Copying Is For Machines

7 Tips For Using Photo Reference in the Studio

Painting from life, whether outdoors or in, is the single most important practice for an artist. Only by direct observation can we truly learn to see depth, perspective, and atmosphere. However, it is not always possible to get outdoors or even set up a still life. Also, sometimes a certain subject matter dictates painting from photo reference. I faced this fact early on when I was primarily painting restaurant interiors. I was interested in capturing the waiters’ movement, but setting up an easel in a frenetic, noisy place is less than ideal, for the artist as well as the staff and patrons. This is where I channeled my years of painting the figure from life. 

It is my belief that if you make painting from life a consistent practice, you will have more experience translating photos into vibrant, atmospheric paintings in the studio. Having said that, there are many other ways around the pitfalls of painting from photo reference that can help. Here are some methods I employ to give life-like energy to studio paintings:

1. Set a 30 minute timer. This will keep you in the moment to make quick decisions, which will also pull you away from stringently copying the photo. After each 30 minutes, take a break, step back and check your values and color.

2. Don’t be a slave to the photo. Use small plein air studies to inform your studio paintings. I prop up a plein air study on my easel next to my canvas and try to work from that in the beginning. I then set up my iPad with the photo reference and set the display to fade out in 15 minutes, still only glancing at the photo reference. You can also forego the iPad and solely use the plein air piece as reference, using your imagination and sense memory to paint a larger painting.

3. Consider painting small preliminary studies even if you are solely working from a photograph and edit, edit, edit. I like to play with gouache or acrylic to explore color notes, then use that study to inform the direction of the larger painting. The Gouache or Acrylic mediums are helpful for quick studies because they dry fast and you can continually edit on the spot. I also find myself personalizing the colors in this smaller format, rather than copying what I see in the photo (which is a big ‘ole lie anyway). 

4. Speaking of big ‘ole lies, in photographic reference, shadows appear too dark and lights look blown out or too white. In my experience, it is all too easy to get seduced into copying those distorted values, getting harsh black shadows and chalky lights. I suggest painting a small black & white study, referring to a 9 value scale to control the values. Look at the scale and scootch down on the dark end and choose a dark grey for the darkest dark instead of black. Then hippety-hop down the scale further to key the mid-tones and lights. Regarding the too-white-lights, do the reverse. So basically you are working within the 7 middle values. Then you can use this black & white study to inform your color mixing.

5. I often employ the aforementioned pick-your-key-on-the-value-scale approach by drawing preliminary greyscale marker sketches. If you feel the darks in your photo are distorted, pick a dark-ish grey marker instead of black and then key the rest of the values as mentioned in tip #4. If the light looks too white, peek at the slightly darker value to the left of white (or further up the scale) and see if that would be better. I suggest four markers. Limited choices streamline the value decisions. 

6. Draw preliminary Notan sketches. Here is where stark black & white is our friend. Notan is a Japanese term which literally means "light dark harmony”. If you see in only two values first, it’s easier to see the underlying abstract design of a scene. This will help you simplify your scene right out of the gate and pull you away from rendering or copying all the “stuff”.

7. Turn your canvas upside down. Yep, you read that right. This will help you identify shapes in the photo and not copy “stuff”. My method for this practice is to wash in a monochromatic underpainting right side up (creating a design/road map), then flip the canvas and paint 70/30, that is 70% of the painting time is with upside down canvas, 30% turned right side up. I recommend the aforementioned preliminary Greyscale Marker sketches to help identify the value structure, and set that timer! :-)

In the image gallery below, you will see from top left to right:

1. Plein Air study, green house

2. Larger studio painting from green house study

3. Gouache study, beach path

4. Larger painting using Gouache study as reference

5. Greyscale marker sketch with dark grey as darkest dark

6. Greyscale marker pict

7. Pitcher & Fruit value sketch and Notan sketch

8. Photo reference for both the beach path paintings and the interior greyscale sketches

9. Larger umbrella painting using the study at the top of this page as reference.

10. 9-Value Scale

11. Photo reference for umbrella study and larger painting

SECOND HARVEST HOLIDAY PAINTING COLLECTION

Give the gift of art and help someone in need.

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As the pandemic continues to cause job loss and evictions, more fellow Americans than ever are standing in line for food. Those more fortunate are looking for opportunities to help.

I am partnering with Leiper’s Creek Gallery to offer small paintings for sale with 40% of the proceeds going to Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. I have also set several of the paintings for 100% donation. During SHFB’s limited-time holiday match, every $1 given helps provide 8 meals to families in need through Second Harvest. Imagine how much your purchase will help!

The majority of the paintings for sale were created on location in the beautiful Tennessee countryside near Nashville, TN.

SHOP THE COLLECTION

If you would like to donate directly, go to Second Harvest.

Mileage

Often when giving painting demonstrations, I hear, “You make it look so easy!”

Well I’m here to tell ya, PAINTING IS NOT EASY. 

Not in a box.

Not with a fox.

Not in a house.

Not with a mouse.

In my opinion, one of the keys to moving toward a more intuitive painting practice is consistency, or mileage. Some think that means 10,000 hours of creating perfect paintings. I beg to differ. I believe the quick studies, experiments, and yes the duds, too, are the teachers. We want so much so fast, we forget to enjoy the process and look too much toward the product. 

This is why in my workshops, whether in-person or online mentoring, I give my students assignments and exercises that allow them to actually feel what it is like to paint expressively. It is not always easy or comfortable at first. In some cases, the first try it is kind of like when you were in kindergarten and you practiced writing the alphabet…sloooowly and with great mental energy. But, as you are probably aware, it got easier with time! Whether your penmanship is perfect or not now, I bet you could write pretty darn fast and without even thinking about each letter by early middle school. 

That is what happens with painting if you have consistent practice and mileage. With time, you become “unconsciously competent” which means, according to Wikipedia, “The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it has become "second nature" and can be performed easily. As a result, the skill can be performed while executing another task. The individual may be able to teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned”. 

(To learn about the four stages of competence, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_stages_of_competence).

Charles Hawthorne said, “Do not let it look as if you reasoned too much. Painting must be impulsive to be worth while.”

But he also said, “If you look into the past of the successful painter you will find square miles of canvas behind him.”

I invite you to enjoy the process of learning, growing, and traversing the stages of competence as much as you enjoy painting “a winner”. The joy will show in your work, however it turns out. 

Below are some “imperfect” plein air studies that have or will become larger paintings. Mileage!

Making Your Mark

I am passionate about teaching. Seeing my students grow confident on their painting journeys is my main motivation. 

I don’t teach in a “how to paint a chair / figure / tree” style. I would rather empower folks to see painting in a “big picture” sense so that they can develop their own voice and therefore convey their perception of a chair, a figure, or a tree.

I can attest to the fact that once your painting process becomes intuitive, there is more joy in your artistic endeavors. Isn’t it really about joy, anyway? So even if your drawing skills are not where you want them or your color sense is not yet honed, I believe it is still 100% possible to make beautiful art. You may hear to the contrary, but to that I say phooey. 

So how can your painting become more joyful and intuitive, even if you lack academic mileage? I suggest shifting focus from what you are painting to why you are painting. 

Sure, I build my paintings on tried and true foundational elements. I give a lot of preliminary thought to the academic necessities through sketching and planning. But, after I give my left brain that nice hearty meal, I send it to bed. Then, when the paint really starts flinging, it’s time to get down to the “why” I paint. 

I want to share my feeling of a scene, not feverishly try to render it perfectly (see March 19, 2020 blog, “It Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect”). Perhaps through my painting I can send you to a relaxing porch or a comfy sofa in dappled sunlight, creating a peaceful sense of place for you. Maybe through my brushwork I can leave a little mystery in the painting, inviting you to linger and paint the rest of the painting in your own head. Or, perhaps my color choices give you that happy-flippy feeling in your tummy. For me, it is all about connection.

So, why do YOU paint? If the answer to that question is to render objects, then take drawing classes and practice, practice, practice. Nothing wrong with that. But if you want to make your mark (pun intended) and connect with your art and your audience on a deeper level, then let your vision and passion be the real subject of your art. The rest will fall into place. 

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.”~Henry Ward Beecher

“Back Home” 16x16 oil on linen

“Back Home” 16x16 oil on linen



Bluebirds & Buttercups

I’ve been staying at our Bluebird Hill farmhouse in Santa Fe, TN for over a month now. A massive power outage in Nashville, my full-time home, sent us hightailing out here. It’s the first time I’ve been able to enjoy the place as a home due to a long renovation and cold weather. The house was built in 1880, and the property sits on a quiet, rural road, seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

 The weather has been delightful, and I am taking full advantage of it by painting outside every day, a favorite endeavor that had become elusive for me in the last couple of years.

 To live right in the middle of such natural beauty is soul-cleansing. I love Nashville, but being out here...this is who I am. The colors, textures, and atmosphere are off the charts gorgeous. In terms of connection, it is not enough to come out here for a day of painting. Living at the farmhouse, totally immersed in the country, I am able to paint places I never would have found before, observe things I never would have seen. I am seeing the outside in a whole new way, and it’s making me a whole new person on the inside. I feel a growth shift happening, spiritually and artistically. 

 It occurs to me that I am here at this beautiful place going through this growth period due to a global pandemic AND an unprecedented power outage. Our power actually came back on within 24 hours of our leaving, but we stayed because it is the best place to shelter for now, and…Buttercups were covering every field and hill and it was spectacular! But, I digress. 

 I recently saw a church sign that read, “Crisis is a cause for change”. Yes indeed-y, it is. Lots of changes have come about, some intentional and some thrust upon me. I bet you are in the same boat. I guess we have 2 choices though: fight it, or embrace it. Since I do not like conflict, I think I’ll embrace it. 

 The images here are of some of the plein air studies I’ve done in the last several weeks. I have rarely been able to paint outside this consistently, and I think I am starting to understand light and atmosphere better. Having these studies helps assuage my lament that I will have to return to Nashville sometime soon. I will use them as inspiration for studio paintings, and I’m very excited about that. Thanks, Universe, for the kick in the pants to get back to plein air painting!

Two-Person Show Featuring Anne Blair Brown & Tim Horn

Photo Finish

Painting from direct observation is a crucial skill for any artist, but I learned early on that painting from photo reference can be quite useful. While I prefer to have a plein air or life sketch to work from in the studio, that is not always possible. 

As a budding artist, the first series of paintings I created was of waiters and restaurant interiors. You can imagine the look on the waiters’ faces when I asked them to stand still for an hour! Ha! Joking aside, we have been given the gift of modern technology which enables us to explore any subject we desire. This is especially helpful when the subject is in constant motion or we just can’t set up a whole painting rig and stand in the middle of the action for 2 hours, wherever that may be.

In reality, a photo is basically a lie. The camera lens is one eye, we have two. 

So how do you traverse the challenges of painting from reference photos? In my workshops I have categorized a list of photo reference pitfalls along with methods and suggestions on how to infuse these studio paintings with luminous color, dynamic energy, and a painted-from-life quality. Keeping in mind that photos are often too dark, too light, color washed out, etc., here are some method highlights:

  • employing the sense memory with “connection sketches”

  • composition/detail adjustment- don’t be a slave to the photo

  • playing with the color wheel

  • let brushwork tell the story

With practice and some life painting mileage under your belt, you will find that the use of reference photos for your art can be just as rewarding as painting a still life or en plein air. It’s all about the statement you want to make and the energy you put into it. See examples below.

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.”~Henry Ward Beecher

“Cottage Kitchen”

“Cottage Kitchen”

“Cottage Kitchen” Reference Photo

“Cottage Kitchen” Reference Photo

“Cat Nap”

“Cat Nap”

“Cat Nap” Reference Photo

“Cat Nap” Reference Photo

“Farmhouse Shadows”

“Farmhouse Shadows”

“Farmhouse Shadows” Reference Photo

“Farmhouse Shadows” Reference Photo

Plein Air painters of the Southeast Paint Out & Sale!

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What could be more exciting than 36 highly acclaimed artists painting on the streets and pastures of Leiper’s Fork?

We are so pleased to be returning to Leiper’s Creek Gallery for our Paint Out and famous ‘On the Porch’ Sale!


On Friday and Saturday, come and experience PAPSE, Plein Air Painters of the SouthEast, creating paintings en' plein air (in open air). You can wander from easel to easel as we paint on locations surrounding the gallery and experience the delight watching artists create paintings from direct observation. During this time, from 10am-5pm, our paintings will be for sale on the porch. They will be framed and ready to go but you only have these two days to pick your favorite!


This is a wonderful opportunity to acquire paintings from the most celebrated and distinguished painters of the southeast. Please make plans to join us on October 18th & 19th!