HOW TO… Paint FROM PHOTOS

If lockdown has limited your options for working from life, you can still produce impressive paintings from your old photographs, as LIZET DINGEMANS explains

- LIZET DINGEMANS

Painting from life has always been the classic and most beneficial way to learn how to paint. But not all of us will have the luxury of access to a life model or local drawing class, particularly during the lockdown. A great alternative for honing your skills is, of course, painting from photographs.

If done right, working from photographs can be a really good way to practice your drawing and painting skills. In this article, I will talk you through a more advanced way of painting a picture from a photograph. This will involve explaining what to look for when choosing a reference photo, how to go about painting it, and how to make adjustments.

When choosing your photograph, it’s important to choose one that has three main qualities. Firstly, it should have clear shadows. Secondly, it should be sharp. Thirdly, it shouldn’t be either under- or overexposed.

If you compare an overexposed photo with a more accurately taken portrait, you can see the differences. Overexposed images barely register the colour of a person’s skin as it is almost completely white. A better reference photo should display a clear shadow area, any details will be clearly visible and the colour of the skin will be more true to life.

When you have chosen your photograph, you can print it out or have it open on your laptop. Ideally, the photo should be as near to the actual size of your painting as possible. Sabina is one of the models featured on the Raw Umber Studios’ YouTube channel, where I am hosting a weekly session on painting and drawing from photographs.

1 DRAWING