Figure Sketch By Daniel Borup
A common problem among artists is where to find artist reference photos. The ideal situation is to take your own photos. However not all of us are competent photographers and even those of us who are it is not always convenient or realistic to find and pay a model and schedule the time to take these photos. Or go to the places needed to get the photos.
With the internet it is becoming increasingly easy to find great reference photos but this can be a controversial issue also because of copyright. Over the years I have found many different ways to get reference images for my artwork. In this blog post I will provide you with links to some of my favorite sites to get images as well as tell you a little about each.
Royalty free Image Sites.
There are many image sites out there known as Royalty Free Image Sites. Royalty free meaning you will be able to use these photos without paying royalties to anyone. This however does not necessarily mean the photos are free to take. You will still need to buy them for a small one time fee, sometimes as little as 20 cents. This is not much to ask for the perfect picture. However, If you are wanting to browse pictures which are completely free I recommend Morgue File.
Morgue File is a site with a large library of high resolution photos which are completely free. (however you should still reed the terms of use for each photo to make sure you are following them.) Sometimes the quality leaves some to be desired but it is definitely worth a look. I always look here before anywhere else. It also Links to some of the more popular royalty free paid sites directly on the Morgue File Site.
Figure Images & Life Drawing Videos
Quality figure pictures are some of the hardest ones to get especially if you need a nude model. Lets face it, unless you are married to the person most of us aren’t going to ask our friends, family, or neighbors to model nude for us. There are a few sites I have found that provide an excellent database of figure models.
New masters Academy
New masters Academy is an online art school with fantastic professional artist instructors. They have a strong focus on classical art instruction which I love. This is a paid site with membership fees starting at around $20 a month. However they also have a number of free resources as well. With a membership you have access to their full image library of nude and non-nude models as well as animals. They also have many instructional videos in drawing, painting, and sculpture, as well as 3D models so you can view the model from any angle and even change the lighting according to your needs. I cannot find this information on their site now and I am still waiting a reply from them but I once read that these images are free to use in your artwork with no copyright issues as long as you are not using the actual images such as a photo collage. However you should verify this information yourself.
To get a taste of New Masters Academy you can subscribe to their youtube channel for free. Every week they come out with new timed figure drawing videos to practice your drawing skills. They provide both a Nude and Non-Nude series to fit your needs. Because these are photos you also get more active poses than you would in a real life figure drawing session. I use these videos all the time for warm ups. I also use the Non-Nude videos in my High School art classes I teach them figure drawing.
Here is one of their videos:
Croquis Cafe
I also very much enjoy Croquis Cafe. They too provide weekly figure drawing videos. These videos are recorded in real time which makes it feel more like a real figure drawing session. They also provide short drawing tips at the beginning of the videos. Here is an example of one of their videos:
One other thing I love about Croquis Cafe are thier 360 videos. They take a model and provide a 360 view. This is great for sculptors or for 2D artist who want a slightly different angle.
Sketch Daily
I also often use the site http://reference.sketchdaily.net/
I like this site because you can customize your drawing session by choosing the length of time it shows each image and if you want male or female, nude or non-nude, action or stationary. They also have many of their figures in costumes so it can be fun if you are in the mood to draw ninjas, pirates, or someone holding a big gun. This website appears to be in the beginning stages but has the potential to be fantastic.
The sites listed above are great for practice and giving you ideas of interesting poses. Sometimes during my figure drawing practice I will find a pose that I like and will then recreate that pose with my own live model to get various angles.
Posespace
Another great site is posespace.com. If you are serious about getting great photos you can use in your art and then sell your art you will want to take a look at this site. You will need to purchase each pose but they will provide you with a full 360 view of the figure in high resolution. You will find nude and non-nude poses on this site at high resolution. you can purchase each image for $5.99-$3.50 depending on how many you buy.
By no means is this an extensive list of all of the websites you can find photo references for your art but they are some of my favorites that I have found. Do you know of other websites we should all know about? Please share your comments below. I am always looking for new great places to get quality photo references.