My 5 Favourite Websites to Find References

I’ve discussed the use of references in art a couple times on this blog. If you’ve read those posts, you’ll know I’m all for using references!

But where can you find good quality, interesting photos to use?

I’m going to talk about my favourite 5 places to find great pictures to draw.

Pinterest: Pinterest is BY FAR my favourite place to find references. Not only is there great quality photography, there’s also other people’s art to draw inspiration from (while giving credit, of course). Pinterest is known for being an “artsy” website, so there are thousands of other artists uploading their work every day. I love finding portrait photography on there. There are so many unconventional portraits with interesting lighting, makeup, clothing, facial features, etc. Below are a few paintings I did using Pinterest references. (Credit to John Bowdren and Tashi Rodriguez).

Instagram: You can follow artists on Instagram and study their work. This is an exercise a lot of my art teachers have recommended. Studying other artists’ styles will help you incorporate their techniques into your own work. I like to save posts to a folder to organize and use later.

Quick note: ALWAYS GIVE CREDIT!!

Pexels: Pexels is a great place for references if you sell your art. All the images are royalty free, so you can use them however you like. You can’t get very specific with the type of image you want, which could be a problem if you’re looking for something in particular. Another thing is they often have very conventional pictures. If you’re looking for a lot of variation and style, this might not be the best website for you.

I drew this goldfish with the help of a Pexels image.

Line of Action: This website is a hidden gem that I found out about through some videos by a YouTuber called Meppity. Basically, it’s a replacement for actual life drawing classes if you don’t have access to them (like me!). You can choose between 4 categories: figures, animals, hands and feet, and faces. Then you answer a few questions about the types of images you want to narrow down the selection. Last, you pick how long you want each image to stay on screen for. Once you start the class, the website will play each image for the selected time interval before moving onto the next one. You can draw each picture quickly to advance your observational skills. I highly recommend it!

Here’s a drawing session I did in my sketchbook with this website.

Movies and TV Shows: This one might be weird, but movies and TV shows are actually a great place to find pictures to draw. Not only do they have good lighting and composition, they’ll also tell an interesting story. Screenshots from emotionally charged moments are fun to draw because of the character’s expressions. (If you’re more into cartoons, pick an animated movie.) These are also the most fun to post online because people will instantly recognize them!

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this article. Remember, I release new ones every week. Before you go, don't forget to check out my shop!