Most artists like to look at the object they want to draw or paint. But if an artist doesn't have access to the actual object, they turn to a reference picture. Photo reference books are expensive, so the easiest, and cheapest, way to find reference pictures of what you want to paint or draw is to look on the internet.
Be careful, though. Most photos on the internet are copyrighted. This means that you can’t copy it exactly and then call the end result your own work. That could get into a lawsuit. To get around this you either have to change around things in your art so that it doesn’t exactly reflect the image in the photograph, or you must find references that an artist is allowed to use.
Either way, you can print out these references or use them directly on your computer screen for creating your art.
Here are some great resources for art reference photos.
Fineart.sk! Human Anatomy Pictures for Artists
This site has classic anatomy books downloaded for visitors to browse through, complete with pictures. The site includes, "Drawing Figure for All It's Worth" by art teacher Andrew Loomis, “Female Anatomy” Photos by Akira Gomi, and links to "Character Photo References for 3D Artists and Game Developers".
Make sure to read the disclaimer at the bottom of the home page.
CharacterDesigns: An Artist’s Resource
This is a fantastic art reference site. Follow the link on the menu that says “Photosets” and you will find hundreds of sci-fi, fantasy, and nude reference photos from every angle you could ever need. There are also tons of texture reference photos, as well, under the link “Textures”.
ArtMorgue.com has thousands of reference photos. If you can’t find a reference photo here, then you will be hard pressed to find it at all. The site includes references on architecture, animals, clothes, reptiles, nature, weather, the body, weapons, insects, and transportation.
This site is for artists who love to draw or paint flowers. Every flower that you can think of, and some new ones, are free on this site to do with as you wish. The site also has garden creatures, cactuses, and other plants.
Spectralogue is a great resource for the graphic artist, and the fine artists, as well. This site includes seamless textures, HDRI, animal references, 3D models, and photos of people. This site contains no ads or banners, for those who hate site ads.
PoseSpace has a PoseTool feature that is a free index of poses that can be browsed and searched for ideas for art. This neat feature allows you to look at a pose in 360 degree rotation so you always get the angle you need.
To learn more about references and copyright see the article How Copyrights Affect Artists.
Alina Bradford - Alina Bradford is an artist with around 20 years of experience and 12 years experience as a professional writer.
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