The beauty of working from a photo is that it serves as a convenient starting point. Always remember that you, as the artist, have the creative freedom to paint your interpretation of a photo, or an amalgamation of photos, the way you’d like. The reference photo (above) of my friend, Pam, was the impetus for my painting. As you can see in my painting (right), I took creative liberties with the angle, orientation, depth of field and surroundings. Even so, I was still able to capture the relaxed pose, lighting and mood from the photo.
Carol Marine is an artist, an instructor and the author of several books, including Daily Painting: Paint Small and Often to Become a More Creative, Productive and Successful Artist. She’s known for her daily painting…