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education corner
PHOTO INSPIRATION
by Liz Miller cda
We need to learn the basic elements that go into creating good design and interesting artwork. There are many opportunities for us to learn through journals like The Decorative Painter, classes, Conference, workshops, online classes, and packets. These are all valuable resources for growth and education.
At some point you may find a photo that inspires you to create. Something about the photo attracts your attention and stirs your creative juices. What attracted you to the photo? Was it an object or a scene, the colors, the story told by the photo, or something else?
Just remember that the photo is your inspiration. You don’t need to paint exactly what you see in the photo. Using the knowledge acquired from all your learning experiences you can create your interpretation of this idea. You are not painting the photo. That’s already been done by the photographer. You are using the photo as your creative inspiration.
Decide what parts or ideas you want to use from the photo. What would you like to use as the center of interest, the part of the painting that draws you into the painting and makes you want to know more about it? This will be the key area in your painting that is supported by the rest. Your center of interest gets the most emphasis in your painting – the most contrasts in values, shapes, sizes, color temperatures, and detail. How do you determine this from the photo? What other elements of the photo are supportive? What parts of the photo are not needed? Remember – it’s your creation, not a painting to reproduce the photo.
For the center of interest to draw your attention, everything else should be in less contrast and detail. The contrasts and details fade the further away they are. We often find this hard to do because we want to paint everything just like the photo shows. But then we’re not telling the story of the painting.
Have you ever wanted to create a painting from a photo you have taken? There is inspiration everywhere in the world. Art is a never-ending learning process with so many sources available to us.
Art is our passion. We
have that in common or
we wouldn’t be seeking knowledge and community from the Society of Decorative Painters. We have the desire to create.
For example, I took a photo of a winding road down
to a creek that was out of sight but you could see the construction equipment used to work on the bridge. The road and flowers were what attracted me and of course I didn’t want to paint the construction equipment or the asphalt pad that was beside the road, so I left them out. This is an extreme example but the photo kept drawing me back until I painted my version with the curving road as my center of interest. The layers of trees, flowers, and the rocks that I added all helped develop my painting. Where did the road lead? What was at the end of the road? What was the story I painted?
Remember, the photo is your inspiration. You have the creative ideas and knowledge to paint your own story.
Important note: The best photo is one you took yourself. If the photo was taken by someone else be sure to get permission from the photographer to use it. Honor copyright. Always credit the original photographer.
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