Episode 125: Stop Copying. Start Creating: Reference vs Imagination

Honest Art Podcast with Jodie King · Oct 7, 2025 · 1m

Copying your reference photos line-for-line is boring AF. Here's how to use them without losing your voice. Many artists start with reference photos because that's what we were taught: paint the flower yellow, the grass green, the cow black and white. And while that's fine for learning, it's a fast track to creating lifeless art that looks like everyone else's. The truth is, reference photos are meant to be a starting point, not a destination. If you copy them exactly, you erase the most important part of your art … your unique voice. In this episode of the Honest Art ® Podcast, I break down…