Is It admittedly Okay For Artists To Use Reference Photos?

Reference photos are simply a variety of images used by artists for inspiration and as raw material to create their compositions from. They are handy tools and a great resource for artists to work from. When used as resource material, reference images can be of any living or inanimate object, place, animal, plant, or person. Many artists prefer to look at the element or field matter they wish to draw or paint, however, sometimes it just isn't feasible for them to do so. This is when a reference photo comes in handy.

Is It admittedly Okay For Artists To Use Reference Photos?

There are some reasons why an artist would want to use such images. For one, a good reference photograph can take an artist to any location in the world without having to leave home. Some artists simply do not have the means to travel to faraway or exotic places when they want to paint a singular place or location. And for many other artists, it simply isn't inherent to go out on location day after day with a canvas, easel, and paint box in tow. Photographs make it easy for the painter to go anywhere and are a much more suitable way for them to paint or draw out on location without having to travel there and also brave the elements.

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Is It admittedly Okay For Artists To Use Reference Photos?

Resource images also allow the artist to capture and maintain the moment. I know of an artist who was commissioned by an upscale seafood cafeteria to do a painting for their main entrance. He set up a still life using real fish and other sea food in the setting. He then took a photograph of his aggregate to paint from. I can only dream what that fish would have smelled like after a few days of painting! The resource photo allowed him to work on his painting without having to worry about his props smelling fishy. Other artist I know loves painting flowers, however, fresh flowers will start to fade after a few days. She will take a photograph of them that she can refer to while painting her flowers. This image makes it inherent for her to discontinue the painting with involving fresh looking flowers instead flowers that had faded and wilted.

Is It admittedly Okay For Artists To Use Reference Photos?

Is It admittedly Okay For Artists To Use Reference Photos?

In addition, reference pictures come in handy for the sheer convenience of them. If an artist is painting from a live model, taking a photo of the pose will mean he or she can paint while the times when it is inconvenient for the model to be in the studio. Many portrait artists often work this way.

As you can clearly see resource images are great tools for busy artists. Although, there are some who scoff at the notion that an artist would ever use reference photographs to build from. They believe the proper way to do it is to make on-the-spot sketches when they go out on location. While this may be the ideal way of working, the reality is many artists don't all the time have the time to make the important detailed drawings that would be required for studio work. Ever since the camera was first invented, many illustrious painters whom you will recognize, have used photographs to paint from. Such renown artists consist of Edgar Degas, Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, Toulouse Lautrec, and Vincent Van Gogh, to name but a handful. This puts you in very good firm if you want to use reference photos too.

There are a whole of places where you can find resource pictures to refer to while painting. The most obvious (and most preferred) place is by taking these photographs yourself. When you are the photographer you will never have to worry about copyright infringement. Other source is old family photo albums. Pictures of family vacations can be a great source for painting landscapes of places visited and also bring back many fond memories.

Another way to find reference pictures of what you want to paint or draw is to look for them on the internet, however, you must first get the photographer's permission to use them. If you Google the term "reference photos for artists", you will find quite a few websites that have photos you can use for reference material. In these sites, the photographer has granted permission to use their images.

Photo reference books for artists are also ready for purchase at your local art store, bookstore or even online. These images are copyright free as long as you use them according to the terms specified.

What about copyright? Any photo or illustration you find in books, magazines, newspapers and even on the internet is protected by copyright law. If you use one of those images as resource material for a painting by copying it exactly and you do this without the permission of the copyright owner, then it is determined copyright infringement and that is illegal. If you want use reference images in your works of art, you will need to: (1) fetch permission from the owner of the copyright. (2) Use images that have come to be social domain. An image becomes social domain when the copyright has run out. This happens when the traditional creator has been dead for more than seventy years. (3) Make important changes to the reference image in order to create an traditional work of art.

The best way to use to reference photos is to have multiple images to work from. For the best results you might prefer to use assorted elements from some distinct reference photos and couple them to create a new and involving composition. Feel free to take artistic license by repositioning the components in the distinct images to accomplish this. When combining photographs be right that the assorted elements in your painting are unified by development sure your light source, color temperature, value relationships and relative scale are consistent with each other.

Is It admittedly Okay For Artists To Use Reference Photos?

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contemporary Figurative Artists - Todd White, Darren Baker & Jack Vettriano

contemporary Figurative Artists - Todd White, Darren Baker & Jack Vettriano

Artists have always been intrigued by the human form and produced figurative based artwork. The natural curves and features of the human body are a constant source of inspiration for many artists from Beryl Cook to Banksy. This is something that has spread from the art world to every magazine cover in the country so there must be a natural intrigue for humans to observe our own and other people's bodies. Three of the top artists in this genre are Texan artist Todd White and British artists Darren Baker and Jack Vettriano although there are major differences in the middle of their painting styles. One thing that is the same is their love for painting the human figure.

contemporary Figurative Artists - Todd White, Darren Baker & Jack Vettriano

Artist Todd White comes from Texas and has had an inviting vocation path. He started life working in Hollywood for Warner Brothers and was part of the artistic creative team behind sponge Bob square Pants. This could account for the cartoon looks of the habitancy he paints in his modern designs. Todd White's artwork often shows habitancy in black clothing socialising and drinking wine and this could be down to where he is based. It would seem that Todd White is surrounded by Hollywood schmoozers and communal climbers and from his artwork I'd say he is not a fan.

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contemporary Figurative Artists - Todd White, Darren Baker & Jack Vettriano

Darren Baker is a young and very promising British artist who has already commanded a great deal of respect from his peers. Darren Baker has received numerous awards from the art world and has incommunicable and communal collections in the House of Lords and Downing Street. He has also been approached by many sports personalities to paint portraits, this is probably because he was appointed legal artist of The expert Footballer's relationship when he was 23 years old. Darren has a modern style that combines realism and classics and is fond of painting figures. Darren Baker often paints female figures often in relaxed, seductive positions and he often uses a mix of reds and blacks.

contemporary Figurative Artists - Todd White, Darren Baker & Jack Vettriano

contemporary Figurative Artists - Todd White, Darren Baker & Jack Vettriano

Jack Vettriano comes from Fife in Scotland and has won countless awards for his figurative and nude pieces. Jack Vettriano pieces have a film noir feel to them painting many of his subjects in a 50's style. He often features women in his paintings often in relaxed poses or in the middle of doing something like leaving a room straight through a door. Jack Vettriano often paints characters that appear distracted, many of his pieces feature habitancy staring off into the distance or focused on something else.

contemporary Figurative Artists - Todd White, Darren Baker & Jack Vettriano

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