Drawing from Memory and Reference

Building Your Visual Library for Artistic Growth

If you’ve ever tried to draw something purely from memory—a hand, a horse, or even a simple coffee mug—you might have realised very quickly just how many details escape you. This experience is not a failure, but rather a valuable clue. It reveals the gaps in your visual library—the mental catalogue of images, forms, and visual knowledge you carry in your head. And understanding these gaps is a powerful step toward artistic improvement.

In this post, we’ll explore what a visual library is, how using reference can strengthen it, and why there’s an unfortunate taboo around reference use online. Too many artists early in their journey think using references is cheating. 

“If you refuse to use photography or are afraid it will ‘ruin’ your ability to draw, relax. If you’re paying attention and focusing on your training, then you won’t be convinced to only use photographs... You can use reference to help you identify, and thereby, learn to draw better. It can even speed your training along.” - Gregory Manchess

We’ll also break down a useful drawing exercise to bridge the gap between imagination and observation, so you can become more confident and consistent in your work.

First pass design drawing by Ron Lemen.

What is a Visual Library?

Your visual library is the mental storage of images, forms, and structures you’ve internalised over time. It’s made up of everything you’ve seen, studied, and consciously or unconsciously committed to memory. When you draw from imagination or memory, you’re pulling from this resource.

The more robust your visual library is, the more accurately and creatively you can draw without needing to look things up. But like any library, its contents depend on what you’ve collected—and if you’ve never studied how an eagle’s wings really fold, or how light bounces inside a translucent glass of water, those things won’t be readily available to you in your imagination.

This is where drawing from memory becomes a diagnostic tool. If your drawing feels flat or incorrect, that’s not just a lack of skill—it’s a sign that you haven’t deeply studied that subject yet.

Excerpt of ImagineFX magazine interview and workshop by Wylie Beckert.

The Role of Reference in Building Visual Fluency

Reference—be it from photographs, still life setups, or real-life observations—is essential to filling those visual gaps. It helps you build the knowledge and nuance needed to enrich your visual library and improve the believability of your work.

Let’s be clear: Using reference is not cheating. 

It’s studying. Whether it’s a quick sketch of your dog, a master study of a classical painting, or analysing a photo of a street scene, each time you draw from reference, you’re teaching your brain what things actually look like—not just what you think they look like.

Professional artists, illustrators, and concept designers all use reference constantly. 

“If there is a photo realistic element to one of my images you can be sure I had something real to look at whether a photo or some odd bit lying around my studio.” - Allen Williams

Comic book artists use references for dynamic poses. Fine artists do life drawing to study form and anatomy. Even animation giants like Studio Ghibli use reference footage to get movement and emotion just right, like the movement of a dog’s mouth to make a dragon’s mouth more believable.

The Saint of Hidden Things reference vs The Saint of Hidden Things final piece by Allen Williams.

“...reference is there to lend a helping hand to the level of realism in a more stylized way.” - Allen Williams

So why, then, is using reference often frowned upon—especially online?

The Taboo of Reference Use on the Internet

There’s a persistent myth on social media and in amateur art circles that "true" creativity must come entirely from your head. This belief creates an unhealthy pressure to prove that everything you make is imagined, untainted by the outside world.

This taboo likely stems from a misunderstanding of what creativity really is. Creativity isn’t about conjuring something from nothing—it’s about synthesising knowledge, observation, and experience into something expressive and personal. Reference use doesn’t stifle creativity; it fuels it.

Unfortunately, fear of being accused of "copying" or lacking originality leads many artists to avoid reference entirely, especially when sharing their work publicly. But the most respected artists throughout history have used reference extensively. They studied live models, dissected cadavers for anatomical accuracy, and spent hours painting en plein air. If it was good enough for the Old Masters, it’s good enough for you.

Reference photo vs Mr. Kind final piece by Allen Williams

Exercise: Drawing from Memory vs Reference

To see firsthand how reference impacts your drawing, try this three-part exercise. It’s designed to highlight your current limitations, help you internalise new information, and then compare the results.

Step 1 (Drawing from memory) vs Step 3 (Drawing from reference) of the exercise with an unfamiliar animal, a moose, by Roxanne Milson.

Step 1: Draw from Memory

Choose a subject—an animal, a vehicle, a hand gesture, etc.—and draw it entirely from memory or imagination. No peeking at references! Set a time limit based on your goal (e.g., 5 minutes for a gesture, 15–30 minutes for a more developed sketch). The aim here is to honestly assess what you already know about the subject.

Step 2: Study a Reference, Then Draw Again

Find a reference image of the same subject. Study it carefully for five minutes without drawing. Observe the shapes, proportions, key features, and how things connect. Once the five minutes are up, put the image away and draw the subject again from memory. Use the same time limit as in Step 1. You’ll likely find your second drawing shows noticeable improvement—even though you didn’t have the image in front of you while drawing. That’s the power of short-term visual memory and focused observation.

Step 3: Draw Directly from the Reference

Now draw the subject once more, this time with the reference visible as you work. Use the same time limit again. Pay attention to how much more accurate or detailed this version is. This step reinforces how helpful direct observation is in building form and accuracy.

The same exercise with Step 1 (Drawing from memory) and Step 3 (Drawing from reference) with a familiar subject, a horse, by Roxanne Milson.

Reflect

Compare all three drawings. What changed from the first to the last? What did you assume incorrectly at first? What surprises you? This comparison helps you see the tangible benefits of reference study and makes your strengths and weaknesses more visible.

Reference is a Tool, Not a Crutch

Using reference doesn’t diminish your creativity—it enhances it. It’s how you build a visual library full of specific knowledge that allows your imagination to flourish with more accuracy.

Rather than avoiding reference out of fear or pride, embrace it as a key part of your artistic practice. The more you study, the more you’ll be able to draw confidently from memory. And the more you draw from memory, the more clearly you’ll see what you still need to learn. 

Reference IS the way to draw from imagination. 

So go ahead: reference that hand, that car, that flower. Your future self—the one with a richer, deeper visual library—will thank you.

Try the Exercise

Want to take the next step? Set aside an hour this week to try the memory vs reference exercise. Choose a subject you think you know well or try something you've never drawn before and put your assumptions to the test. You’ll be surprised at what you learn—and how quickly your visual understanding can grow.

Let drawing from both memory and reference become a regular part of your creative routine. You’ll not only improve your skills, but also gain the confidence to create from imagination with clarity and conviction.

Share your results on Instagram and tag #RoxRefChallenge and let's share our progress and learn together.