How to Identify Good Reference Photos for Art

When you’re creating drawings or paintings from photos, how do you know which ones are going to help you create awesome work, and which ones are going to make it impossible for you to get good results? Today I am going to share with you the rules I follow religiously when choosing references for my own artwork. If you’re like me, you have to do most of your work from photographs due to various schedule and practicality restraints. But working from sub-par references will pretty much always land you with sub-par work, so I created this video for you to help you avoid a lot of wasted time and heartbreak. If you stick it out through this video you will know exactly what you need in a photo reference and you’ll understand how sometimes a crappy photo can be a great reference, and an amazing photo can be a horrible reference. Ideas covered: What to Look for in Shadow Shapes Flash photography, multiple light sources, or a lack of shadows Caveat regarding certain kinds of makeup in portraits Photo and lens distortions What to look for in landscape references Social Links: My paintings on Instagram:   / laceylewisart   My school on Instagram:   / schoolofrealistart   My school on Facebook:   / schoolofrealistart   My art website: http://Lacey-Lewis.com My school website: https://schoolofrealistart.com/ Thanks for watching! Social Links: My paintings on Instagram:   / laceylewisart   My school on Instagram:   / schoolofrealistart   My school on Facebook:   / schoolofrealistart   My art website: http://Lacey-Lewis.com My school website: https://schoolofrealistart.com/ Thanks for watching!