Illustration resources
Between conversations on twitter and my general adoration of drawing, I have decided to put together a few links for my illustrator- and artsy-type friends. Note that I do link a few PDF books, but they are not legally available except used and upwards from $60-$200. I recommend buying them if they are ever reprinted, or found at a price that is not stupid insane.
Posemaniacs
I always recommend drawing from life when possible, BUT sometimes you just need a quick reference. This is a site with 3-D generated, adult models with limited rotation. Being 3-D models, the muscular movements aren't perfect, but it still gives you a pretty good idea. OF NOTE: the gesture drawing app, with adjustable time frames. There is also a hand drawing app (with bonus man's torso, foot, and head). Useful, but not very comprehensive.
The works of Andrew Loomis
Several books in PDF form. They were initially published in the early half of the last century, and none are currently in print, making them extremely expensive and hard to find. The tragedy in this: the are very good books. Some consider "Figure Drawing For All It's Worth" to be one of the best figure drawing books ever written, and whether you agree or not, it is a very fine book. I also recommend "Drawing the Head and Hands" if you don't want to get them all for whatever reason.
Famous Artists Cartoon Course 1-18
Another fantastic collection of information that is almost impossible to find legally. Each chapter covers a different subject. It is very likely you will find something useful and informative! Download the PDFs or go through the JPGs, but enjoy!
Google SketchUp and Google 3D Warehouse
Reference for objects and buildings (including famous ones!), as well as a selection of people and animals, and it is FREE, as you don't need Pro to load models and examine them. Learning to manipulate objects in it takes practice and patience, and of course 3D models are not a replacement for the real life observation, but I highly recommend it for getting those tricky angles.
LIGHT - A detailed tutorial
I've found it's rare anyone sits down and not only talks about it, but shows examples and discusses the effect and detail of a variety of different types of lighting. Lighting is one of my weak points still, so I tend to go back to this one every so often to refresh myself.
Speaking of lighting and color, how about COLOURlovers and Kuler? These are both color palette sites that are free to use, with user-generated content AND downloadable swatches. You need an account to download them (Kuler, being Adobe run, has files compatible with CS), but the HEX and RGB information is provided freely by COLOURlovers. You can also save and favorite schemes for later.
CG Textures
Free to use textures and some reference images, with a 15 MB monthly download limit (more if you pay for an account). They are perfectly fine with digital artists using the textures in their work, as well.
This one is intended for RPGs and writers, but if you're feeling cheeky, check out Seventh Sanctum's random generators. If nothing else, you can get some character bases and general story ideas out of it.
I think that's it for now. I otherwise recommend checking photo sites and remind you not to trace, but composite and change and use the source material as a reference rather than your actual image. If you want some links to those, I'll be all too happy to provide.
Posemaniacs
I always recommend drawing from life when possible, BUT sometimes you just need a quick reference. This is a site with 3-D generated, adult models with limited rotation. Being 3-D models, the muscular movements aren't perfect, but it still gives you a pretty good idea. OF NOTE: the gesture drawing app, with adjustable time frames. There is also a hand drawing app (with bonus man's torso, foot, and head). Useful, but not very comprehensive.
The works of Andrew Loomis
Several books in PDF form. They were initially published in the early half of the last century, and none are currently in print, making them extremely expensive and hard to find. The tragedy in this: the are very good books. Some consider "Figure Drawing For All It's Worth" to be one of the best figure drawing books ever written, and whether you agree or not, it is a very fine book. I also recommend "Drawing the Head and Hands" if you don't want to get them all for whatever reason.
Famous Artists Cartoon Course 1-18
Another fantastic collection of information that is almost impossible to find legally. Each chapter covers a different subject. It is very likely you will find something useful and informative! Download the PDFs or go through the JPGs, but enjoy!
Google SketchUp and Google 3D Warehouse
Reference for objects and buildings (including famous ones!), as well as a selection of people and animals, and it is FREE, as you don't need Pro to load models and examine them. Learning to manipulate objects in it takes practice and patience, and of course 3D models are not a replacement for the real life observation, but I highly recommend it for getting those tricky angles.
LIGHT - A detailed tutorial
I've found it's rare anyone sits down and not only talks about it, but shows examples and discusses the effect and detail of a variety of different types of lighting. Lighting is one of my weak points still, so I tend to go back to this one every so often to refresh myself.
Speaking of lighting and color, how about COLOURlovers and Kuler? These are both color palette sites that are free to use, with user-generated content AND downloadable swatches. You need an account to download them (Kuler, being Adobe run, has files compatible with CS), but the HEX and RGB information is provided freely by COLOURlovers. You can also save and favorite schemes for later.
CG Textures
Free to use textures and some reference images, with a 15 MB monthly download limit (more if you pay for an account). They are perfectly fine with digital artists using the textures in their work, as well.
This one is intended for RPGs and writers, but if you're feeling cheeky, check out Seventh Sanctum's random generators. If nothing else, you can get some character bases and general story ideas out of it.
I think that's it for now. I otherwise recommend checking photo sites and remind you not to trace, but composite and change and use the source material as a reference rather than your actual image. If you want some links to those, I'll be all too happy to provide.