Reference Books

[Zee Oddwyn]

I've heard many people say both good and bad things about using reference books. (i.e. the "How to Draw Manga" series, Human Anatomy reference books, Perspective books, etc.)

I just recently purchased a lovely book, Anatomy for the Artist, which offers a number of professionally taken pictures of nude model in various poses to show the various forms of the human body. I think it's a great resource for when I have a problem with a pose, or which lump of muscle goes where, but I'm wondering if this is the right way to use a reference book.

What I'd like to ask you Artists, is if you use reference books, how you use them, and are there any particular books that stand out as being really helpful?

Thank you!

[nicolepalmer]

i usually use my mind but sometimes your in a rut and can't seem to see what your trying to draw.I get someone like a friend relative etc. To do a pose that iam going for and i quickly jot it down or from watching people everyday sitting on a bench it helps with your anatomy.

[Ayokillyou]

Anatomy for the Artist is the type of reference book that you should be using.

It's the so-called "how to draw" books that are practically worthless.


All artists should be using reference as much as they possibly can. I mean, an absurd amount of reference. If I need to draw a single picture of a horse, for example, I'm going to have my drafting table covered with photos, printouts of paintings and caricatures of horses from all angles (not just the one shot that I need for the final picture). On top of that, I'll be doodling in my sketchbook on the side of the final piece to work out the kinks in my horse drawing while I'm working on the final.

If I need to draw a man with his feet propped up on his desk...again, photos and photos and printouts of illustrations, printouts of freezeframes from movies, whatever I can get my hands on.

Reference everything you draw. Even if you know what it looks like. Reference your own original characters. Don't trust memory unless you absolutely HAVE to.

And don't copy reference either. The reference is there to show you what it looks like and how the form works. This works best after you've taken a drawing class or two--when the instructor helps guide you as to how to look at an object (or photograph) with the purpose of drawing it. Drawing from models is a very important part of the drawing experience.

[Tentopet]

Get The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0823016285/sr=8-2/qid=1143325385/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-2982153-6176712?%5Fencoding=UTF8). This book is my bible. I decided I really needed to figure out how the face works instead of making eyes, a nose and a mouth with sausage casing around it. It basically goes through each muscle on the face and what it does to the face when contracted, which gives you endless possiblities for facial expressions. What's art without emotion?

Oh, and it's at all the normal chain bookstores.

One thing I'd have to recommend for anyone who hasn't had an IN-DEPTH training on perspective is to READ A BOOK ABOUT IT. And not skip stuff. That's just something that you're not going to learn on your own unless you are a prodigy. And in case you think you're a prodigy, you aren't (you refers to anyone who may be reading this--don't be a self-proclaimed genius!).

One final book I'd recommend is Drawing People: How to Portray the Clothed Figure (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581803591/sr=8-2/qid=1143325762/ref=sr_1_2/104-2982153-6176712?%5Fencoding=UTF8). It goes over anatomy a bit, but also does a wonderful job of showing how to draw people in everyday poses and of course teaches how to draw clothing folds. The artist is really good and does a sketchy style that's more applicable to comics artists than completely realistic shading and whatnot. She uses lines more than shading, which helps us since that's what we have to do.

[Zee Oddwyn]

You know, I was looking for books on those subjects! Thank you!

And photos make sense, but, what if there really isn't a reference for what you want to draw? Ex. Alien creature.

[JayneCobb]

anything by andrew loomis, but there are two in print right now : figure in action and the head

vanderpoel:the human figure

rubins: anatomy something, great for studying all the muscles and bones

bridgman: constructive anatomy, 100 hands, and more

ernest norling: perspective

i also personally like muscles in motion by glen fabry, and some how to draw comics book by stan lee

also studying from masters isn't a bad idea. i still have yet to buy dean cornwell's book, which has LOTS of great drawings in there

[Ayokillyou]

You know, I was looking for books on those subjects! Thank you!

And photos make sense, but, what if there really isn't a reference for what you want to draw? Ex. Alien creature.

I don't think there is any monster in existence that can't be recreated from reference rooted in the real world.

Most typical alien creatures are either humanoid with somewhat distorted features or insectoid, arachnoid, or some other resemblant of earth life.

[JayneCobb]

for an alien or any other monster, think about what sort of body structure you want it to pertain, and look at references from there and alter it.

[Tentopet]

Amen to Ayo and Jayne Cobb on on the alien thing. All creatures have surprisingly similar bone structure to humans, with only slight differences on proportion. A bat's wing is really just his arm from shoulder to fingers, elbow and wrist included. Or take horses and the like: it seems like they're so different because their hind legs bend backward, but not so! Take a look at this skeleton (http://www.jineterias.com/lessons/orth/horse_skeleton_en.jpg), and you'll see that what you might consider backward knees are actually what'd be our ankles, with an elongated foot that becomes part of the leg. The "knee" so to speak is higher up.

So look at things you'd want your alien to resemble and keep working at it! If they're based off of this universal bone structure somehow, it'll be easier to make them believable, as well as figure out how they'd work in movement.

Man, I think making new creatures is so dang hard. But that may just be because I'm more a realism person.

[Rem Akimichi]

Oh man, Anatomy for the Artist is GORGEOUS. I saw it in Barnes & Nobles and just about cried because I couldn't afford it.

I don't have a lot of "refrence" reference books (i.e. especially made for that), but I do use quite a lot of references. Magazines, photo albums, archetechtiural design books, and various black-and-white photography books are some of my favorite places to look when I'm stuck on getting the perfect line. The library is your friend in this respect ^__^

[Samekh Mem]

Oh man, Anatomy for the Artist is GORGEOUS. I saw it in Barnes & Nobles and just about cried because I couldn't afford it.

I feel so lucky, since Anatomy was my Xmas present from my family. And it's kind of funny - a lot of the college art I see has drawings rendered straight from that book!

It's awesome because of the breakdown of muscle and skeletal structure in the beginning of every chapter, by overlaying a photo with a transparent drawing of the inner workings!

[ddr tatsujin]

There is more to a "reference book" than "how to draw" books. You can look at architecture books, fashion books, photo journals, photography books, other comics, other art, ect.

[Tentopet]

BTW since we're talking about refs I'll shamelessly plug my Eye Angle Library: http://tentopet.livejournal.com/34995.html?view=438707#t438707

[KaYoKitten]

BTW since we're talking about refs I'll shamelessly plug my Eye Angle Library: http://tentopet.livejournal.com/34995.html?view=438707#t438707

That reference sheet is AMAZING. I usually go through and make something similar to this for each of my characters because I tend to be extremely detailed with my eyes and using them for realistic expressions instead of the ones that look like this: O__O -__- O__o ^^; ^_^

LOL, but I use those where appropriate, too. For any beginning artist, especially those without a natural talent for eyes, this is a great ref., and I find it very useful when designing a style, too. Wish I had it back when I was creating my style! XD

[Elae]

For any beginning artist, especially those without a natural talent for eyes, this is a great ref., and I find it very useful when designing a style, too. Wish I had it back when I was creating my style! XD

A hint- don't ever think of your style as "created." Always consider it to be in progress, open to change and adaptable. Even if you feel like you've found a comfortable style, still be willing to just scribble around and see how you can push or challenge it.
I dunno about a "natural talent for eyes," either... heh. It definitely seems like Tentopet has put a lot of work and practice into refining a certain skill, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's an innate talent. That kind of thinking will only limit your own improvement (this is speaking to a general "you" audience). She has a high level of draftsmanship, but this is something pretty much anyone can achieve if they work at it like she does. I'd say if talent plays into it at all, then it's her ability to recognize all the subtleties of a gaze that should really be applauded.

[KaYoKitten]

A hint- don't ever think of your style as "created." Always consider it to be in progress, open to change and adaptable. Even if you feel like you've found a comfortable style, still be willing to just scribble around and see how you can push or challenge it.
I dunno about a "natural talent for eyes," either... heh. It definitely seems like Tentopet has put a lot of work and practice into refining a certain skill, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's an innate talent. That kind of thinking will only limit your own improvement (this is speaking to a general "you" audience). She has a high level of draftsmanship, but this is something pretty much anyone can achieve if they work at it like she does. I'd say if talent plays into it at all, then it's her ability to recognize all the subtleties of a gaze that should really be applauded.

Sorry, I didn't mean that she had a "natural ability"--that's kinda me. ^^; It's the ONLY thing I got a natural talent for, everything else was just difficult and still is. I dunno, even when I was still drawing Pokemon and using that old draw-too-hard technique, I could still draw a decent eye. O.o...

And my style is ever-changing, unfortunately, but the style I've "created" for now is nice. I meant that I would have needed it when I was still trying to get where eyes were placed on the head when they were doing what. ^^; Sorry I was so unclear, I tend to just type and not think sometimes. I'm not a great artist, but I'm comfortable with the style I've got for now, and the characters I draw are always pushing the envelope. It's not really a set style anyways--I just want things to look like they go together while at the same time looking unique in their own environment.

[Ganter]

I barely use anatomy books for reference, if ever (which you can probably tell because my anatomy can be really off sometimes!). Mostly I have a huge collection of books that inspire me, and folders upon folders of .jpgs I've collected on the web. A great place to look at for location design is http://www.trekearth.com, and a great place to find photos of animals is http://www.treknature.com.

I like to find little things here and there than inspire me, and kind of collage them together into my brain. This collage then gets filtered through my hand and onto the paper in the form of my drawing style. If I have a specific mood I want to convey in my drawing, but I'm not 100% sure what I want it to look like, I fill my brain with images by flipping through all of my books. Along the way I make note of photos/drawings that also hit the same mood I'm looking for, then I focus on those pieces until I come up with something of my own that falls into the same category.

[Elae]

I barely use anatomy books for reference, if ever (which you can probably tell because my anatomy can be really off sometimes!). Mostly I have a huge collection of books that inspire me, and folders upon folders of .jpgs I've collected on the web. A great place to look at for location design is http://www.trekearth.com, and a great place to find photos of animals is http://www.treknature.com.

Ooh, thanks for the links.
I do the same thing; lots and lots of random, saved images... anything that I think I might want to refer to in the future, whether it's a posture or a hat or a backyard. Things to help springboard me away from the cliches that immediately spring to anyone's mind when they're initially brainstorming. I don't use anatomy books very often either- they're great for understanding the body and its structure, but there's nothing like a random snapshot to really capture individual body gesture, something I think would be pretty hard to (fully) record in any kind of reference book.

[Zee Oddwyn]

I don't use anatomy books very often either- they're great for understanding the body and its structure, but there's nothing like a random snapshot to really capture individual body gesture, something I think would be pretty hard to (fully) record in any kind of reference book.

A good point. Reference books tend to have their failings. I find, sometimes, that I'll be reaching for one to try and find a good way to draw, let's say an arm, from a certain angle and there won't be a picture for it.
From what I've learned, I suppose its a good idea to not limit yourself to one kind of reference material, even if mentioned material is a bunch of chemical signals passed between the synapses in your brain.
Thanks for all the links! The eyes are amazing, and the 'trek sites look pretty helpful! I'm also going to look into those books, and maybe get a camera...
Though, that would certainly deplete my [$o$].