Reference pics for paintings

It's very common for artists to use reference pics when painting. There are a few issues with using reference pics. Also, some benefits, which I want to outline in this blog post. Below is my latest painting, 'Highlander' (a mountain sheep). 

'Highlander by Xanthe Wyse

Copyright

The first issue that needs to be addressed is copyright. In copyright laws internationally, generally, photos and artworks (paintings, writing etc) are copyright to the person who created them. The person who holds the copyright may license the image for others to use, or may even sell a piece. They will still usually retain copyright (which means someone cannot legally reproduce the artwork without permission).

What's the easiest way to get around this and create your own original work?

1. Take your own reference pics wherever possible. I use my own reference pics for nearly all my own art and do not try to copy exactly someone else's art/photography. I might look at other pics for more colour or anatomy information (but not try to copy it).
2. Don't try to copy a photo or an artwork by someone else exactly. I saw an amateurish painted copy of a very distinctive artwork. I recognised it as my family purchased the artwork on tiles (from a painting of traditionally carving Dutch clogs) back in 1984. Some people like to rave when they see drawings or paintings copying photos or other paintings. DON'T DO THIS! It's illegal, dishonest and unethical. It hurts artists, especially when people rip off other people's efforts and pass them off as their own.
3. If it's not possible to have one's own reference pics (say if wanting to paint an exotic animal), or to obtain permission, then an option is to look at several reference pics, then do some rough sketches, then paint from the sketches. Change it so significantly, that it has no resemblance to any of the reference pics at all.
4. Some people do tutorials online using reference pics they obtained presumably with a license. I am not sure if that extends to their followers (I doubt it). Bear in mind that if you do a tutorial or similar copying someone else's art, you may still have copyright issues (for example displaying the work or trying to sell it). Plus it's not actually developing your own style.
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Main reference pic (taken with an inexpensive smartphone)

Limitations of reference pics

There is a genre of art called 'hyperrealism.' It tends to get lots of admiration but it relies on highly detailed photos. Unfortunately, many of these artists don't consider copyright issues as stated above. 

Many of these artists will use tracing, projection or gridding to try keep the proportions accurate to the photo. Now, there's nothing wrong with using these tools if that's what you want, especially if significantly enlarging a piece.

One thing to bear in mind though, is that camera lenses can distort. There can also be camera specific effects, such as bokeh (blurry, out of focus circles in the background). Some people paint the bokeh but they are actually a camera feature.

The camera has many limitations with lighting and will detect differently to what we see. Also, the camera is reliant on what settings, which lens, etc are used. For example, if the white balance is 'off' the photo may appear much bluer or yellower than we 'saw'. Also, a camera with certain lenses can zoom in (which is a great feature for seeing birds in more detail).

The camera doesn't actually see what we see. Camera tricks such as long exposure can give us interesting results in low light. Small sensors such as in bridge cameras don't usually do well in dim light. Overexposed or underexposed photos can be useless to work from (too bright, too dark).

A photo is still flat and two-dimensional and loses a lot of information with colours, lighting etc. Many portrait artists still prefer to paint with actual models (rather than photos). Some landscape artists prefer to paint "en plein air" (in the plain air), outdoors, in natural light. 

Many artists get caught up in trying to copy a photo (or a painting from a tutorial) exactly. So they don't actually get to explore their own style(s) of painting. Their own perspective, feelings and mood. 

Often what makes a 'good' flattering photo for say portraits, is too 'flat' for painting (ie not enough contrast with lights, midtone and shadows). When I used to do digital pet portraits, I had some terrible quality reference pics supplied from deceased pets. It's kind of like asking for miracles when can't actually see the distinctive features of the pet (or human) with a distant, blurry photo or terrible lighting.

Doing commissions could also have copyright issues if using other people's pics (especially if professional photos).

Artists can use creative licence. We can move mountains, trees, petals, clouds etc. Our own composition. Part of the challenge of painting (and drawing) is to try create a 3D illusion from a (usually) flat surface. To do this will require shaping with shadows and highlights. Sometimes the shadows in a reference pic are too dark or harsh. Or the colours aren't really what we recall seeing.

I am not a printing machine, so I don't want to try copy a photo exactly anyway. I paint as processing, expression and storytelling; not a documentary.

Testing out approximate sheep placement (also tried out more than one sheep)

Advantages of using reference pics

Reference pics don't need to be copied exactly. I don't actually try to. I use them as a memory trigger for something I am interested in painting. Also for details, for example general anatomy, proportions, colours etc, for example on a bird.

Reference pics are just a handy tool. The traditional alternative before better quality cameras and smartphones became widespread, was to sketch. Sketching and drawing are useful disciplines but I don't actually do much drawing these days. Perhaps a loose sketch.

I am a visual thinker and I have snippets of memories since the early childhood. My visual memory can be a bit like a video player, although I wouldn't profess to have a 'photographic memory'. Photo references can be helpful when painting more recognisable subjects. Sure I know what  sheep looks like but when I painted a sheep recently, it was handy to have some reference pics (that I took with my phone) to help with some details.

Reference pics can give some helpful information about lighting, relative proportions and direction of shadows, even though photos often also lose this information (may lose details in the shadows or highlights for example).

Reference pics don't actually need to be on a high-spec camera. Pics on a smartphone for example, are more than sufficient for most purposes (unless one is doing hyperrealism or needing more detail for a larger work, for example  a small bird as a larger subject).

I have tried plein air painting over 30 years ago (at an art camp with traditional oil painting & watercolour techniques). There was an advantage of being more immersed into the environment. Disadvantages were carting around a painting kit and wet paintings (the nature of oils). Plein air painters are needing to deal with constantly changing light.

A photo can be convenient to record some information to finish off a painting. (I didn't even own a camera and smartphones weren't even invented when I went to the art camp!)

Artificial lighting, which I paint in, isn't ideal but it means I can paint at night, rather than in the recommended 'golden hours' (when the sun is low in the sky, casting more golden light and more interesting shadows, for photography and painting).

I also used this sheep reference (photo taken same day, warmer colours)

Tips for using reference pics

It's useful to learn some photography skills; or to at least become aware of some of the features and limitations of photography. I enjoy photography almost as much as painting. If wanting to paint birds (with the bird being the main subject), a smartphone isn't going to cut it to be able to zoom in on the bird, whilst also maintaining distance. A smartphone is fine for landscapes as reference pics.

Take plenty of photos of anything you are interested in. I back up my best or most useful photos into folders such as 'birds', 'flowers', 'urban' etc. Sometimes 'useful' photos aren't very 'good' technically from a photography perspective.

Cameras by default average tones to a mid-grey. This means a photo with mostly white or mostly black will look grey, unless settings are adjusted. Unless one has good luck or skill, the colours can be very different to what observed.

When I decide to do a painting, I pull out any reference pics for inspiration and choose a few (perhaps two to six) and put them into a folder for easy reference.

I might do some thumbnail sketches of my composition or I might 'stitch' together some photos roughly using software (Photoshop Elements).  Bear in mind that if the photos were taken in different lighting, different light source direction etc, then this will need to be altered in the painting.

If the placement matters, I might try out the compostion with the same proportions of canvas sizes. This will become my main reference pic. With some other supporting reference pics for more information.

I used to print out my photos but there's the extra printing costs, storage space and loss of colour details with printing. I invested in an inexpensive tablet and use that to view my reference pics.

For my latest two paintings 'High Hopes' (kereru above a mountain) and 'Highlander' (sheep on mountain), I painted most of the background first. I knew I wanted one kereru but I wasn't sure if I wanted it larger than in my reference pic (to represent how it was much larger when I actually saw it).

So, to test it out, I 'cut out' digitally the bird from my reference pic and tried it on a pic of my painting. I altered the lighting a bit, in the actual painting.

I did the same with the sheep after I painted the background (similar but not copying exactly my reference). I imagined one sheep would work well and wasn't sure about other sheep like seen in the flock. So, I tested out one sheep versus more than one. I used another photo in different lighting for some more and detail colour information. Photos taken the same day but one had warmer colour information with the creams than the other.

I usually do away with any references when finalising a painting and paint what feels and looks pleasing to me. Another artist picked up on that I'd used the same colours in the sheep were reflected in the clouds (I touched up the clouds with some of the sheep colours I mixed up).

Alternative ways to 'try out' before painting is to do some sketches on paper and cut the shapes out and move them around. I just find it quicker and easier to do it digitally.

It can be a bit daunting to paint a smaller subject after working on a background, so one can sketch in if wanted. I have some water colour chalk pastels which will blend into paint if I ever want to sketch. I have also in some cases used a black or a white fine tip paint pen (which gets painted over). Using graphite pencil is not recommended (can show through plus muddy with the paint).

A tip when choosing a main reference pic is to convert it to greyscale (can be done easily with the edit setting on a phone or tablet and desaturate the image completely). See if the pic still looks interesting without colour. This can also be useful to check if I have enough tonal variation in my painting (take a photo of the painting in progress and convert to greyscale).

Another tip, which I do at times, to get looking at the image, without sketching out on paper, is to simply trace over some of the main lines digitally and see if the composition still looks interesting. Again, can use creative license and change the shapes.

If I am having trouble with colours that I want to try get close to, it can be helpful to use software to swatch colours. I just use Photoshop Elements but there apps. I use the eyedropper tool to select an area of the image and then brush stroke it onto a grey background. It can be interesting to see that colours aren't as vibrant in the photo as I like to paint. Bear in mind, this has limitations, as with multiple layers, like I paint, I am building the effect of an optical illusion, rather than just pixels or print.

Original paintings

My paintings are originals as I use my own references. 

Original paintings are for sale (within New Zealand only).

I also have fine art reproductions at a lower price than the originals. A4 size and smaller may be shipped internationally.

'High Hopes' Kereru Fine Art Print

NZ$35.00

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'Refreshing' Lake fine art print

NZ$35.00

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'Autumn Glow' Fine Art Print

NZ$35.00

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