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Artwork (Traditional) / General Furry Art
Species Gryphon
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I sketched this at a Christmas party earlier tonight.
This picture is a little unusual for me in that I used references. None of the other pictures in my gallery have ever used reference photographs. I make the art entirely out of my head.
I've felt like using references is cheating somehow. In my head, it's like tracing or something. And, frankly, I'm hoping to change this attitude. Because I'm probably really handicapping myself by doing art without them.
So here's a sketch done using references. I'm pretty happy with it because it still came out as my own style. It doesn't look like any sort of copy of the references I used at all. And it does look a good bit better than it would have turned out if I hadn't used any references.
I should probably do this more.
This picture is a little unusual for me in that I used references. None of the other pictures in my gallery have ever used reference photographs. I make the art entirely out of my head.
I've felt like using references is cheating somehow. In my head, it's like tracing or something. And, frankly, I'm hoping to change this attitude. Because I'm probably really handicapping myself by doing art without them.
So here's a sketch done using references. I'm pretty happy with it because it still came out as my own style. It doesn't look like any sort of copy of the references I used at all. And it does look a good bit better than it would have turned out if I hadn't used any references.
I should probably do this more.
Category Artwork (Traditional) / General Furry Art
Species Gryphon
Size 800 x 567px
File Size 78.2 kB
Learning from reference is how I've been developing my style. I like the way one artist does a specific body part, I might try to emulate it in my next pic, or incorporate some part of it into a pic. Mostly this applies to anatomy, making muscles look more natural, or poses more fluid, but it can go to just about anything.
Well ... is it true..? :)
I use skeletal references for sculptures, especially the skull. I have to. Otherwise the piece has too many degrees of separation from it looking natural. It's personal preference. But using RL references isn't cheating in the least, even if you trace over a RL reference image, I think. Professional illustrators manipulate RL images for their digital paintings, making the piece look as if it was completely painted digitally. What I'm learning in digital artwork specifically, is that it's the over-all-effect that counts, something I'm learning myself as I get more into digital painting, and studying the how-to of professional work.
Anyway, count me as a fan of your work, both stories and art.
I use skeletal references for sculptures, especially the skull. I have to. Otherwise the piece has too many degrees of separation from it looking natural. It's personal preference. But using RL references isn't cheating in the least, even if you trace over a RL reference image, I think. Professional illustrators manipulate RL images for their digital paintings, making the piece look as if it was completely painted digitally. What I'm learning in digital artwork specifically, is that it's the over-all-effect that counts, something I'm learning myself as I get more into digital painting, and studying the how-to of professional work.
Anyway, count me as a fan of your work, both stories and art.
I used to think it was cheating, too. Then I went to History of Art 2 and discovered the renaissance artists not only used references extensively, they used grids and a form of pinhole camera so they could quite literally trace the image onto the paper. Now I use refrences and don't feel guilty at all. 83
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