reference for 3d modeling drawing

March 09, 2022 Post a Comment

Header: Hokusai'due south Iconic Great Wave from the Metropolitan Museum of Fine art Collection.

If you're similar me, you lot use references on top of references for everything, and are practically incapable of drawing without a folder of them at hand. (It's a problem!) Finding the correct one for your needs can be tricky, merely with more and more places to find high-resolution images online, it's getting easier by the year. Here are three places you tin get for your oddly specific needs, only that you might not have idea to cheque.

3d Stores

I touched on this in 3d Tools for Artists: A Basic Primer : If you simply demand cartoon references, the preview images on 3d model stores are usually complimentary to download, just characteristic full turnarounds of people and objects.

Turbosquid has some excellent models, with a specialty in highly detailed and realistic objects and vehicles. And in that location's some actual free content .

Like this anatomy model .

3d Scan Store has a nifty selection of high-res turnarounds of people of unlike body types and levels of dress, as well every bit muscle beefcake models.

3d Scan Shop's Visualization Characters Mega Parcel

And as mentioned before, Sketchfab lets yous view full 3d models in browser, with rotate, zoom, and pan. 1 of the nigh interesting categories is stylized models, where you get to see how dissimilar art styles translate to 3d.

3d Render by Jo Kawaguchi of a pose from Takehiko Inoue'south Vagabond.

If it needs to be said, though, they are not royalty free, though, and then don't employ the actual images in any of your work. And if y'all can, I highly recommend yous support the creators by purchasing whatsoever models you plan to use heavily.

YouTube Fashion

When it comes to drawing bodies in motion, I've always thought video was a far better reference than photos. When drawing tricky movement or action scenes, videos tin exist slowed downward, paused, and screencapped (+Print Screen on PC or ⌘ +Shift+iii on Mac to automatically salvage information technology to your hard drive) to capture multiple different poses then you have a choice of which one to depict.

But I'd like to highlight FashionTube for its usefulness in character design: Tryon and haul videos feature a subject wearing multiple different outfits, doing turnarounds and so you can view them from all angles. Videos are usually well-lit and high resolution: oftentimes 1080p60, meaning y'all tin screencap images with very little motility blur. They're invaluable for both outfit ideas and drawing folds.

Diuto Ajoku

And they don't have to be modern, either. Some channels practice fantabulous work with period costumes.

Karolina Żebrowska recreates an outfit from 1920's Austria

Highlight: Cosplay Tutorials

Pic prop designer Evil Ted Smith demonstrates how to layer armor.

But what if you lot're trying to draw a fantasy or sci-fi character? Cosplay Youtube has y'all covered. Certain, you could just expect upwards pictures of the characters they're cosplaying, just knowing how fantasy outfits are made and fit on adds another dimension to how well you'll be able to draw them. CosplayTube tutorials are very specific and very detailed on individual items of wearable, where if you just expect at a photo, or even moreso, another artist's drawing, you're simply seeing the surface of the clothing from one angle with little conception of the actual 3d course.

KamuiCosplay shows you lot how to make a Star Wars helmet. Turnaround at 10:16.

(Make sure you specifically search for tutorials. Some cosplay videos are only compilations of people with their butts out.)

The Millions and Millions of Images on Museum Websites

Eduard Charlemont — The Moorish Chief (Philadelphia Museum of Art collection)

Over the past decade or so, museums and archives effectually the globe have been digitizing their collections and releasing high-resolution images of them via online archives. They're most all public domain and tin be used not simply as reference, but for Photoshops or any you desire. Searching for a reference for a period piece? Or—and this is recommended to all digital painters—desire to wait at classical artists' brushstrokes close upwards? How almost:

The three.ix million digitized museum objects from the Smithsonian ?
The 1.5 one thousand thousand books, photos, art pieces, and old periodicals from the Getty Museum ?
The ane million images from the British Library ? ("All-time of" collection here .)
The 680,000 Dutch paintings from Amsterdam'south Rijksmuseum ?
The 406,000 artworks and artifacts from the Met ?
The 152,000 from the Philadelphia Museum of Art ?
The 81,000 visual pieces and installation photos from MoMA ?
The 51,000 paintings from the National Gallery ?
The countless images, photos, and 3d views from Google Arts & Civilization ? (They haven't revealed the current number, but information technology's in the millions.)

(Source: Open Culture . Numbers updated for 2019.)

About the Author

CS Jones is a Philadelphia-based freelance writer and illustrator. He spends his spare time listening to Spotify and falling down Youtube rabbitholes. In his by articles, his bio said "anytime, he'll finish that graphic novel," but he's actually working on it now. His other work is best seen at thecsjones.com or @thecsjones on Instagram.