Do you often use other people's photographs as references to create artwork? Have you ever tried using a specific photograph to create a drawing or painting just to find out that it's actually working against you throughout the process? I usually like having reference photos or real life objects in front of me to get inspired by when creating an artwork. Even though I am not particularly interested in taking the hyperrealist route, I use photographs because they remind me of details that I may or may not choose to include in my painting (or drawing), and might otherwise forget. I have found that, at times, it is these little details in photographs that my painting was lacking in order to become great. Many artists recommend printing out the picture before starting a painting and working from it in order to ensure colors, values and proportions are true to the image. If you are going for something very realistic or simply believe it will be more comfortable for you, go ahead and print the image. I personally don’t because my style doesn't involve recreating images 100%. I personally don't believe in tracing because I don't feel that this practice helps exercise observational and drawing skills as much. I really recommend not doing it after you have surpassed that initial level of drawing, no matter how hard it may be at first. I view imperfections and deliberate modifications by the artist as good things. Getting back to photography, making time to take photos of the subjects you are most drawn to is incredibly important for an artist. In a previous post I talked about how sometimes it’s difficult to make time for this. I've shared links to sites that offer free quality photos that you can use to create artwork from and even sell. Read this post here: My Favorite Free Image Sites & Two Examples of References with Finished Illustrations These sites are lifesavers for us who are extremely busy and don't always have the time necessary to do an actual photo session. I don't think there is anything wrong in using photos that aren't ours in these cases, as long as we have permission to do so. I believe that using them to get daily practice in is SO much better than doing nothing at all. In my blog post When and How to Use Other People's Photos to Create Art I explain how to go about doing this safely and in a way that ensures you'll still be making as much artistic progress as possible. However, there is nothing as rewarding as creating an artwork completely from scratch. Going though the process of brainstorming and visualization, finding the actual object(s) you want to shoot, sketching out composition ideas and arriving at the photo that you will later be using to create your artwork, may be a lot of work, but it is totally worth it at the end. Tips to Produce Great Reference Photos It is important to know that simply taking a photo doesn't ensure that it will be able to be used for a drawing or painting. Things like resolution and lighting can make a photo extremely difficult to work with and even result in bad art. 1. Sketch ideas and visualize your final composition The more objects you are including in your photo, the more essential this step is. All great photos have a focal point and you must consider what this is going to be in your picture. Essentially, objects have to be placed in such a way that the viewer’s eyes naturally move towards the object of most importance. 2. Have balance and harmony in mind, always Keep in mind that compositions don't have to be symmetrical in order to be balanced. If you are shooting a variety of objects together, I suggest making it interesting and placing them in a way that results visually pleasing instead of in an obvious centered, symmetrical manner. If you lack a trained eye, the ever-so-popular Rule of Thirds is something that you can research. This "rule" states that, to achieve an effective visual composition, a 3x3 grid has to be visualized within it. Imagine there are two horizontal and two vertical lines dividing the picture into 9 equal rectangles (or squares). Whatever we want the focal points to be in our compositions should be placed along the intersections of these lines. The basis for this "rule" is that the human eye will naturally move toward focal areas when images are divided into thirds. Finally, do different visual elements included in your photograph (color, texture, shape, etc.) combine well to create an interesting, visually aesthetic composition? 3. Make sure you are taking high resolution photos It's very difficult to create an amazing piece of art using a blurry and pixelated photo. Though the amount of detail rendered will be entirely up to you and your particular art style, you want to have the option of adding in intricacies as needed and be able to zoom in whenever necessary. 4. Try to always use natural lighting (if you don't have special photography lights set up) Using flash makes people and objects look flat and washed out. Of course, if you have photography equipment like lighting and reflectors and you know what you are doing, go for it! I personally don't, so I try to take my photos in the morning before noon or in the afternoon when sunlight is not at its harshest so that shadows and highlights are soft and not too distracting/dramatic. In my blog post How to Take Your Own Art Reference Photos I talk about why making time to take your own art reference photos is important. I also include a video in which I take you into my studio as I do a still life photo session! 5. Think: What angle will suit this object best? Even if you already have initial ideas sketched out on paper, move around during the shoot and move your different elements around, as well. Take a lot of photos in a variety of angles and play around with perspective. It would be a shame to waste this opportunity! 6. Consider background colors Personally, I create a lot of artwork with white or very simple backgrounds, so I like preparing white backgrounds for my subjects (usually cardboard or fabric) when taking photos. This makes it easier for me to clean up the image in Photoshop so that I can concentrate on the object I am painting. However, if you are setting up an entire composition to work from, I suggest using a neutral color background that will not distract the viewer from the focal point. Or, if you are going for something colorful, think if the background color plays well with/enhances the object(s) placed upon it? Think about color combination and contrast when selecting objects. Perhaps it's time to bring out our Color Wheels? 7. Take a lot of photos and keep them organized Once you start doing your own photo shoots it's in your best interest to keep your reference photo library organized. Even if you don't end up using the photos in the next few months, you could create art or studies with them in the future. I like to name my folders according to the subject type: Portraits, Still Life, Cityscapes, Indoor Scenery, Landscapes, Animals, etc. Naming each folder with the date of the shoot could also be useful. 8. Remember, your photographs are references Don’t be afraid to remove things that you think don't add to the final composition. I have also used two or three different references in the past to create one same artwork by cutting separate elements and combining them into one image using Photoshop. You can also change colors! Play around with your photos in photo editing software and see what happens. Visualizing and modifying references gets easier the more experienced you become. 9. Decide whether you will print your photograph or work from your computer screen Experiment and see what works best for your particular process and artwork style. Neither of these is correct or incorrect. Just make sure you set yourself up for an efficient painting process by placing the photograph or computer screen at a comfortable angle and eye level. 10. You don't necessarily need a fancy camera Most phones have excellent cameras now-a-days. Just make sure you have your brightness and resolution to the max. Also, clean your lens before you start. And, remember, always avoid using flash. Flash is the worst.
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Here are a couple of good pictures I ended up with that I will definitely be using to create some paintings. Try not to get too hungry! Have you started building your own art reference library? How often do you create artwork using your own original reference pictures compared to how ofter you use pictures taken by others? I'd love to know in the comments section below.
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Hey, there! This week I really felt like painting something different and challenging for me. I went for a bear and a dog, because I love animals and hadn't painted one in a long time. As you can see, I am still practicing drawing the female body in different poses. Next week I will be starting my days drawing hands in different positions because it is something I have to improve as well. I also included here an oil painting of pears that I finished this week. Still have a lot of exploration to do with oils, but I am enjoying them very much! Thanks for popping by and hope you enjoy these pieces!
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Do you love buying sketchbooks but find you rarely use them? Do you find a clean, blank page completely intimidating? Are you afraid of ruining your beautiful new sketchbook and stop yourself from using it to experiment and learn as much as you could? Are you confused about what sketchbooks should or shouldn't be used for? I am going to start out this post with a somewhat embarrassing confession. Until about three years ago, I never had a sketchbook. Pretty much all my drawings were created on loose sheets of paper that ended up in folders (if they were lucky) or lost under piles of junk never to be found again. What can I say? I got busy with full-time jobs that, perhaps were “artsy” and creative, but never really left me the time and energy to explore art for myself. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with daily responsibilities and forget about that one activity that we'd really like to spend more time doing. Keeping up with demanding jobs, family responsibilities, social commitments and making time for health on top of everything else, can keep us from pursuing activities which we know would bring us an immense amount of joy and fulfillment, but sometimes (unfortunately) loose their priority. I’m sure many of you can relate. It took me forever to fill up that first little sketchbook I ordered from Amazon all those years ago. I moved out of the house I was living in back then, got married and was extremely busy giving my all at my job, working overtime several days a week and arriving home exhausted. I had started trying out some new art supplies in this sketchbook of mine (mostly watercolor pencils and drawing pens) but wasn’t really serious about it yet. My priorities were still elsewhere. Finally, last year, I became incredibly inspired by artists I was finding online and I made the decision to make time for my own improvement as an artist. I made time to really think about what I wanted in life, re-established priorities and set my goals. If you're at the point I was in back then, feeling stuck, unhappy and not making any progress towards improving in those areas that are important to you, I highly recommend checking out my blog post titled Time Management for Artists: My Secrets for Staying Consistently Productive. In it, I explain everything I did to lay out achievable plans for myself that would allow me to steadily progress towards my goals, as well as helpful tips that will help you stay focused and consistent.
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So little by little I began investing in more art supplies and, this time, I actually used them. I started consciously setting aside time for my own art after work and on weekend mornings and it went on like that for months.
I began getting more and more excited about my personal improvement and finding my voice as an artist. I can honestly say the elation I felt from creating something and sharing it with the world was unlike nothing I had ever felt before. I started to feel like this big part of me that I had been suppressing for so many years was emerging, like I was finally becoming whole. I had never experienced anything as addictive as creating these little artworks that began filling my sketchbook (by this point it was a bigger one). The part of my days which I looked forward to the most were those moments in which I could immerse myself in my art and slowly peel back these layers that would lead me to discover myself as an artist. I haven’t stopped since. Later on, as I found myself filling not only sketchbooks quicker and quicker, but creating painting after painting on proper watercolor paper, I began investing in higher quality supplies. I am still in the process of creating my collection and finding those specific brands of paper and paint that I love most, but my persistence and personal drive to become better have brought me far from where I started. Why Sketchbooks Are So Important in an Artist's Journey1. They are a chronological record of your progress If you ever feel unmotivated or need solid proof of your progress, you can look back to your old sketchbooks and see how far you've come. You can also study them in order to find patterns in your work, as well as your style evolution throughout the years. 2. They protect your work for you If you are generally a disorganized person or simply a busy one, it is very easy to loose those sketches you create. Whether you are a professional artist or a hobbyist that finds joy in art, it is important that this work is protected and not lost. 3. They are portable As artists it is important to have the tools we need handy at all times. Whether it's a camera to take reference photos, a small notebook to jot ideas down in, or an actual sketchbook, we need to be prepared when we are out and about. It's important to keep in mind that drawing and painting from life is extremely important for those of us seeking to do this professionally. 4. They provide us with an informal, no pressure way of exploring I believe that in art, as in most things in life, it's more about the journey than the destination. As artists we have to fall in love with the process of exploration and keeping a sketchbook is a great way to do that. It is through smaller studies that we discover ourselves as artists, the techniques we love most, what we excel at and what we must work on, etc. One could argue that a finished sketchbook is even more important than the finalized pieces we produce, as it displays all the work it took you to get to where you are today. Ignoring practice and going straight to the canvas isn't going to get you anywhere. This is a mistake I made in the beginning. 5. They remind us to keep going When I am sitting in my studio thinking about how I can move my skills forward, I can hear my sketchbooks calling out for me. Maybe I sound like a crazy person, but to me, they seem hungry to be filled up with more work. And more practice equals more results. So it's a win-win.
Tips to Get The Most Out of Your Sketchbook1. Give it a date I like writing the month and year when I started working in each sketchbook somewhere on its cover. By doing this, I can look back to older ones and see how far I've come. It's easy to get frustrated on a day-to-day basis when a drawing or painting isn't going as smoothly as you were expecting, but when you look back and see the progress you have achieved, it can be very motivating to keep going. 2. Carry it with you everywhere I like having sketchbooks in different sizes so that I can take smaller ones with me whenever I'm going somewhere where I'll have a chance to sketch. I also like to have little regular notebooks to jot ideas down for future artworks if anything occurs to me when I am out of my studio. You never know when a great idea is going to pop up. Ideas are so easily forgotten and, even if they aren't used right away, they could come in handy in the future. 3. Make sure you buy one that is appropriate for the supplies you plan to use in it Do you like to do mostly pen and ink sketches? Are you into watercolors, gouache or other media that requires water? Do you like to explore mixed-media? Would you like a sketchbook that can hold layers of paint in it or perhaps even glue and other items you'd like to place in it? Are you planning on using things like gesso in order to use oil paint in it? There is a sketchbook for every need out there. Just make sure you acquire one with appropriate paper for your exploratory needs. 4. Write in it I love to jot down notes about mistakes and what I have to make sure not to do next time I'm attempting to draw/paint that particular subject or use that particular technique. Write down ideas that came up throughout the process of the piece you were working on. Write personal thoughts or feelings about what made you want to explore that particular subject. I believe all these things will contribute to your work immensely because getting to know yourself is a big part of becoming an artist. 5. Never fear the blank page/new sketchbook Remember your sketchbook is a place for you to explore and to learn. You aren't "ruining" anything! This is your personal space and you don't have to share it with anyone if you don't want to. If you always have this fear of perfection looming over your head you are never going to get the amount of work done that it takes to become better. Relax and enjoy the process! What methods/activities have you found useful to make sure you keep creating art and developing your skills through time? Have you ever gotten to a point at which you feel like you've plateaued? Leave a comment below and and let's help each other out. Hey, there! This little collection includes pencil sketches as well as oil and watercolor paintings. I am pushing myself to continue with drawing one female pose per day. I share these on Instagram and Twitter every morning (Monday through Friday), so if you follow me on there you've probably seen a few of these before. If you aren't following me by now, please do! I'd love to connect!
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How are watercolor and gouache different? How are they similar? What's the best way to test out two different painting mediums in order to arrive at solid conclusions about them? One of my objectives during this phase of my art journey is to experiment with as many kinds of paint and supplies I can get my hands on. I think this is an essential part of discovering one's personal preferences and style. It is only through firsthand experimentation that an artist can discover which types of media are most enjoyable for him/her and, most importantly, which complement personal style most. If you've followed my work you probably already know that I have mostly been focusing on watercolor and mixed-media. I have recently started painting in oils and am enjoying working with them very much. I have experience with acrylics and know that I'm not particularly fond of them. After viewing a few very talented artists on YouTube (the great James Gurney being one of them), I became curious about gouache, especially because I heard it being compared to watercolor so much. So I bought myself a set and was very excited to try it out. A Useful Way to Compare Two Different Painting MediumsWhat I did for this experiment was to first find a reference image that I could use to paint two separate studies, one with watercolor and another with gouache. I went for an image that wasn't too complex, so that I could allow myself to focus more on getting to know the paint than on creating a masterpiece. I chose this pear image from www.unsplash.com and created the two paintings below. You will see that the styles are very different.
After completing my separate studies, I take time to analyze them side-by-side and take notes. I think about differences and similarities I noticed throughout the painting process, as well as how the end products look. Because I am a visual person, I sometimes like creating Venn Diagrams to organize my thoughts. :) Final Conclusions About Watercolor and GouacheArtwork outcomes will greatly vary depending not only on the type of paint used, but on how it is used. Results with either watercolor or gouache can vary greatly even amongst their own kind depending on how ¨loose¨ or ¨tight¨ an artist's personal style is. The quality of paints, paintbrushes and paper/substrate really can affect a piece as well. I would say that gouache has a greater versatility than watercolor in the sense that it can be used within the same painting to create a mix of transparent, blurred effects and thicker, bolder blocks of color. It's also very useful that one can easily fix mistakes and add lighter values at the end instead of having to worry about protecting the lightest parts of the piece from the beginning. This said, I personally find fast drying paint annoying at times and the fact that gouache reactivates so easily when layering kind of irritated me in the beginning. Also, with watercolor, a large variety of values can be created by simply adding more or less water to a color. With gouache, if one intends to create a more realistic piece, a good amount of time has to be spent preparing colors and values on the palette before starting to paint. Especially because the paint dries so fast. It is important to know that realism can be achieved with both types of paint, provided the artist has enough practice and patience. With gouache, I definitely need it! To finish up, gouache is an excellent option for those looking to create very stylized, graphic artworks. It can also work great for lettering, visual journaling, and quick sketches. Artists who like bold color, outlines and expressive styles should definitely give this medium a try! Have you given both of these types of paint a try? Which type do you think enhances your artistic taste and style most? |
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