How to use references and stock images for sketching

Photo references can be a good tool for sketchers if you know how to use them.
I had planned this as a part of my post about bird sketching, but I find it’s important enough for a separate post.

The usefulness of internet image searches has massively gone down in recent years due to AI-generated nonsense, so it’s worth looking into what kind of useful photo references for sketching you can actually still find, and what kind of alternatives you have.

Here are the options available, with a few words about their usefulness:

Your own photos

Using your own photo materials is the best solution for references – you won’t run into copyright problems, and you have the advantage of knowing what your subject actually looks like, because you were there. I know it’s not always possible to take your own photos first. I don’t have a stellar camera with a huge zoom either (or the time and energy) to get lots of sharp photos of small, far-away birds – I use good references that others have taken instead. But for botanical sketches, landscapes, or zoo animal studies, it’s totally possible to use your own image material, even if it’s just a smartphone photo. You can build an archive with good references over the years – this is how illustrators worked before the internet was around.

Stock image sites:

I often use references from stock image sites that let you use the images for free (for personal or commercial use) – if in doubt, ask the photographer – they’re usually linked. Paying for usage rights of references is typically only done in a commercial context with clients – I would do this for illustration projects if I needed to draw from a specific image for a certain job.
For personal sketching this usually doesn’t play a role.

I only use stock photo sites that let me filter out AI images. Pixabay is still somewhat usable, also Unsplash, and one massively useful site are the Wikimedia commons – in case you didn’t know, there’s an entire media repository with free images for all kinds of subjects, often linked in the Wiki entry itself, or accessible from the Wikimedia Commons website.

There are also lesser known local sites/apps that help with bird, wildlife or plant identification. Always check and double check the authenticity of your sources, and look at several images for the same bird (or plant, or animal). Also check the copyright – are you allowed to use the image for personal use? Personal use usually means a non-commercial context, and usually no posting on social media, or mentioning the author if you do. If you integrate several images into one artwork and frankenstein your sketch that way, you won’t run into copyright problems.

Image search, Pinterest:

I would not risk just doing an image search in a search engine (doesn’t matter which one) or on platforms like Pinterest, there is too much AI slop in the results these days and you’ll risk ending up with nonsensical or wrong references. Sadly we’re now living in a world where you can not only create a ton of fake and misleading images in a heartbeat, but they’re plastered all over the internet.

Image searches might show you stuff like AI-generated images of „baby eagles“ with white heads and yellow beaks, or „baby peacocks“ with big eyes that have the same colorful plumage as adult birds – in other words complete bullshit – I won’t link to any of this but you get the idea. None of these will be marked as clearly AI-generated. Often these images look very fake and oversaturated from the start. I’m heartbroken that the internet has become such a burning toxic landfill, but here we are. Do your research. Don’t take stuff for granted. Use respected sources.

Videos:

Videos can be a great source to sketch wildlife from, and you’ll also get a feeling for the poses the animal takes, and practice to draw it in movement. It’s like drawing from life, but with a safety net!
I guess you have to be careful about AI-generated videos as well, although they’re less common. But as of right now (fall 2025), there are tons of videos from zoos, hobbyists or wildlife documentaries that you can use for study sketches. Since they’re moving images, you might get really interesting and unique poses and perspectives. Also you don’t run into the same risk of copyright infringement as with photos – you don’t draw from a static image. It still makes sense to ask, or cite the source.

Books:

Books are best to read up on facts and confirm a bird or plant ID, the images themselves are usually copyrighted – but there are amazing bird or botanical illustrations in some guides that you can learn a lot from for your own art. I’ll have to share some of my favorite illustrated field guides at some point!

Social media, individuals:

I’ve also asked a few times on Mastodon (an ad-free non-commercial social media site that is home to many nature nerds with a camera) if I can sketch someone’s photo, a lot of people are cool with you drawing from their photos if you ask nicely, or put them online as free references. Most are genuinely excited about the results, too, so that’s a nice way to make a human connection.

With all of these photo-based sources, be aware that a photographic lens can distort shapes and perspectives and colors. This is just the nature of the medium. Distortions usually not that much of a problem with photos that were taken with a strong zoom or tele lens, but anything that was taken with a wide lens at a short distance can show these weird foreshortening effects where close elements will be distorted in shape and size. Smartphone cameras usually have a wide lens as a standard, some of them also come with tele lenses. For sketching practice, it doesn’t really matter that much, just be aware that it can happen.

So if possible at all, sketch from life, use your own reference photos, or use good, respected sources as photo references.

I hope these were helpful thoughts about how to use references in your sketching. If there’s anything missing or you have questions, share them in the comments!