Landscape photo reference for artists9/12/2023 Sometimes I will take the time to take both photos into Photoshop and splice them together, but today I’m ready to paint and don’t want to take the time.Now, I have eliminated one of the lead-ins and feelin control of the design. I decide to place this at the bottom right of the canvas.I want to control how the viewer enters my painting and how they travel through it, so I need to replace the right side lead-in with something else. Searching my Canyon De Chelly folder I find the reference below. Without the outdoor studies, or plein air pieces I did on the trip, I would have no idea how the reflected lights look, what colors and values are in the shadow side of the cliff or how to portray the true character of the cliff.This is why painting from life is so important.Next the cliff on the right is so dark on my monitor I cannot make out any details so I will rely on one of my sketches from the trip.One of them will have to be eliminated so I can control how the viewer enters the painting.First there are two lead-ins into the painting indicated by the red arrows in the photo below.Here are the problems with painting from this photograph and why you cannot rely on photographs as reference for my painting. So this is the good part of using photos to paint from.Without photo reference the opportunity to produce this painting would not exist.This shot from Canyon De Chelly is the basis for my painting.Notice the still life setup in the back on adjustable shelves so I can paint at eye level or lower depending on what I’m painting. On the easel is the completed painting.I have Photoshop on the laptop to manipulate photos (more about this later).The monitor is plugged into a laptop where I keep all of my photo reference.From where I stand in front of the easel I can easily view my reference on a 42″ HD monitor. My palette is to the left of the easel.Before I get too verbose, its time to show images so I can better explain myself. Plus, it’s not just the tree that needs defining, but the ground around it and anything in front of or behind it. But, in a larger piece, the problems are compounded because there is so much more to say.Ī single stroke can represent an entire tree in a small painting however, in a larger painting the artist must clearly define that same tree. If this painting been a smaller piece, like a 12″ x 16″, the problems of using photo reference would not have been so significant. Today, I finished a large 24″x36″ oil on linen landscape painting and in the process realized it represented the best and worst of using reference photos for paintings. I am sure you will really enjoy seeing how he combines photos and paints a masterpiece! My Facebook friend and talented landscape painter, Rusty Jones explains how to use and not use a photograph as reference material for a studio landscape painting. This is why most professional artists make outdoor plein air sketches of their landscape subject, along with reference photographs to be used in the studio. I know from experience that those little plein air studies are valuable color and value reference photo material for a studio landscape. This is an important step to the success of your finished painting. Problems can arise when the artist relies too heavily on photographs for their soul inspiration because photos obviously lack the depth, value, color and saturation of reality.įor instance, the beautiful colors and details of a shadow are generally lost within a photograph, as explained below in Rusty’s demonstration. The problem is knowing how to choose and use a good photo. We all know that good photographs are a handy tool which can be used to create a compelling landscape, figurative or even an abstract painting. Nowadays, most artists use reference photos for their studio landscape paintings.
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