Where to Find Good Drawing References (That Are Not Pinterest!)
I’ve been drawing for several years and every now and then I stumble upon an awesome drawing reference that I want to save for later. However, I’m not the most organized person and have lost a lot of these throughout the years.
Lately, I’ve been growing tired of Pinterest as I notice a lot of artists using the same reference pictures in their art, and also because Pinterest’s algorithm tends to show me the exact same pictures every time I write down generic prompt words such as “female faces”.
With all of this being said, I decided to compile all the ones I could think of in one place to serve as a repository of good drawing references for myself and anyone else who might benefit from this.
Here are my favorite websites for drawing references:
Landscapes and Environments
Random Street View: this website grabs random pictures from Google Street View and is a wonderful place for quick landscape studies. Just remember to take a screenshot so you don’t accidentally lose your reference if the page refreshes!
Mapcruch: same concept as Random Street view, grabbing random images from Google Street View.
People
Adorka Stock: wanting to practice some gesture or anatomy? This is the best place for it, with great lighting, professional models, and interesting poses.
Earthsworld: this website is also a famous Instagram page, and is a compilation of portraits of people in state fairs. The website is a bit more user friendly though!
Watching New York: ever wanted to sketch people out in the streets of New York? If so, this is the place to go!
Oh-hi: another great website compiling pictures of random people out and about in streets. Great for some character references, quick studies, costume references and more!
Light and Texture
Asaro head light reference: if you’re struggling with lighting, this simple model of the asaro head might be a great place for studies. You can rotate the head, add in an additional light source, zoom in… This is great to learn more about planes of the head!
Textures.com: I think the title is self-explanatory, but this is the place to go if you’re studying textured spheres. They’ve got plenty to copy and learn from!
Movie and TV Show Screenshots
Filmgrab: this website has a curated selection of movies and screencaps, which makes it perfect for movie studies!
Movie Screen Caps: if Filmgrab doesn’t have what you’re looking for, Movie Screen Caps will! This website has basically whole movies divided into screenshots, frame by frame. It might be a bit tought to browse, so I suggest having a specific movie and scene in mind before diving in.
The TV Shows: now, if you’re looking for TV shows, this is the one to browse through!
Color Palettes
Color.adobe: this is a great place for color palette ideas. Just add in a word and see amazing palettes coming to life!
Alternatives to Pinterest
Flickr: everyone knows Pinterest, and while it’s a great platform, it bothers me that it’s so bad at randomizing results. Instead, I see the same images over and over again depending on my search term, which then results in drawings from the same reference as another several hundred artists. So Flickr is a better place to go for a bit more variety!
500Px: Similar to Flickr, but even more professional!
A final word
Beyond all of these specific websites, I highly suggest that you spend some time browsing portfolios of professional models and photographers for reference inspiration. Many photographers specialize in a particular theme and their portfolios might be great places for inspiration for studies, specially for people looking for more cinematography-style drawings. Photography websites are the best place to start, such as Flickr and 500Px.
And please don’t forget to credit the original artist if you’re sharing the art online nor violate copyrights by selling art that is a direct copy or study from photos.
