How do you work from a photo and make a painterly work of art?

 

Painting from photos can be a challenge for any artist.  There is the obvious temptation to render every minute detail that can be seen in the photo, the result being a painted copy of a photograph, instead of a living work of art.

 

 

What's the story?

Before anything else, I'll look at the photo, and ask myself why I want to paint it.  What's the story here?  What's the image about?  

It could be the lights in the sky, the way the sun outlines the edges of the shapes, the way sun hits the pavement - anything at all.

 

When I am painting from a client's photo, the questions are the same - what is the painting about for my customer?  Is it the place, the moment, the feeling the photo evokes?

 

        

 

 

Photo and the painting it inspired.  What's the story?

 

 

Design

Everything I'm inspired to paint has a strong design.  Working  from a photo is no exception.  The first thing I look for  is that underlying design - strong, beautiful shapes and lines that direct our eye and tell the story.  I see triangles and arcs, bold shapes and repeating lines.  These elements  slice up the scene and support the image like a strong skeleton that underlies  the painting. 

 

So, when working from a photo, I don't see detail, I see design first. 

 

               

 

  

Photo and the painting - nature makes the design,  I reveal it.

 

 

Sketches - from idea to reality

I'll sketch the design right onto a canvas if it's smaller painting. 

 

For large paintings, I'll create sketches on paper before starting the larger canvas.  This helps me figure out if what's in my head - the idea - looks as good as I think it's going to.  The sketch is a tangible expression that helps me decide how I want to approach the idea.  I might make several sketches and color studies for a large painting.  

 

  

Photos, sketches, color studies and paintings.

 

 

Technique

I also think about technique when working from photos - what technique or brushtrokes will tell the story?  Soft, blended brushstrokes for a gentle morning, broken bright flashy marks for a busy street scene?  Something juicy and bold, even abstract, or muted and soothing?  

 

Palette knife is the perfect technique for a frosty, snowy evening on Colorado Avenue.

 

 

And now to paint

All of this preparation may sound daunting and time consuming but it's not - in fact, it's delightful.  This exploration into the subject of a painting is an intuitive process that allows me to invest my art with meaning, heart and soul.

 

The photo is inspiration for a new work of art, and the painting is a tangible, touchable expression of a sublime idea, an expression of our shared experience of our world.

 

And now I get to paint!