usednapkin

Hello, good day to you.

The reference usage at 50% is somewhat complicated.

For this use can be driven by two reasons:

1- The insecurity of making a mistake in the drawing.

2- An impulse of curiosity or exploration, which is complemented by the use of reference.

If the reference is used for fear of making a mistake, this 50% is not correctly fulfilled, in which no drawing should be judged as a success or failure.

If the reference is used for experimentation - or for fun - there is no problem, as its use is not specifically to evaluate your drawing.

I understand that you being an anxious (not necessarily weak) minded person, you may have trouble differentiating for which reason you are driven. In fact there can be a very blurred line between the two. For a few months, I recommend you to be more inclined not to use references to leave an evaluative attitude that can cause you anxiety when drawing.

With time you won't feel so much pressure in case you make a mistake in your drawing, and you will know if you use references only for exploration; in this case allow yourself. Of course this will not happen overnight, be patient.

For me personally, I refrain from doing so as I find that music makes it harder to remember the lesson material and concentrate on the task at hand. Conversely, I do listen to music before each session while doing warm ups or while drawing during the 50% rule.