How to Use Facebook Collections to Organize Artistic Reference Material

tmichaelniemanart
Aug 2
2 min read

How to Use Facebook Collections to Organize Artistic Reference Material

Introduction:If you're an artist, you know how crucial it is to gather visual references for anatomy, composition, color palettes, environments, and style inspiration. But with the flood of content on social media, it’s easy to lose track of posts that sparked your creativity. Fortunately, Facebook’s Collections feature offers a simple yet powerful way to save and organize visual reference material directly within the app.

In this post, we’ll show you how to use Facebook Collections to streamline your reference library, stay inspired, and maintain a consistent workflow—all without ever leaving your favorite platform.

What Are Facebook Collections?

Facebook Collections are a way to group saved posts into custom folders. Whether it's a stunning landscape photo, a tutorial video, or a character design from another artist, you can save it and categorize it however you like. Think of it like Pinterest boards—but native to Facebook.

Why Artists Should Use Facebook Collections

Here’s how this feature can benefit your art practice:

Centralized Inspiration: Keep all your reference material in one accessible place.
Custom Organization: Sort references by themes like "Character Design," "Color Theory," or "Gesture Poses."
Mobile Access: Easily browse your saved content while sketching on your tablet or phone.
Revisit and Reuse: Quickly revisit images you’ve saved for long-term projects.

How to Save Posts to Collections

Find a Post You Want to Save: This can be an image, video, or even a link shared by someone else.
Click the Three Dots (⋯) or ‘Save Post’: This is usually in the top-right corner of the post.
Choose a Collection or Create a New One: Click "Add to Collection" and either select an existing one or tap "Create Collection."
Name It Something Useful: Be specific—like “Urban Environments” or “Lighting References.”

How to Access and Manage Your Collections

Go to your Saved items:
- On desktop: Click on “Saved” from the left-hand menu.
- On mobile: Tap the menu (☰), then tap “Saved.”

From there, you’ll see all your saved items and your custom Collections.

You can edit, rename, or delete Collections at any time, and drag saved items into new or different folders.

Tips for Using Collections as an Artist

Use Descriptive Titles: The more specific your folder names, the faster you’ll find what you need.
Add Notes: While Facebook doesn’t allow custom notes on saved items (yet), you can comment on the post privately or create a text-based saved post with your thoughts.
Collaborate with Friends: Some collections can be shared with collaborators—useful if you’re planning a group project or need feedback.

Limitations to Be Aware Of

Offline Access: Collections require an internet connection—consider backing up crucial references elsewhere if you need offline access.
Source Availability: If the original post is deleted or the privacy settings change, you may lose access—so don’t rely solely on Facebook for permanent storage.

Conclusion

Whether you’re a concept artist building a mood board or a student compiling anatomy studies, Facebook Collections offer a practical and underused tool for organizing your visual library. With just a few taps, you can turn your social media scroll time into a curated reference database that supports your creative process.

Next time you see a post that sparks an idea—save it, sort it, and turn it into art.