Painting Reference Photos For Beginners

Some points of interest focal points first and foremost your photo should have some points of interest to make it worth painting.

Painting reference photos for beginners. Youll have to register for free. As the name of the site suggests paint my photo allows artists to share their photos for the purposes of making art. Today i finished a large 24x36 oil on linen landscape painting and in the process realized it represented the best and worst of using reference photos for paintings. Things like resolution and lighting can make a photo extremely difficult to work with and even result in bad art.

I used a waterproof pen then added a little watercolor. There are many ways that you can find great images to legally use as a reference for your paintings. Their terms are simple you can use the photos for making art and you can sell that art but you cant use the photos for anything else such as digital art or graphic design. That will also give you access to the full wet canvas site with helpful and informative articles how to videos and forums.

So what exactly makes a great reference photo. Many photographers are happy to permit the use of their photos while others will want a fee. First of all its best to err on the side of caution and ask before you copy a photo. Tips to produce great reference photos it is important to know that simply taking a photo doesnt ensure that it will be able to be used for a drawing or painting.

Sketch ideas and visualize your final composition. In my opinion a great reference photo should have. If you paint from a photo which has no interesting features then the chances are that your painting will also have no interesting features. Always remember a photo can and should be adapted to suit you.