@DoodleBopINK's post on Artfol
Is it bad that I don't use references at all because I know their a good tool but for some reason I've only used them like once or twiceMar 27, 2025
Comments
It's not inherently bad to not use references, sometimes you don't quite need them. But you will absolutely get better if you use them regularly. To speak of my own experience, for quite a while I was like "Eh I know how to draw and do shading on a face, I don't need a reference". Turns out that my skill at drawing and shading faces skyrocketed when I started to push myself to pull out a reference of a 3d head showcasing the planes of the face each time I needed to draw a face. Now I don't need the reference that much anymore, but I still use it occasionally. So yeah, do what you think is best for you and your artstyle, but I'd still suggest to try to use references whenever possible, especially when coming up with poses
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•I find that references are only useful if they actually help you. Sometimes I used references because my brain can’t full comprehend a shape in my mind, other times I just do what feels right. I don’t think using or not using references is bad or good. Also not all art requires references. I almost never use a reference if I’m creating something more abstract.
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Whether you use reference or not doesnt really say it's bad or not, it's just that your able to draw things without much support
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