8. Do you ever draw and paint exclusively from photographs? Is this a wise thing to do?
Olivia Marie Braida Chiusano: I do not draw from photographs. I use macro photography to record key elements of the subject and detail. My students are taught not to trace from photographs but to use them only for reference.
Beverly Duncan: No. If I call a painting a “botanical painting,” I will have worked from a live specimen to produce that painting. Often I am asked to illustrate for magazines and books and then must work from photographs since I’m often asked to illustrate out of season.
Carol E. Hamilton: In my experience, sometimes you have no choice. That having been said, unless I know a plant extremely well already, I am unlikely to work from a single photograph, rather I will accumulate as many reference photos as possible, along with scientific texts, to help me understand my subject.
Libby Kyer: I do paint exclusively from photographs when I am asked to paint pictures of species that don’t exist in this area or that are completely out of season. If I can, I supplement the drawing with a herbarium sheet of the species, for more detailed understanding of the specimen.
I don’t like painting only from photographs, but it is required if you want to meet deadlines or if the plant simply isn’t accessible. I find that paintings done from photos only seem “flatter” with less understanding of form, and form is so important and really needs to be rendered before just about anything else. So painting from photos is not my favorite.
I generally take many photos of specimens I’m working on, using an Olympus Camedia C-3020 Zoom digital camera. Although an older camera model that has been replaced for “snapshot” images, it allows close-up shots of excellent clarity, so if my specimen expires, has to go back to the greenhouse, or changes radically as it ages, I have references at every stage.
Short answer: I don’t know if it’s wise to paint strictly from photographs, but I do know that I don’t like it very much even when I really need to. However, I think it’s really prudent to document your specimen as you work to make sure you have references for specific parts!
Rose Pellicano: I use photographs for reference. I prefer to work from live plants although I have had to work from photos when doing illustrations for magazines and the plant was not available at that time of the season.
Rayma Kempinsky Peterson: I use photographs quite a bit. I compose with the viewfinder of my camera. Often I will “transplant” other plants from other photos, but always keep the painting botanically correct. That is, I only put plants from the same habitat into my larger composition. Painting strictly from photos has its drawbacks. Colors can be inaccurate in a photo. Greens can appear bluish in a photograph. A sketch from life will always be desirable as they are always lively. However, I couldn’t draw my composition and paint it without small details. My paintings can take months to complete so I need the assistance of photos.
Wendy Smith: Photographs can be very helpful tools. Sometimes it’s not possible to work from life and using information (such as form, light and details), which can be captured in photos, is necessary. It’s very important however, when working only from photos, to have a good grasp on form and light and a keen awareness of how optical effects such as distortion, can affect the subject(s). Also, it may be necessary to use multiple photos as reference for different elements in the composition.
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