Have you ever used a reference picture for your watercolor paintings? Do you know where to find them and how to use them? No? Don't worry I got a lot of questions recently about reference pictures and here are my answers to them!
Where can I find reference pictures and can't I just search for random pictures on the internet?
You could just search for random pictures. (!!)BUT(!!) if you want to publish your painting or sell it you would have to ask the person who took the picture for permission and give credit! That's why you should look for royalty free pictures! You'll find those pictures for example on pexels.com or unsplash.com. Just type in whatever your looking for or look through different collections.
Tip: You don't have to take a picture as it is. You can cut things out, add another picture and create collages! Do whatever you want with your reference picture(/s)!!
How do I use a reference picture for my painting?
Depending on the picture you want to paint you can for example create a grid on the reference picture and your picture or just some guidance points, so that you know where the elements go. You don't need to get lost in all the details and you don't have to copy the whole picture make it unique!
Watch my tutorial below to see:
- which two pictures I used as reference,
- how I put them together as one picture
- and of course how I used that reference picture for my painting!
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Ready and excited to paint?!
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