Let's face it, animals don't stay still at the best of times and wildlife much more so than our domestic pets. So in order to create detailed paintings I find it necessary to rely on photographic references.
These allow us to create accurate paintings that would be much harder or impossible to create by relying on memory or by painting from life. Wildlife tends to be especially tricky by being elusive and staying some distance away as well as generally not staying still. In many cases it is also simply far too difficult and expensive to be able to see animals in there natural habitats such as say wild lions in Africa or Bison in Yellowstone. Thankfully there are a few options that still allow us to get the references we need for wildlife painting.
DO IT YOURSELF
The best option is always to rely on your own photographs. For wildlife photographs taken on wildlife holidays or accidental encounters during vacations give the best opportunity. But photographs can also be taken closer to home by visiting local zoos and wildlife parks and taking pictures of wildlife native to your patch. In such cases wildlife will often still be at some distance so make sure you have a camera with a decent optical zoom. A tripod or your camera's image-stabilization can help avoid blurred pictures. Also make sure you research the best time to visit such as feeding times or keeper talks for wildlife. Be aware of crowds that come with summer school holidays where zoos may become too busy to get a good photo in some cases. The weather and season is also going to affect levels of activity as well as any animals that go through seasonal moults.
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| Keeper interaction and young animals make for great photographic opportunities |
Another option is to photograph museum taxidermy exhibits. These can also be used for sketching practise. Remember that you might want some plant or vista references to act as elements in the foreground and background of your artwork so photograph these elements too.
FREE ARTIST PHOTOGRAPHS
Thankfully there are a few free resources that are accessible and free for artists to use. Why is this important? Because every photograph is subject to copyright and by just copying any photograph you see you are infringing copyright. Not a big deal for small sketches but much more significant if you are intending to sell your artwork where you run the real risk of fines. Some free resources still require you to attribute the reference you used and you should always make sure to read through the terms of use. Also be aware that some people may post our people's work into some stock resources which are very likely done without consent are still subject to copyright. The most important element of these is that they are allowed to be used for commercial use.
WetCanvas's Reference Image Library (RiL) is one of the best known. WetCanvas is an online art group and the RiL is a shared resource of photographs from its members and only available for use among its membership.
Other free photographic resources that I'm aware of are MorgueFile, PaintMyPhoto, and FontPlay. DeviantArt also have a section where people put up photographs for stock use but this needs to be checked to confirm what usage is permitted and what attribution is required.
These resources often give you access to broad range of animals that you may otherwise be unable or unlikely to see. Photographs are given willingly and I find it good practise to comment and let the photographer know if you have used their work and where they can see it. I think it's also good practise that if you use such a resource that you help contribute to it.
PHOTOGRAPH STOCK SITES
Usually still advertising as 'Free' (though meaning royalty-free) these sites such as Shutterstock, iStock, Fotolia, or one of the many others provide a massive resource of images that you can pay a license for. Images cost a few £s or $s each which may vary with the image as well as the image's dimensions. Also be aware of licensing restrictions for the images use. There's also one dedicated wildlife reference photo site that I have heard for aimed towards artists called Wildlife Reference Photos
which charges about $5 a photo.
There are a couple of disadvantages of using stock photographs of both free and paid for photographs. One is that they may be used by other artists so be aware that art very similar to yours may be created, especially if you work straight from the reference with little alteration. Also be aware that using such photos can disqualify you from some art competitions and shows. Other options are to contact a photographer personally or use photographs of people you know.
Personally, I currently use a mixture of free artist stock photographs and my own photographs. I tend to now work more from ideas now than specific photographs and use a selection to help me create more accurate paintings that usually end up quite different from any one photograph. Even paintings that are largely from one reference typically have some alteration to them such as this red panda portrait.
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