This is a beginner friendly class that teaches you how to take one reference photo and create many different paintings based on it.

Using reference photos for paintings is something almost all artists do, so it’s important that you learn the skill properly. Many artists try to copy the photo as it is and that results in bad paintings. Learning this skill will empower you to create original works of art from your reference photos without being a slave to the photos.

In this class I’ll show how I use 1 photo as a starting point and create 3 different paintings from it.

The class begins with creating multiple different compositions from one photo. These compositions will be 3 different formats, square, horizontal rectangle or landscape mode and vertical rectangle or the portrait mode.

 Along the way we’ll discuss some guidelines about good composition, how to add or remove things to make the composition more interesting and captivating.

Then you’ll see me paint three landscape paintings from start to finish based on the compositions we created. I’ll be using watercolor and gouache but you can use whichever medium you are comfortable with.

During these painting demos I’ll use a limited number of colors and show you how I mix every other color that the painting needs.

This will help you gain confidence in color mixing and give you a structured way to complete your paintings.

In addition to the reference photo that I have used in this class, I have included 2 more photos for you to work from.

Your project or assignment for this class will be to make different compositions from any of these photos and paint one or more landscapes based on that.

Once you are done with this class, you’ll never worry about lack of reference material and have the tools to turn any reference photo into attractive and impactful paintings. You’ll have many different ideas to work on and your paintings will reflect your creative vision and personality.