Making Your Photos Work for You...
The article below was excerpted with permission from the writer Robert Genn, a very successful painter who runs an art listing site called the Painters Keys…
How to take photographic reference and make it exciting, instead of only reproducing a photo.
A lot of it has to do with the analysis that an artist gives to the reference prior to picking up the brush.
Here are a few ideas you might find useful:
When you’re looking at a photo that you think might be made into a painting, clarify in your mind what was the main area or interest in the photo that attracted you in the first place.
Will this focus area make the transition into paint?
Which areas are worth keeping and which are to be left out?
Will other elements need to be added?
How and where can more “spirit” be added to this reference material?
How can the final work be made to sing?
Now spend some time hunting down and making decisions about the innocent weaknesses in the photo that can lead to “photoism” in paintings..
These may include lineups, convergence, homeomorphism, dead shadows, poor composition, detail overkill, amorphous and formless elements and problem areas in general.
Sort out the elements that don’t look right and that will have to be re-designed. Also, don’t let yourself be distracted by colour.
Local colour is often arbitrary and can be changed. In your mind’s eye, reduce your reference to black and white or some other narrow range.
Now make a decision about an efficient order that you might work your way through.
This requires sitting, looking and thinking.
Focal areas—particularly difficult focal areas—ought frequently to be tackled first in order to give courage to the balance.
On the other hand, an overall monochromatic lay-in goes a long way toward solving future problems. I believe in a holistic approach—here, there, everywhere, like a bee going to flowers.
As well as the above, it’s a fresh and painterly look that shoots down the photo-paralysis, but that’s probably just a personal prejudice.
Photos, when processed through a creative mind, are the finest of servants. When they take control they can become miserable and demanding masters that are capable of ruining an otherwise joyous day.
One way to get beyond the photo is to take a lot of photos of one subject. This helps you to see all the nuances as if you were painting from life." (Theresa Bayer)
Do you use photos or not?
If yes, do you have difficulty transitioning your photos to paintings?…
Comments
I almost exclusively use photos, although they are usually either my own or my husband’s so I am starting with our own perspectives. My goal is to strengthen my drawing skills to the point that I don’t need a photo, I would love to be able to just draw or paint what I “see” in my mind. It’s exhilarating when I can get to a point in a drawing and ditch the photo – doesn’t happen real often yet! That is just me, though, and I don’t think artists should cause division over using photos or not, as long as they are ethical about it.
I’ve had no difficulty turning a photo or photos into a drawing. I’m just now exploring painting and haven’t yet attempted the whole process with paint, I’ve just been making marks & exploring the colors, feel & the use of brushes.
It will be interesting to hear what you all have to say about this. What about you, Janis, do you typically use photos? If so, is it difficult for you?
No I don’t typically use photos as I paint mainly from my imagination, influenced by my surroundings…where I have to use a photo is when I do realistic images of flowers as they fade so quickly..so I use my own photo as a reference…sometimes I have used them when I do a food painting as I can’t keep the food around in my studio more than an hour or two and since I have to be accurate, I use my photo to refer to details after the food is gone…in general my paintings are simply imagined scenes, so photos aren’t necessary…
I follow the old Chinese tradition of painting, where you recollect a place you have been or something you have seen, and paint the emotion you felt at the time..
– © Janis Zroback
Thank you Janis.I found this article really interesting. I don’t always paint from a photo, as sometimes I find a reference can restrict freedom. Because I do not really do photo realism, a reference is often just a starting point, or initial inspiration, and it is often discarded as imagination takes over. This of coarse is always affected by my mood, atmosphere, emotions at the time I am creating and often, adding the element of music can alter everything!
Used a reference material photos are great….anything more and the advice in the article becomes invaluable in explaining how to extract the most important points and create a new composition..in other words to redesign the subject matter completely..glad you enjoyed the article Cathy..
– © Janis Zroback
Fascinating article; this can apply especially well to portraits – for both human and animals – where there would be more focus on the eyes and less on places like teeth. Meanwhile, the camera isn’t necessarily perfect; it can often make colours and values appear differently from the way we see it depending on lighting conditions – but of course the artist can choose differently colours from reality anyways.
Photos flatten the landscape so it’s always best to use them as references only and not copy, but they are a great tool, especially if you’re a studio painter…if you’re painting garden flowers in winter, a photo is invaluable…
– © Janis Zroback
Good topic. Reference photos don’t play much of a role in my method, either, but I do take a few snapshots of things that I really like, just in case, like light conditions, plants, birds, etc. Also, have participated in a few of the Solo group’s translation projects, and that was challenging because I had to stay on topic and not let it go off too much on its own. Yes, photos can leave out what you need to see, and if you weren’t the one taking the photo, you can’t remember what it didn’t capture.
Well no..if you had photos that you were working from I would be hiding under my bed all the time..the great thing about your work is that it comes from your vivid imagination and that is very soothing to the viewer who knows that when they walk away the creatures stay right where they are… :))
I agree about Solo…it keeps the artist within bounds, but some people prefer this…
– © Janis Zroback
Another “food for thought” post, Janis. In the past, I’ve tried to reproduce photos I’ve taken in a painting – and have been disappointed with the results, as they were not “accurate” enough! Hence, my acrylics and brushes have lain dormant for many years. Time, perhaps, to take a fresh look and take up the brushes again. There are times when I use various programs and effects to try and make some of my pictures look like paintings – but it’s not the same thing if you let someone else’s ideas of what a style of painting should look like do the work for you! Originality and creativity is why I admire your work. Thanks for the nudge! :)george
That is really great George…I am glad the article resonated with you and thrilled that you are going to pick up your brushes again…looking forward to viewing the results..
– © Janis Zroback