draw, I tend to do a little better, probably because I'm using stuff from my short term memory that might help my perceived image of what that object looks like. I used to look up to Nomura Tetsuya because his style wasn't quite anime, but wasn't quite realism either. Then after that, I just went and looked at pictures in people's galleries, and took the parts I liked from them. I don't exactly have a role model anymore; I just take in the bits that I like and throw it into my own style. I find that you can get more out of a reference picture if you can understand how or why the lighting works the way it does or how a particular part of the object looks from the given perspective. That way, you don't have to find a reference picture that's very close to what you have in mind if it's difficult to find.

[Sam_Sam]

I find myself imaginaing things more than looking at other pictures, although when I do some fan art or I don't know how to draw the idem I need I do use some pictures to make sure I am portraying the character or object right. I also used some anatomy pictures of muscels and so on to improve my work.

[bowiegranap]

My references are official art or japanese gravure photobooks. I'm not shy about getting an interesting pose and attempting to replicate them with a fan character.

[AmayaHayate]

I mainly use the images out of my head, but I've found there's always something missing after looking back at it. In order to improve, I study everything around me every single day without realizing it - from the shape of someone's foot to the eyelashes on a bird. Everything about a person's body/movements, the shape of objects, everything - while I don't necessarily make note of things, I always remember specifics when it comes down to the drawing. I analyze things in my head without necessarily having seen them before. I play movies in my head with as much details as possible. I've done it with Yoshi. Whatever's in my mind is the exact level of detail that goes into the drawing. When I was a kid, I drew the back-view of Yoshi before his creator ever published that exact-same image. In other words, I knew what Yoshi looked like from all angles before I ever saw the creator's identical version. I drew Yoshi the most, so yeah, Yoshi (and dinosaurs) was the primary starter for all my characters - which now have nothing to do with him at all. I drew him so much that kids at school, when I had my original characters, thought my characters WERE Yoshi! Those same-exact characters used to be dragons. I still draw them, but now they're human.

[Touzoku-joou]

My boyfriend has made a great reference for me lately since he just happens to have the same body type that I tend to give my male characters (not pretty-boy skinny, but lanky and somewhat bony in the joins). I use myself for body reference on occasion.

For style, I never look at reference pictures and directly copy, bu8t if I see anart style I like, I store the elements of it that I enjoyed in the back of my mind, and when I feel like drawing, I try to recall what it was that I liked and try to apply it to my own style. You know, like, "I like how he draws chins", or "that shading style is pretty spiff". Etc, etc. I dunno. :/
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[flying-poptart]

I usually go onto photobucket.com and look at a picture for a reference. If I'm doing my own character, I just draw from my head. My mind makes a good reference but when I want to do a realistic picture, I like to look at a picture.

If I'm drawing a character from an anime, I like to watch an AMV on youtube to see what their personalty is. It makes it easier for me to capture the character in my picture!

[ImmortalBeloved0]

I am a mostly fan-art drawer.

And I try my best to take on the specific style of the artist. I use a picture directly from the manga and draw from there.

I draw so much fanart the line between my own style has become blurred to be quite honest. But I love the trial of doing a totally different style each time.
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