There are several places online where you can find copyright-free images to use freely and completely for your reference. morguefile.com is my favorite. Through this site, photographers post photos free of any restrictions of use. You may paint these images to your heart’s content. But beware: This is not something you can do with any photo you find online. Most photographers copyright their images, and without permission you are not legally allowed to use them for your own reference. How do you get around this? I suggest contacting the photographer and telling them what you’re up to—tell him or her you are an artist and you’d love to use their image as a painting reference. If you ask nicely—and before you get started painting—many photographers are flattered and will give you permission to paint using their pictures as reference.
Other resources you may want to check out include:
Photo courtesy of morguefile.com.
Photo courtesy of Alex G. Olivera/AGO Action Photography.
Photo courtesy of Cherie Bosela.
I like to paint birds because they offer so much texture and color in their feathers and patterns provided by Mother Nature. Many people have personal associations with birds that make them a subject matter that sells well. I would say the most popular small birds for me are cardinals and lovebirds. On the larger side, peacocks and roosters are always popular. Pier 1 Imports sells a print of a nesting robin collage that I created a number of years ago; it’s one of their best-selling pieces of wall art!
If you do a Google search and find a photo online you must ask permission from the photographer to use the photo as a reference. I recently approached a photographer from Facebook about using his small songbird photos as a painting reference; he was flattered and gave me carte blanche permission to use his images. You will often find that people are happy to help when you ask permission first.