How to Simplify Your Reference Photos (For Watercolor)

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Matthew White - Watercolor Instruction

Күн бұрын

▶︎Free Video Lesson: 8 Ways to Avoid Overworking Your Watercolor Painting www.learntopaintwatercolor.co...
The scenes of everyday life and the beauty of nature are often the inspiration for painting after painting. As we collect photos of these scenes, it is tempting to forget that our job is more than just rendering reality.
Even as you are painting from a reference photo, you should feel empowered to make these necessary changes, infuse your point of view into the scene, and leave your mark on it.
You are in control of what gets included in your painting. You get to decide how things are arranged. You are allowed to emphasize what you think is most interesting.
Check out my recommended watercolor brush collection.
www.amazon.com/shop/m.white.art

Пікірлер: 44

@urgmail-bz6fr 2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful!

@learntopaintwatercolor 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@j-dub8399 10 ай бұрын

I wish you had some more step-by-step tutorials. I love your instruction and mindset.

@stunni72 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for addressing this subject. I have always thought that I jumped the fence when I leave out something and move things together instead of messy bushes or such... I usually do it when elements I love are to far apart and there are unruly messy elements that I don't like.... But thinking of composition it makes so much sense....

@learntopaintwatercolor 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it, Stinna!

@1Skymed 2 жыл бұрын

As Bob Ross used to say, "It's your painting, you can make it look like anything you want", and that's why we are painters as opposed to photographers.

@learntopaintwatercolor 2 жыл бұрын

That’s right. Good words from Bob.

@jennymendoza1017 5 ай бұрын

i love this info- as a beginner i do have the tendency to put just about everything from the reference photo. thanks Matthew. you're a dear.

@tezoodle 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Matt, it's really good to see how you can change "reality". As a newbie to watercolour, I tend to chase the details and try to reproduce the photo, but I'm learning to simplify. And your video has really helped with that. Thank you 🙏

@BZSchnoodle Жыл бұрын

Love, Love, Love this lesson! Thank you!!

@learntopaintwatercolor Жыл бұрын

So glad!

@sam_rashba Жыл бұрын

Actually one of the most valuable lessons. I often struggle with the mentality of being too married to my reference or not knowing how to augment for the painting so I appreciate you articulating these points.

@learntopaintwatercolor Жыл бұрын

So true!

@pieromattirolo5430 10 ай бұрын

A great tutorial once again. Thanks so much Matt

@tinaobrien1643 Жыл бұрын

Great example, thanks for sharing this so clearly

@learntopaintwatercolor Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@cherirose6660 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for these tips Matthew! With thousands of reference photos this is very, very helpful. 🎨✌️

@learntopaintwatercolor 2 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear that!

@thereserioux2178 2 жыл бұрын

You have opened me up to a most interesting approach to painting with reference pictures. Thank you

@learntopaintwatercolor 2 жыл бұрын

You’re welcome!

@MB-kf3yx Жыл бұрын

Great advice...so timely.

@learntopaintwatercolor Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@pedrocarloslaufferneto4189 Жыл бұрын

good morning, Matt... it's great to hear this from a consecrated person... these are aspects that even cross our minds, but we are in doubt... you end up giving the definitive push

@TheMrZaphod Жыл бұрын

Great advices, you dispel some of my "doubts" about composition, many thanks!

@WitzRealEstate Жыл бұрын

Very helpful. Thank you!

@watercoloracademy1083 2 жыл бұрын

Wow thank you so much. Best video on this subject as far as I’ve seen 🌺

@learntopaintwatercolor 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Glad you liked it.

@christinebravomom5711 2 жыл бұрын

Very helpful. Thank you.

@learntopaintwatercolor 2 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@munirah9020 2 жыл бұрын

Sir,welcome to our Bangladesh. Our river, trees,light and shadow make you crazy.

@Papercitystudio 2 жыл бұрын

thank you so much TwT you helped me a lot

@sherryphoenix Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot

@PHancock11 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Matt. With reference photos, what length lense do you recommend; I feel that some photos distort or festoon a little when they are wider angle. The human eyes is about 50mm and auto aperture where we focus. So I'm thinking maybe a 35mm in manual to get the real shadows?

@watercoloracademy1083 2 жыл бұрын

Tbh I wanna download this video it’s so inspiring what you say

@learntopaintwatercolor 2 жыл бұрын

So glad you liked it!

@spinogeno8206 Жыл бұрын

Thank you, I have question please, Are you doing all this changes to the reference photo based on your artistic knowledge or art degree? how can a beginner without art degree do that ?

@learntopaintwatercolor Жыл бұрын

No art degree for me. Just practice, study and some workshops. The main ideas are to simplify the scene, determine what's most important and then keep the rule of thirds in mind when composing the scene. I hope that helps. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nZaSbNuey8jGmZ8.html

@_helmi 2 жыл бұрын

THANK YOU! Never in a million years, I would have used the words "exaggerate" and "simplification" in one sentence. For the longest time, I was literally chanting "less is more" the whole time while I was painting (be it at the initial sketch and between brushstrokes). Looking back, how could I expect the end results to be consistent because some of them ended up really "less" eg. I saw a forest, I sketched some trees, I painted what really looked like a deforested land LOL

@learntopaintwatercolor 2 жыл бұрын

You’re welcome! Glad you liked the video.

@johnukpainter 2 жыл бұрын

Mathew no email no link for the avoid overworking watercolour ??

@learntopaintwatercolor 2 жыл бұрын

Did you follow the link and sign up? If so check your junk. It sometimes ends up there.

@ph7467 Жыл бұрын

Did great painters (Van Gogh, Cézanne, Monet, ...) modify their scenes? I am not sure, this is not clear to me...

@learntopaintwatercolor Жыл бұрын

Great question. I'm guess that they told a few "white lies" to make for better compositions.

@ph7467 Жыл бұрын

@@learntopaintwatercolor Yes. Only a very good art historian would know the answer I guess... For me, it is an important and profound question. Because it seems totally obvious for watercolor pros that strongly modifying the scene is ok (I guess the real reason is for commercial purpose by getting "standard" beauty and pleasing the majority). But as artists, we could be concerned by the underlying non verbal statement about beauty, reality, when doing this...