Artist reference images | Pictures and people

We’ve been adding a range of new images to our Artist Reference Images site every week, including some beautiful new vignettes and landscapes with barns, cows and sheep. I’ve always collected photos of myself, but it’s been fun to be more intentional with it and collect photos to share on the site. In summary, Artist Reference Photos is a free reference sharing site for artists. All of the photos included were taken by me or donated to the site by our contributors, so you’ll never have to look over your shoulder and wonder if it’s okay to sell a painting made from one of our photos. I hope this library grows from thousands to millions until it becomes a great resource for artists around the world.

There was one category we hadn’t included photos in yet, which was portraits and people. This class gets a little tricky because we need to produce a location photo of the people in the photos. My goal is to eventually have a nice library of modern faces to use for portraiture and then I’ll branch out into figures. I’m hoping I can recruit some friends and family members who are willing to let me photograph them and I plan to eventually hire models.

But the best place to start with personal photos and people is with photos that are no longer protected by copyright. The downside is that these images are sepia, so you don’t have colors to use as a reference. I think that could be a strength, though. You can just focus on drawing and values ​​and create some beautiful pictures using graphite, charcoal or color paints. I often use old photos as references. This is a shot I love of Amma (the baby) and her mother holding her.

I did a gouache study for her in one of my sketchbooks using a limited color palette.

If I wanted to paint a portrait from a sepia or black and white photo, I would use old portraits that I love as a color guide as I did with this photo…

…or I’ll just keep the tone of the painting and focus on the values ​​like I did with this one…

I have a few hundred photos to scan and edit, so more will be added each week.

In addition to using faces as references, some of the clothes and hats are really cool! It would be fun to draw on their own…

Here are some pictures we added…

The quality of this photo was not as good as some of the others, but there is something about the mother’s expression and the tilt of her head that I find captivating. I think it could be a beautiful painting.

We also have some fun photos of weddings and groups…

This is one from the album I dug out of my grandparents’ attic. I don’t know who any of the people are, but hats are on.

As artists’ references, they can be interpreted literally with pencil or paint, but our images can also be used in collages or to inspire sculptures or abstracts. I hope that these references, along with all the others on our site, will be a good starting point for artists working in all media.

If you would like to contribute photos, you can submit them through the website here, or if you have a bunch of photos, you can email me at marian@missmustardseed. You can either email your photos to this address, or if you have hundreds, I can set up a Dropbox or Google Drive so you can upload them quickly and easily. We are looking for all types of landscapes, cityscapes, animals, boats, seascapes, barns, architecture and still life. And…if you’re willing to contribute a photo of your face for art (imagine me saying that in a dramatic, noble, high-brow voice), shoot me an email and I’ll let you do it. You know what we’re looking for. (Think of a relaxed expression that you can maintain during a four-hour modeling session.)

I have asked many strangers if I can take pictures of their dogs at the beach or on a walk, and they are always happy to help the dog stand. Somehow, it’s a bit embarrassing to ask if I can take a photo of their face! I haven’t gained that much courage yet.

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