i kind of hate when people make ref sheets… some people take them so seriously and only stick to them and never stray or get better with the design because of it
i get why you’d use them in animation etc but i just can’t like it very much elsewhere, or maybe that’s just…
It’s fine to disagree, but I’ve seen it enough that people make a single reference sheet and then they adhere to that. I don’t like that. I’ll never like that. Maybe you like reference sheets, and that’s fine, but I don’t like the mindset that can come about from making them. “Gotta follow this model!” “Gotta make sure I work just like this ref!” I just don’t like it at all. Especially for artists who haven’t really reached a very experienced level yet, it’s kind of killer. I get liking reference sheets for doing commissions for others… except I actually hate them, personally! It feels really restrictive on what I can/can’t do when most people make reference sheets.
I don’t think I’m making untrue generalizations or assumptions, though, since I’ve seen it a lot over the years. I’ve seen friends, acquaintances, random people make reference sheets and then feel obligated to stick to that style or that way of drawing a character. I’ve experienced that crap myself. So… I can’t really agree with the idea that I’m making that stuff up.