SANJIESAN LORE / Reference and originality
Turn a reference board into original design questions
A reference board is useful when each image helps answer a question. Krita’s reference-image tool supports arranging reference images beside artwork, but placing an image in a working file does not make it an approved project asset. For worldbuilding art, record the question you are studying before borrowing a visual motif.
Give each reference a narrow question
Choose a reference for a roof connection, one for how cloth hangs and one for the composition of a distant skyline. State those roles in ordinary language. Avoid the vague instruction make it look like this if the project needs an original place. Several unrelated sources can still lead to copying if the final image simply assembles their distinctive motifs without understanding what each contributes.
Draw an answer without tracing the source
Hide the reference after studying the relevant relationship and make a small original sketch adapted to your setting’s needs. Change the scene, proportions and use where the project calls for it, while checking that the studied principle remains understandable. This is an exercise in making a design decision, not a guarantee of legal clearance. If a specific protected element is essential to a commercial project, obtain appropriate rights rather than disguising it.
Keep reference status visible at handoff
Separate outside research images from approved art in the delivery. Include source links and the specific question each reference supports, without claiming ownership you have not verified. A collaborator should know which images are background study and which can appear in the finished publication. Keep established Sanjiesan character identities, relationships and card definitions anchored to their authoritative references rather than allowing a mood board to redefine them.