Using Reference.
Everything that can be drawn is visual. In order to produce a visual drawing, your brain must reference a mind image - better known as a memory.
Memories = “reference.”
You’re always using memories when you draw, therefore you’re always using reference.
And there are 2 types of references -
Perhaps it’s a long-term memory from seeing the object many times in the past, let’s call this 1st type, soft reference.
I think I remember what an apple looks like. Hmm.
Soft reference is typically loose, lively, but amorphous.
Or it’s a short-term memory, formed from recently viewing a photograph, or the object in real life. It’s continually refreshed in our memory during the drawing process as we switch our attention to the reference & back to the paper. Let’s refer to this 2nd type as hard reference.
Hard reference is sharp, detailed, but rigid.
We often feel confident that our soft reference contains all the details we need, and that hard reference might constrain our creativity.
So then, which type of reference is better suited for drawing?
Soft vs hard reference.
The best of both.
First, use soft reference.
Then, apply hard reference.
The result is loose, lively, detailed & accurate.