How to Find Good Reference Material

Transcript


Intro

To create historically accurate artworks, it is crucial to be able to study and learn from the archaeological source material.

You might even want to build your own library of images to have them readily available whenever you need them for reference.

Let's have a look at where to find good reference material for your artwork.

In this lesson I'll show you four ways to get quality image documentation of Viking Age art:

  • Books
  • Exhibitions
  • Online collections
  • Pinterest

I'll walk you through the pros and cons of each, and give you suggestions on how to get the best out of all of them.


Books

A good old reliable source of reference images is of cause the many books published on the topic of the Viking Age.

Take advantage of your public library to quickly get a good selection of images. 

You can purchase your favourite books to have them readily available whenever you need them for quick reference. 

Visit your local antiquarian bookshop and check out their selection of Viking Age books.

Pros

  • A good selection of images Books are often lavishly illustrated with numerous pictures of artefacts from the various private and public collections from all around the world. Some of which isn't necessarily accessible to the general public.
  • Reliable source references —The images usually come with thorough descriptions and good source references.

Cons

  • Lacking image quality — But the images are usually relatively small in size due to the limited estate available in a printed book, and the rasterisation of the print process further adds to the lacking quality of the images and the sub-par level of details.

Tips

  • Look up the items online — If you find an item of interest in a book, try looking it up in the online collections. There you will often find the same pictures used in the book, but in better quality and there might even be additional images available.


Exhibitions

The best possible way to reference the artworks is of cause to get a look at the original items themselves.

Take advantage of public exhibitions and create your own reference photos at the venue.

Just make sure to follow the guidelines at the venue, and be mindful of other visitors.

Pros

  • Customised photos — You can cover the items from various angels and take as many photos as you like.
  • You own the copyright — You own the copyright of the photos you take yourself, which means you can use them however you like.
  • Access to unpublished items — Sometimes unpublished items are at display, whether it be newly found material or just artefacts which are not part of the permanent exhibitions.

Cons

  • Geography and time limitations — Geography and time are of cause limiting factors. You might not have access to Viking Age exhibitions in your part of the world or be able to travel.
  • Bad conditions for taking photos — The conditions for taking good photos at the exhibition may not be great. The lighting is often not suited for taking pictures, and the items are often displayed behind glass which causes reflections to occur.

Tips

  • Bring your best camera — Bring the best camera you can. Your smartphone is probably adequate, but if you have access to a professional camera try comparing the two and go with what works best under the circumstances.
  • Stabilise your camera — You might even bring a lightweight tripod to get a sturdy base for your camera to make up for difficult lighting conditions. Just make sure you are allowed to bring it into the exhibition area beforehand and be mindful of avoiding the peak hours of the day.


Online Collections

Many of the national collections are available online.

This is practically the best way to find good photo documentation of a large number of items and to build your own library of quality reference photos.

Pros

  • Direct access from home — This is a great way to virtually get direct access to many of the items in the national collections.
  • Virtually unlimited access — Many of the items are sometimes not even on display at local exhibitions, and this is the only way for the general public to get a look at them.
  • Best photo quality — The photo documentation is often of the best quality available.
  • Multiple angles — Multiple photos from different angles are also often available.

Cons

  • The Language barrier — The interface and cataloguing are unfortunately usually in the local language, which can be a difficult barrier to work around if you are not already multilingual.
  • Not user friendly — It can be a tedious and slow process to search through the archives as the systems are often old and the interfaces are not very user-friendly.

Tips

  • Translate common keywords — Try to translate and use the terms for the most common types of objects like 'brooch', 'mount' and 'sword'.
  • Write down your process and hacks — If you find good workarounds write them down to remember them the next time you search to avoid getting stuck at the same obstacles again and again.

I'll walk you through how to search the online collections in one of the following lessons.


Pinterest

The most common way to find images online is probably by doing a Google image search. But another great way to find reference material is to use Pinterest.

Pinterest is the quickest way to build a vast library of reference material. You can even use the platform as your personal reference library by saving and organising the images directly on Pinterest and taking advantage of all the tools this platform has to offer.

Pros

  • A giant treasure trove of images — Pinterest is a treasure trove of images. I've often discovered items here that I haven't come across anywhere else before.
  • Recommendations speed up the process — You'll quickly be able to find tons of additional images through Pinterest's recommendations.
  • Direct link to the image source — There are usually links to the image sources where you can sometimes find hi-res versions of the photos.

Cons

  • Varying image quality — The quality of the images, much like on Google, is of varying quality.
  • Difficult to discern the credibility — It can sometimes be difficult to see if the item at hand is an original or if it's a remake or just pure fantasy.
  • Poor descriptions and source references — You can't rely on the image descriptions. They are not the best quality and often just plain incorrect.

Tips

  • Use Pinterest as a springboard — Use Pinterest as your starting point to find the material you otherwise wouldn't have come by. Spend some time afterwards researching the sources and look up additional information elsewhere.

In one of the following lessons, I'll walk you through how to use Pinterest to build up your library of reference images.

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