Today we are going to discuss references. And if it’s ok to use them in your work......
This is a drawing and chatty video [i don’t have a name for it just yet] but I’ve done a few of these in the past It’s currently called back to basics.
Okay, so At the moment I am drawing from a photo I took while traveling in London. It’s currently three pm eastern on a Saturday. This was the one day where the sun was out while we visited. This can be found in the convent garden. I’m using Windsor and newton fine liners, Windsor and newton watercolors from tubes. And I’m sketching in my Arteza watercolor sketchbook. I have a limited amount of prints available for purchase over at my shop. To purchase a limited edition print, visit my website over at doniastudio.co/shop.
All links to materials and articles will be listed at the bottom of this article. Interested in watching the video? Click the image below:
In the meantime, Grab your cup of coffee, tea, or maybe Prosecco - your sketchbook or anything else you’re working on, and let’s talk about references.
So I don’t know if you’ve seen the painting by Kadir Nelson? he recently did the cover on the rolling stone magazine, the illustration portrays a black woman with the American flag around her neck, leading a protest with a young black boy near her side. And in his mini-documentary, you see him with references as he creates his painting. His painting really captures what’s prominent in today’s culture with the protesting of black lives matter, being lead by black women today.
But let’s take a look back in history and think of some of the most iconic artists of the past:
Norman Rockwell was an American artist and painter who did illustrations that imitated life and he used photo references which can be found in the Norman Rockwell museum. There's a popular painting and illustration called
"The Problem We All Live With" ,
An iconic image of the civil rights movement in the United States, it depicts Ruby Bridges, a six-year-old African-American girl, on her way into an all-white public school in New Orleans on November 14, 1960, during the process of racial desegregation. Because of threats and violence against her, she is escorted by four U.S. Deputy Marshals; the painting is framed such that the marshals' heads are cropped at the shoulders. On the wall behind her is written the racial slur "nigger" and the letters "KKK"; a smashed tomato thrown at Bridges is also visible. The white crowd is not visible, as the viewer is looking at the scene from their point of view. The painting was originally published as a centerfold in the January 14, 1964 issue of Look.
Also, there's a really great article that goes into depth about why this painting is iconic and so important.
The process for this illustration is beautifully documented (as many other works by Rockwell showing how he took an idea and staged everything from the wardrobe, lighting to the photographs and staging and references, along with his process in completing his illustrations. Even then he didn't copy his photographs exactly but made them dynamic in using color, and tweaking things a bit.
And so what inspired me to do this video was this article I came across that talked about artist confessions on twitter and one of the most common themes that popped up was artists admitting to using references to create art. Some admitted to feeling guilty of using references thinking it devalued their work, or that using references can be a form of a crutch. You also have some people that feel extreme turmoil in using references as it is essentially copying, and copying isn't art.
And I can understand that turmoil, that guilt. Currently, I am working on a sketchbook series where I am painting images I find on Pinterest. I intended to do a sketchbook tour and post the images on my Instagram, but after doing the research on this I'll only share a sketchbook flip through here on youtube and link to the images on Pinterest.
There are so many artworks where artists used references, Like norman Rockwell - but does that mean we should take his art down or that it doesn't add value? What about
So if you're new to creating art I’m just curious to know what inspires you to create?
Often times I hear artists say they are inspired by nature or their surroundings, or even mention other artists.
So What's a reference anyway?
A quick google search for the definition and you'll find the action of mentioning or alluding to something. or the use of a source of information in order to ascertain something. So essentially a reference is an image or object an artist uses to gain information to create art.
When old the masters painted a human face, they didn't work from their imagination but had a model in front of them. When Disney animators create a movie with an animal, they go to study real-life animals. When a concept artist must create a futuristic vehicle, he will take real-life reference of various existing elements to help him create something believable.
The concept that references are bad and you have to create everything from your brain is this ridiculous idea that is detrimental to new artists: how can you draw a realistic human body if you don't study the human body? You'll only draw it wrong and get better at being wrong if you persist that way. The only people who think that using reference is bad are people that have never painted seriously or some modern art lovers who think that drawing a square without reference is somehow more meaningful than trying to capture the beauty of a landscape. There's this primitive idea that exists and it's unfortunate that beginner artists walk around with this guilt.
So in the end: use references and be proud of it! just realize that they are 'only' reference and you still have the opportunity (and the duty) to make your painting even better. It is the artists' job to make a painting or illustration more dynamic. Something that can't be achieved with a photograph, but something that can only be conveyed using illustrative materials like oils, watercolor, gouache, or other painting mediums.
So the issue isn't using references, but rather using images that violate copyright laws.
For example, Not too long ago my cousin proudly shared with me some of the artworks she was creating in her class, and when I asked her how she came up with the idea she sent me a picture of the artwork she was copying from google. She even went on to tell me how this piece was being entered into a competition. By the time I saw the image it was much rather too late for her to change her project, as it was already being submitted. I was heartbroken and disappointed that an art teacher in high school wasn't properly educating her students on creating original works. When I was in high school my art teacher gave us such abstract assignments, and we didn't have cell phones or easy access to the internet like we do now (I'm dating myself). Or maybe it never crossed my mind to go online and copy other people's work.
How do you know when you are violating copyright laws? I think it's important for you to do your own research and get really clear about using reference images but here's a few things I learned while doing some research:
If you steal an image from the web, from a magazine article or from someone's website, or a movie, basically taking an image reference, for instance, and you repost the photo or scan and you either claim you took the photo or drew the art or both—then you definitely violated copyright.
A simple solution to this is, if you take your own photos, you can create an infinite amount of source material to reference. And you won't even have to worry about copyright infringement!
There's a video that I made here on youtube where I used a projector to create the outlines of a painting. And at the time I felt guilty of doing that. but while doing this research, and after taking a few courses from other artists I admire, I realize I was using a tool to help me progress in my work quicker. And this idea of tracing isn't new. There are cases where artists used a tool called the camera obscura and it would project an image large enough for the artist to replicate the work, similar to a projector. Perhaps they traced or used it to get complicated perspectives. Essentially copying, but we don't discredit their work.
It's not always wise for you, an artist, to go and sue for someone using your work without permission. In some cases, it may be helping you as an artist to make more money. Similar to Andy Warhol and Campbells Soup. Cambell's Soup actually thanks Andy Warhol for his work, and sends him some soup. However, he's also been sued several times.
Andy Warhol faced lawsuits in the 1960s for unauthorized use of photographs by Patricia Caulfield, Fred Ward, and Charles Moore. He settled the claims out of court and afterward started asking for permission before incorporating works by others into his own creations. “He learned a lesson from the lawsuits,” Warhol’s gallerist, Ronald Feldman, told Gilbert.
The Obama poster, that may ring a few bells and after reading that case, and seeing how messy it was I think its one for many artists to learn from. Something else artists need to research and understand is fair use. The first factor is "the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes." To justify the use as fair, one must demonstrate how it either advances knowledge or the progress of the arts through the addition of something new. The artwork has to be, 'transformative". But who gets to decide when and artwork is transformative or not? Or that it teaches or adds something new?
There's one more case that I recently learned about through She meets city podcast and it's about an influencer, artist and entertainer that's allegedly copied work from other authors. Her name is B Simone, she is accused of violating copy right by many authors and creatives that have workbook style books, where you can journal and answer questions. There are “receipts” and photos posted all over the web. Not one word was changed or modified. She blames her publishing company for not obtaining the rights but her brand and name has taken a major hit. She even posted how much money she earned online from her book sales. She’s since had to freeze her book sales and has to deal with this major lawsuit.
Tips to help you build your own reference library:
Put in the work to learn the anatomy of things. Leonardo da Vinci is known for studying many things, he took time to document in his notebooks the anatomy of animals, the human body, architecture, and the list goes on and on.
Just remember that doing a google search for an image and then drawing it to create art can get you into a ton of issues. The original artist or photographer will just about always be the original copyright holder. Rather than jumping straight to google take time to work your ideas out through thumbnail sketches, for composition and ideation.
Take your own photos - this is a multifold - tip because You'll learn so much by taking your own photos, things like lighting, and composition, framing, depth of field, exposure, color, and when photographing people you can get even more technical by choosing wardrobe and creating sets - all this while building your own resource library. I'd also recommend taking pictures of textures, patterns found in nature.
Try to retain as much "originality" in your work. Go out and take your own reference photos and if you need to draw something that you can't get access to photograph then yes use references but its all about how. You can visit museums - both online and in-person to get the information you need or use sites that give permission or the terms to use their photos. Remember that books are owned by publishers and photographers may still own their copyright. Let's say you want to study animals, maybe try visiting the zoo, and I know there are online sites that will let you view live webcam feeds to see animals in their natural habitats. Just again be sure to check the copyright and policies.
Use images from a reference library - this is a bit tricky because you'll need to know the rules the site has. there are online sites that will allow you to use references without giving attribution (linking back to the source). But even more, props if you link back to your source, or give credit to the original photographer.
Take online classes - I've mentioned before about skillshare classes, there are some really good teachers on that platform that can help you get started with learning the basics of creating art.
Combine multiple images and references to make it original.
Contact the original artist and ask for permission.
Read, “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon.
I did a ton of research and reading to make this video and I really hope you found it useful. I've linked my blog post which has a list of tips and resources to build your own reference library, as well as links to websites for references.
Before I close out this video I want to suggest a few videos and books to check out and continue the education: I'd also recommend checking out Minnie Small's video about references and Bianna Bova's video about tracing.
I have a limited amount of prints available for purchase over at my shop.
Links and resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_obscura
https://www.artbusiness.com/copfringe.html
https://www.wikiart.org/en/norman-rockwell
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/kadir-nelson-cover-artwork-july-2020-1014011/
https://www.foundmyself.com/blog/12-best-free-image-resources-for-artists/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama_%22Hope%22_poster#Origin_and_copyright_issues
https://www.quora.com/Was-Andy-Warhol-ever-sued-for-his-depictions-of-art
https://feltmagnet.com/photography/How-To-Use-Photo-References-Without-Violating-Copyright
