<< Based on an online photo of Lizzo, by the way! Hey guys! I just wanted to quickly write this down because it occurred to me that it was important. I was looking at @jeila's photo studies on her art account and I noticed that the pool of images she was studying and drawing from mostly consist of the same skinny or fit / tall body types and "conventionally attractive" faces. She also noted and suggested Pinterest as a good source for references. First of all, disclaimer that this is not an attack on Jeila, her art, or her personality/character! She's a great artist and a great person as well, I'm sure. But it really made me think about my art and WHO I draw most often as well. I almost always draw my people skinny, with long legs and arms, and more often than not also light-skinned. And this is a type of bias - a tendency towards doing or thinking certain things without realizing it. I'm sure a lot of us artists fall into this. I just wanted to remind myself and everyone to please be aware in times like this that most people do not look the way people do in Pinterest photos in real life. They are edited by professionals for colors and perceived blemishes, and many of them are "Photoshopped" or altered to change people's bodies and facial features. Again, not a knock to any people who happen to be in those photos, but it's probably NOT a good idea to use them as references, all things considered. As an artist, you can draw anything you want however you want it! But I personally believe that all art begins and ends with the truth. And the truth is very often not present in curated and published media on places like Instagram and Pinterest. I would also like to reassure you, if you need it today, that you are very beautiful and wonderful and deserve all good things in life. I don't need to see you to know that, and even if I did I would still say the same thing because as an artist, that is what I believe. Everyone deserves to be represented. You are valid any way you happen to, or want to, look, and I hope you can feel that way every single day!
Short update/caveat to the stuff below: it's totally possible to find great references for anything you want on any platform, so long as you know where to look! Having a community of people to converse and explore with can help a lot, but you can also do diggin on your own with great success! And by the way, thank you for your comments and input on the project! Can't reply to everything atm but hearing many different voices is always enlightening. In conclusion, if you don't want to read the whole thing -- I strongly recommend against using platforms like Pinterest and Instagram to find Art References because they often exclude certain body types, ages and people from a mainstream presentation -- and there's no telling how much these images have been manipulated. The better thing would be to take and use your own pictures or pictures from family and friends that you know have not been doctored for your reference. Of course, people do not look exactly as they do in real life when they are in photos (which has to do with how cameras function and the use of different lenses on a camera) The best thing (although difficult in present circumstances) would be to go sit out in a public area and draw everyone who comes along (known as reportage), or to sit with people in your private spaces and do observational drawings using your eyes in real space. You really will gain a lot from drawing a variety of people - bodies, skin colors, hair types, facial features - I promise you, and you will be helping them to feel special too! Now go out there and have a good day!
