@toyotami kun:

Lol you're the one who's got me into doodle-mode now xD I'm going around doodling as much as I can and it really is helping, thankyou!
Even just doodling the buildings shapes and location will be good I think :D
Yeah same with me... I draw too many guys, I need to work on girls! I really like how you draw both genders! They're in the same style but you have little differences that tell them apart^^
Hahahaha! I will have to do that next time xD I'm worried someone might come into my room and think weird things if they saw me drawing body outlines xD A quick body sketch usually works for me, but sometimes I forget so I'm gonna work on that!

@MangaKid:

yes I'm thinking of taking a bunch of photos with some sort of perspective and maybe printing them out so I can practice. I should also doodle buildings like you said, I'm not sure why I didn't think about that!
yes the dolls are really helpful and I think I'm getting a little better at drawing the limbs, but I need to practice drawing female bodies. I would be nervous to, but drawing the character without clothes is much easier, just put some shorts on them or something? XD

@toyotami kun:

Ah I wish we had all the time in the world to get everything done xD Getting a collection of photos will definitely help and maybe doing some doodles of buildings as well? I think you're already on the right track, you're so talented in so many ways^^
Oh yeah!! I forgot about those wooden dolls! I saw some in the art store a while ago and they had wooden hands too that looked so cool xD It sounds like its a convenient way to get a perfect pose! I should look into getting one! I'm having trouble drawing full bodies now because I'm starting with clothes instead of the body! I have to start doing total body outlines first but I'm nervous about it sometimes xDDD

@MangaKid:

yup I want to take a lot of pictures of certain perspectives, but I really need to find the time to go and take pictures, and then I can keep reusing the pictures I take until I get a better understanding of perspective! XD
oh for poses I'm using my headless doll for that, it's my model and it's pretty good, I just need a head for it so I can practice drawing different head positions. XD for me that is easier then asking my sister to pose or having to pose myself, but I sometimes look in the mirror if I want to draw a certain hand position. XD

@snow fox:

Ah can I ask you something? WHY are you not a guest poster here?!?! You've definitely know your stuff, Snowy^^ I really enjoyed reading your comment and i hope other people check it out as well!
Loved how you explained 'entering into the ref pic'. Thats exactly what I was thinking but I couldn't express it like you xD I think I was confusing myself with trying to say how useful ref pics can be but also how depending on them began to hurt me in my own style/creativity. It was interesting that you said use reference pics and almost duplicate them in your drawings... I agree, I just have this uneasy feeling about doing that sometimes. I'd like to be able to draw poses from my head instead of always relying on reference pictures. sometimes it works and sometimes I get really stuck and then discouraged. I've still got lots to learn^^
I really like the idea of using 'original' poses from your own self or other people.
Also, that is one terrible case of plagiarism.. wow.
Thankyou for the insightful comment once again, Snowy! funny thing, I was wanting to get in contact with you cuz I was wondering where you had gone to! I hope you're doing well^^
Go Caps go eh? I'm cheering for them to beat the Bruins! I'm still believing that the Pens will come back though :D They're still my favourite, but I'm really happy for your young goalie Holtby! Hope they do well! have you gone to any games this playoffs?
Talk to you later my friend! :)

@CelestialSushi:

Same here! Using our own hands for reference has really worked^^ Yes, you should! I never thought of making a reference sketch book before, but it is VERY helpful! It's already helped me tons :D Its like using reference pics but it also makes you think up the details of the pose too^^

@toyotami kun:

That sounds like a great idea!! I used to take lots of pictures as well and I think it helps with ingraining the image into out minds and then you also have a perfect reference picture to use as well :D Now that I'm getting closer to starting on my one-shot, I'm getting nervous with drawing school scenes O_o I haven't been in school for a looong time and so I'm not going to be good with drawing some things. I might search of reference pictures online or maybe find some good scene in manga that I can use.
I'm glad you found this helpful! I was worried a bit at first that I was being confusing or controversial in how I was explaining some stuff xD
I'm sure your perspective will come along just fine! Just don't worry about it too much^^

@CelestialSushi:

I'm trying to practice perspective but it's so complicated I don't even know where to start! XD

Yes! A mirror is the artist's best friend. I'm biased towards drawing from life. It keeps me on my toes. Photographs work in a pinch, and sometimes it's far easier to achieve the perspective / pose you want with photos. We don't have an endless supply of live models to pose for our own creative growth, after all. Alex Ross, a prominent comics artist, generally uses live models. His Superman was reputedly based on his father. He would have people pose for him. He's very much in the realm of traditional portraiture. I try to use a mirror / work from life when I can - as sometimes with photos I get too stuck trying to reproduce the image exactly, and that's really not what I'm going for, most of the time. There's something to drawing from life that forces me to make some compromises and to really exert effort, and really work it out.

When you're learning to draw, and you're making your drawings for your own purposes, there's really no harm in using reference pictures extensively. Go ahead and draw them, almost in duplicate! Try to take an analytical eye to the structure of the drawing. Try to get inside the drawing and understand what you like about it, what makes it tick. Practice, and analyze. Deconstruct.

But, as MangaKid states - don't claim it as your own. That will come later, when you're not deriving your drawings from other existing drawings. You can get into murky territory when you're using a copyrighted photo (not even just a drawing - someone else's photos). But, if you're not selling it or gaining compensation from it, then you're not in hot water if you give credit where it's due. Once you start trying to make a profit, then you have to be very careful. There are some interesting things to find if you start googling plagiarism & manga. It's always good to be aware of what's out there!

Plagiarism involving Bleach.

Further discussion of plagiarism and manga (this article led me to the bleach one - and mentions Slam Dunk and Flower of Eden, basketball manga and the plagiarism scandal that ended a series).

@toyotami kun:

Ooh, that's really good, with the building perspective pics... I feel like my perspective in drawings leaves so much to be desired... -_-U

Yeah, I've totally used myself as a reference before, mostly for hands. But I like the idea of a reference book :D I might have to think about putting one of those together someday.

these are helpful tips, I sometimes do this, but then I quickly erase them cause I don't like how my pose looked! @_@
I'm thinking of taking pictures of building to practice perspective!