Whenever ppl ask me if I use reference for my portrait/likeness work I’m like... YEAH you think I can just make a drawing that looks like someone without looking at photos of them?!?! I can’t even draw a shoe without looking at reference, I use reference for literally eveRYTHING

Using reference is good and you shouldn’t feel like it devalues your art if you can’t draw things accurately just from your own imagination. Drawing is already so hard, why not use whatever tools you have at your disposal to make it a tiny bit easier?

You know how many photos of my own hands I have taken to use as reference because even though I’ve drawn thousands of hands and I do this professionally I still can’t make up certain angles without spending unnecessary time erasing and redrawing? Why waste time + energy? Use ref!

Anyone who tries to shame you or make you feel inadequate as an artist for using reference does not have your best interest in mind, I promise. They’re the types of people who brag about playing games on hard mode. Not everything needs to be a challenge to be valid or good