"Evening St. Germain, Paris", oil, 20x20, sold
For me the answer to the title of this entry is definitely yes. It has taken me quite some time to understand how to interpret a photo and to actually make a painting and not a picture. Here are some tips on how to be successful at this.
- This may sound like a contradiction, but the most important point would be to paint from life whenever possible (this should be possible for every painter - you can paint in/outside, a landscape, a still life, a figure....). These skills learned are a necessity for any painter and especially those that wish to paint from a photo.
- Only paint from photos you have taken.
- Use the photo as a point of departure. This sounds simple, but is most difficult to achieve. Don't be a slave to the photo.
- Do several sketches of your photo to determine a good composition.
- Start small and limit your time (otherwise you will copy every detail in the photo).
- Start with the large light and dark shapes (this is half the job!!)
- The darks in photos are not black, they are a color. Mix an appropriate light and dark color and then add the mid values.
Hope you enjoy the above painting. It was painted from a photo!!
Happy Thanksgiving!
