Cider

Because of ArtFight's recent rule clarification, I've seen discussion on whether tracing your own photos is the same as references them. This is, in my opinion, a matter of semantics. Tracing your own photos IS a method of using them as reference. It is perfectly normal and doesn't hurt anyone. When it comes to self made resources (photos, sculpture, maquettes, 3D sculpts, etc) and resources made explicitly for artists to use (stock photos with appropriate permission, 3D models in CSP, etc), tracing can be ONE step of using them as a reference. It isn't a "crutch", it isn't cheating.

You can also put the photo up next to what you're drawing, and draw from sight. Or trace the photo a few times, then draw it separately. These all have value for different situations for learning, speed, and accuracy, and I recommend trying them ALL.

A friend of mine was having trouble making reference sheets for her characters, so I made quite a few!

I figure these could be really useful if anyone else was struggling too, so these are all F2U

They could be really useful for Artfight, so keep that in mind :)

------Edit------

HOLY SHIT I did NOT expect this to blow up this much!! Thankyou!!

Here's my artfight! I really hope I get to attack some of the people that actually used my template, that would be so cool!

Please join us on Sunday, June 14th for the 2026 Art Fight Theme Reveal, which will stream live on our YouTube. The stream will start at 10:00am EDT (2:00pm UTC) and run until 4:00pm EDT (8:00pm UTC) at which point the team reveal animation will play!

If you aren't able to make it to the stream - no worries! The themes will be announced onsite and the animation will be posted to our YouTube. We'll make sure the thumbnail is spoiler-free in the first week as well! Please block the following tag on Tumblr if you do not want to be spoiled: #ThemeReveal2026

That isn't all! Please make sure to check out the newspost for some additional announcements and reminders. This includes more information on our rules update! Immediately following the form's closure, we began reviewing your responses and are working on summarizing all of the data we collected. A separate newspost addressing your feedback and our path forward should be released in the coming days, so please stay tuned! Thank you for your feedback and patience with us during this period!

You can read the newspost in full below:

Compiled some basic information I know about drawing fat characters for beginners since I've been seeing more talk about absence of really basic traits in a lot of art lately.

Hiiii absolutely, we don't gatekeep here!! I use a couple different ones depending on the style I'm doing since I hoard art styles like a dragon lol. They're also unfortunately mostly custom versions of stuff I've downloaded from the asset store, so I can't *really* distribute them considering they're built on the bones of other people's work.

That said, here ya go!! These are the most common ones I use!!

CIRO is my go to, then I have a few different versions for lineart, primarily for my cel-shaded and POP style work. The dot texture is from this brush.

The flat marker is just the default CSP brush, and I use a version with that grunge dot texture sometimes in tandem with my textured CIRO. I don't use them as often, BUT they're worth mentioning.

My Anime Lineart is also a common go-to for me

And Hinokizaka is my go-to for my painted style!

ID: A 3D render of 5 brightly coloured manual wheelchairs in front of a disability pride flag. White text overlaid on the image reads "Manual Wheelchair Models" "Version 2". /End ID

I've updated the wheelchair models I released for last year's Disability pride month to include adjustable shaders/materials that carry over into programs like Clip Studio Paint for folks who just want to use them as reference, and (what I hope is) a clearer guide on how to use, import/export and make alterations to them!

Each chair is designed to suit different kinds of characters with different disabilities and lifestyles. The chairs available right now are:

2 Active urban-style chairs (one of which includes a rear-mounted power assist)

1 off-road active chair

1 children's wheelchair

and 1 standard "hospital" wheelchair.

and I'm planning to add 2 more by the end of disability pride month (2025)

You can download them for free On Ko-Fi!

They are pay-what-you-want, but there's no minimum price, so if you'd like them for free, just put $0 in

Or you can download the pack directly from Google Drive

How to draw ears, by me.

ID: A banner with grey 3D models of 5 kinds of manual wheelchairs in a line in front of the disability pride flag and text that reads "Manual Wheelchair References" /End ID

Edit: Since this post still gets picked up from time to time, an update is available for these models

For disability pride month, I decided to release a pack of 3D manual wheelchair models.

The pack includes 5 wheelchairs:

2 Active urban-style chairs (one of which includes a smart drive)

1 off-road active chair

1 children's wheelchair

and 1 standard "hospital" wheelchair).

All the wheelchairs are based off either wheelchairs I or friends of mine have used

Downloadable here!

or on the Clip Studio Paint Asset Store (ID 2097442) (there's been an issue with the CSP version, but the models in the download folder can be imported into clip studio paint until I can fix it)

More info about the download contents below:

Disclaimer: Though I have been using a cane for 6 years, I am not a doctor, nor am I by any means an expert. This guide is true to my experience, but there are as many ways to use a cane as there are cane users!

This guide will not include: White canes for blindness, crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs as I have no personal experience with these.

This is meant to be a general guide to get you started and avoid some common mishaps/misconceptions in your writing, but you absolutely should continue to do your own research outside of this guide!

This is NOT a medical resource!!! And never tell a real person you think they're using a cane wrong!

The biggest recurring problem I've seen is using the cane on the wrong side. The cane goes on the opposite side of the pain! If your character has even-sided pain or needs it for balance/weakness, then use the cane in the non-dominant hand to keep the dominant hand free. Some cane users also switch sides to give their arm a rest!

A cane takes about 20% of your weight off the opposite leg. It should fit within your natural gait and become something of an extension of your body. If you need more weight off than 20%, then crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair is needed.

Putting more pressure on the cane, using it on the wrong side, or having it at the wrong height can make it less effective, and can cause long term damage to your body from improper pressure and posture. (Hugh Laurie genuinely hurt his body from years of using a cane wrong on House!)

(some people elect to use a cane wrong for their personal situation despite this, everyone is different!)

(an animated GIF of a cane matching the natural walking gait. It turns red when pressure is placed on it.)

When going up and down stairs, there is an ideal standard: You want to use the handrail and the cane at the same time, or prioritize the handrail if it's only on one side. When going up stairs you lead with your good leg and follow with the cane and hurt leg together. When going down stairs you lead with the cane and the bad leg and follow with the good leg!

Realistically though, many people don't move out of the way for cane users to access the railing, many stairs don't have railings, and many are wet, rusty, or generally not ideal to grip.

In these cases, if you have a friend nearby, holding on to them is a good idea. Or, take it one step at a time carefully if you're alone.

Now we come to a very common mistake I see... Using fashion canes for medical use!

(These are 4 broad shapes, but there is INCREDIBLE variation in cane handles. Research heavily what will be best for your character's specific needs!)

The handle is the contact point for all the weight you're putting on your cane, and that pressure is being put onto your hand, wrist, and shoulder. So the shape is very important for long term use!

Knob handles (and very decorative handles) are not used for medical use for this reason. It adds extra stress to the body and can damage your hand to put constant pressure onto these painful shapes.

The weight of a cane is also incredibly important, as a heavier cane will cause wear on your body much faster. When you're using it all day, it gets heavy fast! If your character struggles with weakness, then they won't want a heavy cane if they can help it!

This is also part of why sword canes aren't usually very viable for medical use (along with them usually being knob handles) is that swords are extra weight!

However, a small knife or perhaps a retractable blade hidden within the base might be viable even for weak characters.

Bases have a lot of variability as well, and the modern standard is generally adjustable bases. Adjustable canes are very handy if your character regularly changes shoe height, for instance (gotta keep the height at your hip!)

Canes help on most terrain with their standard base and structure. But for some terrain, you might want a different base, or to forego the cane entirely! This article covers it pretty well.

Many cane users decorate their canes! Stickers are incredibly common, and painting canes is relatively common as well! You'll also see people replacing the standard wrist strap with a personalized one, or even adding a small charm to the ring the strap connects to. (nothing too large, or it gets annoying as the cane is swinging around everywhere)

(my canes, for reference)

If your character uses a cane full time, then they might also have multiple canes that look different aesthetically to match their outfits!

When it comes to practical things outside of the cane, you reasonably only have one hand available while it's being used. Many people will hook their cane onto their arm or let it dangle on the strap (if they have one) while using their cane arm, but it's often significantly less convenient than 2 hands. But, if you need 2 hands, then it's either setting the cane down or letting it hang!

For this reason, optimizing one handed use is ideal! Keeping bags/items on the side of your free hand helps keep your items accessible.

When sitting, the cane either leans against a wall or table, goes under the chair, or hooks onto the back of the chair. (It often falls when hanging off of a chair, in my experience)

When getting up, the user will either use their cane to help them balance/support as they stand, or get up and then grab their cane. This depends on what it's being used for (balance vs pain when walking, for instance!)

That's everything I can think of for now. Thank you for reading my long-but-absolutely-not-comprehensive list of things to keep in mind when writing or drawing a cane user!