Concept Art Resources

Last updated Sep 6, 2026 · published Mar 16, 2021. This is a living document – feel free to suggest edits on GitHub .

A collection of free resources I use in my own work as a concept artist. Priority goes to sites that are genuinely free and need no account – anything that asks you to sign up is listed separately.

Free 3D Assets

All sources below offer royalty-free, CC0 or public domain assets.

• 3Dassets.one – All free CG libraries in one place

Free models

• Poly Haven – CC0 models, plus HDRIs for lighting
• Three D Scans – CC0 high-res scans of classical sculpture

Also, with an account: CC0 collections on Sketchfab • TurboSquid • CGTrader

Free textures & materials

• Poly Haven – Photoscanned seamless PBR
• ambientCG – CC0 PBR materials, HDRIs and substances
• TextureLabs.org – Grunge, ink and lens effects to overlay
• Texture Ninja – Public domain photo textures, no attribution

Also, with an account: Textures.com

Free Photo Reference

All sources below offer royalty-free, CC0 or public domain images.

Free stock photos

• Unsplash – Photos, 3D renders and illustrations
• Pexels – Photos and video
• Public domain photos on Flickr (also my CC0 albums )

Also, with an account: People Cutouts on MrCutOut – Model-released, safe for commercial work

Museums with CC0 pictures

The Art Institute of Chicago • Met Museum • Smithsonian • Yale Center for British Art • Cleveland Museum of Art • Paris Musées

Also, with an account: Rijksstudio

Public domain archives

NYPL Digital Collections • The Public Domain Review • Old Book Illustrations • Wikimedia Commons

Figure, Anatomy & Learning

• Quickposes – Timed practice with themed challenge sets
• Line of Action – Timed drawing sessions: figures, animals, hands, faces, scenes
• SketchDaily Reference – Timed sessions with pose filters, or your own images
• Proko – Free drawing lessons
• New Masters Academy YouTube

Inspiration

• Shot.cafe – Movie stills library
• Royal Armouries Collections – Weapons & armour references

Tools

• PureRef – Reference board that stays on top while you paint
• Animal Photo Art References Search – Animal photos, searchable by viewing angle
• Brief Builder – Random art briefs when you don't know what to draw

Also, with an account: Mixamo (Adobe) – Auto-rigging and character animation