My Struggle With Reusing References

Landscape Thumbnails with Gouache!

Jan 24, 2025

Hello! 😁

I have this really weird habit: I only use a reference photo once, just once, and never again. Why?

Honestly? I have no idea.

It’s like some unspoken rule in my brain: once I’ve drawn something from a reference, it’s done. The token has been used, and there’s no going back. And you know what? It sucks. Because some references are absolute gold and could inspire multiple pieces, not just one.

What’s even weirder is that I have the same behavior in video games. I’ll play a game, finish it, and then shelve it forever. No second playthroughs. No new game plus. No unlocking secret quests or hidden trophies. Nothing. And, let’s face it, that’s kinda dumb. I mean, I could revisit it years later, enjoy it again, or even discover something new! But nope. So far, I’ve only platinumed two games on PlayStation, and that system’s been around since the PS3 era!

Now, sure, maybe I get bored of playing the same game multiple times. That’s understandable. But it’s not like I’m against repetition altogether. I can watch the same movie as many times as I want. Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings? Timeless. And don’t even get me started on series. I’m on my fifth rewatch of My Hero Academia right now and I could easily go for a sixth.

So why can’t I treat references or games the same way?

Reusing a reference could be really beneficial. You might get a totally different result the second or third time. Or, if you redraw something you’ve already done, you’ll see just how much you’ve improved. It’s like a snapshot of your growth as an artist.

But nope. My brain has other plans. It’s frustrating, like trying to rewire a circuit that doesn’t want to connect.

Have you ever felt like your brain is playing tricks on you? Like you wake up thinking it’s one day, but it’s actually another, and your brain refuses to accept the reality? That’s me, on repeat.

So, here I am, stuck in my one-and-done cycle. It’s weird, annoying, and oddly fascinating. Maybe one day, I’ll figure out how to break it. But for now? I’ll just have to live with this quirky little feature of my brain.

❄️ My Art Journey

I gave the Gouache another try. This time to make small landscape thumbnails. And I don’t get it right… 😭

One day maybe

Don’t ask about the bottom one, I have no idea myself.

Darius from LoL, Stylized House, The Meeting

I told myself to not have any goals this year. Well I kind of found one. To open my own Pandora’s Box, and start trying to draw from imagination. The Meeting is one of those paintings. And to be honest, I got real happy whit it. Sure I could have chosen a lighter purple for the shadows or paint it more lightly. 🤪