>>5738224Referencing is not cheating. However if you require references for all you do and you become dependent on it I think you're doing it wrong.
Even Kim jung gi uses references occationally and he probably used them much more back when he was a noobie.
We learn from observing reality. But you go ahead and take the long road if you have to.
I often sit and just sketch without any references, sometimes I study people and architecture from photos, sometimes I bring one of those sketches that I've created without references and make a refmap and add in the extra detail that I have somehow missed or misplaced.
Nothing wrong with using references. the goal is to get to a point where you don't need them at all or rarely need them.
Where you've built up your visual library to such a degree that you can stylize, simplify and create on the go.
Everyone's different but at least that's how I go about it.
If you consider me a hack for it then just know I've been painting and drawing for longer than 95% of people on here and I am also pretty damn good at what I do.
Now before any of you call me a liar or say PYW I thought I'd just be transparent.
And no. I'm not gona post my work. I don't even have a social platform to post them on yet.
