I agree that was a richard move and I apologize
EditWhenever I think of using references I just feel like I'm just copying and it's no longer my original work
but I do use small elements from different stuff I see and put them together over time
I think the fault lies in what you consider referencing. To reference something doesn't just mean to look at a piece and recreate it verbatim (though it can mean that too)
It means to study it, how things are in relation to one another. It means to interpret what you've gathered from one study and apply it to another and so on. Its recognizing patterns and relationships, not just 'connect dot A to dot B.'
For example, say you wanted to paint a convincing sunset. You could just pull up a pretty picture of one, and then paint over that, but that's not really learning as much as you could. So instead, you would have a whole bunch of pictures of sunsets and you compare them, see what's similar between them. You would learn some science stuff like why the sky changes colors a certain way during a sunset. You might even go outside a few nights and observe yourself what's happening. (Dang being an artist is a whole lot of work)
Referencing is a cumulative process and doesn't always have to be so rigid, and like you said, feel like copying. (You're on the right track though! Using little details here and there from stuff you've observed is good and can only make you better as an artist c:)
Hope that helps
