The general rule of thumb is reference will always be useful in doing better drawings, any professional art you see is likely from some kind of reference. Drawing from imagination is a good way to test what parts of drawing youve internalized and it can be relaxing. The idea that your imagination drawings will be bad isnt something to be anxious about but rather it is a definite reality and they will become better over time. Especially when youre just starting out your mental visual library will be weak so using reference most of the time helps.
SSAli943 in the post "How strict is the "no reference" rule when free drawing?"
2023-01-20 00:06
The general rule of thumb is reference will always be useful in doing better drawings, any professional art you see is likely from some kind of reference. Drawing from imagination is a good way to test what parts of drawing youve internalized and it can be relaxing. The idea that your imagination drawings will be bad isnt something to be anxious about but rather it is a definite reality and they will become better over time. Especially when youre just starting out your mental visual library will be weak so using reference most of the time helps.