Comment on The Artist's Toolbox - Working with References by FionaCreates
Thank you so, so much for writing this journal! Honestly, I thought I was the only one who needed references to draw. It's something I've been a little ashamed over. I've been drawing all my life. And I have friends who've been drawing for years, too. But they can all draw directly from their imagination, and I can't. Every time I try, it comes out awful. I know what I'm trying to draw, but if I can't see it in front of me, it doesn't work. I've taken art classes throughout the years, and it just validated my need to look at things. We'd draw from photos, or objects, or live models/people. And that was fine. But it didn't help me at all to draw without those things. I used to be stuck on step 1- drawing exactly from images. Because that's all I knew how to do. But for the last couple years now I use steps 2 and 4. I even save images I find that I think I can use in the future. Even if I've studied something and know what it looks like, I still need to see it to draw it. And this has bothered me for a while. I work so hard and yet I feel like less of an artist for it- especially if I want to submit to groups and it says no copying/tracing and I always have to wonder if what I have falls into that category at all. But by this article, it seems using references and/or pieces of references for art is a good thing; and by the comments- done more often than I thought. Thank you so much for this. Really. 
For me it's a case of I don't need references to draw. ie doodling in my sketchbook, having fun, relaxing..
But when it comes to important pieces, such as finished illustrations, commission work, anything I would consider an actual art piece not just a sketchbook piece... research and reference are critical to making it the best it can be. In my sketchbook I tend to draw the kind of shit I know I can draw (or scribble thumbnails like in 4) because what's the use in attempting to draw something I know I can't draw without reference... you don't learn anything, you don't get a good drawing and you still know nothing about drawing said object (not to mention you waste time and get depressed about it). That's why studies, referencing and research are important.
Even for things I know how to draw, such as dresses and clothing, you can come up with much more interesting designs if you do some research first instead of making it up 100%. I'll never know everything there is to know about dresses so why stop looking and learning and pilfering ideas?
But when it comes to important pieces, such as finished illustrations, commission work, anything I would consider an actual art piece not just a sketchbook piece... research and reference are critical to making it the best it can be. In my sketchbook I tend to draw the kind of shit I know I can draw (or scribble thumbnails like in 4) because what's the use in attempting to draw something I know I can't draw without reference... you don't learn anything, you don't get a good drawing and you still know nothing about drawing said object (not to mention you waste time and get depressed about it). That's why studies, referencing and research are important.
Even for things I know how to draw, such as dresses and clothing, you can come up with much more interesting designs if you do some research first instead of making it up 100%. I'll never know everything there is to know about dresses so why stop looking and learning and pilfering ideas?