Paintings and their Reference Photos

As a rule-following selective perfectionist, the very thought of breaking copyright law makes me shake in my boots.

I refused, for years, to Google any reference photo for fear that my drawing or painting would be so good I’d get international fame and then get in huge trouble for using someone else' s work. (I’m real fun to be around, I promise!)

Copyright laws are pretty murky for artists. You have to change the reference ‘enough’, but if you do, many photos are just fine to use.

But I was still too scared of hurting my budding business that I refused to use Google or other potentially copyrighted photos.

For a long time, this meant I drew from imagination, life, or my own photos. And it worked. Until it felt like a box I couldn’t get out of. There are so many things in our world that I don’t have access to – from lions to jungles to world architecture – and I wanted to be able to draw them.

“Free Reference Photos for Artists” is a Facebook group that saved the day! These are photos that photographers ‘donate’ for artists to use, even for profit, without asking for payment or credit. It’s a huge blessing! Now, whenever I have an idea for a piece, I can search the Facebook group for something that fits my vision.

Some people want the artists they follow to draw from imagination or memory only. I’m not that kind of artist, though. Some people want their artists they follow to get all their own references, but I don’t have the means for that. If that’s who you’re looking for, it’s not me.

But if you’re interested in following an artist who cares about not taking other people’s work without permission, and who uses references to get her paintings just right, well then– you’re in the right place.