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Sometimes you get an idea for a painting but you just can’t find the right photo reference for what you have in mind.
Luckily, it is possible to combine multiple references to create the image that you are after. However, there are a few potential pitfalls to avoid.
Let’s review them and figure out the best approach to painting from two or more reference photos.
When you work from multiple references, you can end up with a painting that just looks a little ‘off’. It can make the viewer feel a bit uncomfortable, but they might not even be able to put their finger on what is wrong with the painting.
It reminds me of a funny story about my friend - let’s call him Bart.
When we were (quite a bit) younger, Bart’s buddies shaved off just one of his eyebrows when he was asleep after a rowdy night on the town. (I know… friends, right?)
It took a while to figure out why he looked odd. Our brains try to make sense of what we see and tend to fill in information that is missing, so he just looked a little peculiar until you realised what was wrong!
You don’t want your painting to look like poor old Bart’s face!
So let’s discuss the painting pitfalls of working with multiple reference photos and how to avoid them.
(By the way, if you would rather learn by doing instead of reading, 2 of the tutorials in this bundle show you how to combine multiple references step by step.)
Avoid these 3 things when combining reference images
Scale Discrepancy in Reference Photos
This one is probably the most obvious issue, and potentially the easiest to solve.
If you are adding an element from one reference into a composition created from a different reference image it is important that the size of the objects are in the right proportions to one another.
If you decided that the table in your composition needed a lamp on it and drew in a lamp that you found somewhere else, it will be down to you to make sure it goes in at the right size.
Sure, you are creating your own image so no one really knows what you were aiming for but it does need to make sense to the viewer.
Make the lamp too small and it looks like it belongs in the doll’s house.
Too large and it appears to have come down Jack’s Beanstalk from the giant’s castle.
This problem is further complicated by perspective. Let’s say you put two of these lamps in your image. One is on a table which is close to the viewer. The other is at the back of the room.
These two lamps, even though they are similar or even an identical pair will not be the same size in your image. Objects that are further away from the viewer appear to be smaller than those in the foreground.
In summary, when you add an object to your composition, try to ensure that it makes sense in the context of its surroundings. Use your judgement to assess the proportions of the new object relative to the objects around it.
Viewing angle of Reference Photos
Aside from the relative sizes of the objects you are combining, it is also important to take notice of the angle from which they were photographed.
For example, a bowl of fruit, viewed from above will look quite different compared to when it is viewed directly at the viewer or photographer’s eye level.
We could add a bit more interest to a scene like this kitchen interior by adding a bowl of fruit.
In order to make the composite image make sense we need to match not only the scale but the viewing angle.
For simple objects that you are quite familiar with, it might be easy enough to correct the perspective on the particular object.
If not, it is best to try and find a better reference image that does have a viewing angle that matches your main composition. A quick little sketch in your sketchbook or on a rough sheet of copier paper will soon tell you if you need a better reference image! More on those sketches in a moment.
Light source of Reference Photos
One of the most important aspects of any painting is the light and shadow. Our brains understand what we are seeing because of the patterns of darks and lights in the image. We know that a round shape is actually a sphere when we see the light falling on the part of the sphere that is closest to the light source and notice the darker edges that curve away from it.
In real life, light usually comes from multiple sources. It reflects off multiple surfaces and creates lots of different shadow patterns. To make a strong painting though, it is best to have one main light source and to keep that consistent throughout the painting.
If we have a reference image of a figure walking down a path where the sun is coming from the right and we add this figure to our forest scene where the sun happens to be coming from the left the image is going to be confusing.
It may be that the viewer of the painting can’t actually put their finger on exactly what it is about the painting that seems ‘off’.
The competing light sources are something you might not notice straight away but they can give the whole image an underlying awkwardness.
Use Thumbnail Sketches to Combine Your References
If you are that way inclined, of course you can use a bit of photo editing software to compile your images into one, but you really don’t need to be that sophisticated.
In fact I have quite strong opinions about too much preparation. There is such a thing and it can exacerbate any perfectionist tendencies leading to more procrastination and less painting. I think you can do just as well - perhaps better with a pencil and paper.
By the way, if you want to read a little more about preparatory drawing for watercolour painting I have this additional article with more helpful tips and examples.
I recommend using your sketchbook or any scrap of copier paper really to do a few thumbnail sketches that combine your elements. That way you get a chance to see if all these things are working before committing to your watercolour paper - no need to waste that!
A thumbnail sketch is just a small drawing - of course like everything else you can decide just how small to go.
The idea is to make a small outline drawing of your intended composition without worrying about details. So it needs to be small and approachable but not so tiny that the drawing part becomes impossible. So not quite as small as an actual thumbnail, maybe something more in the vicinity of a business card size.
You want to do a few.
You can try out different orientations and formats i.e. portrait, landscape or square.
You can try different arrangements of the elements within the composition. Tight crop or wide angle.
Try moving the horizon line to different spots if it is a landscape.
Try out different light source ideas.
Sketching out thumbnails can be quite fun and a terrific aid to your creativity. One idea leads to the next so you might be surprised at how many different variations you can come up with.
Try it and see.
If you’d rather begin by painting an image from multiple references step by step with me, you might want to enrol in the Watercolour Tutorial Food Bundle!
We do exactly that for 2 of the 4 paintings in this tasty bundle of real time painting tutorials.
Are you on your own painting journey?
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