Want to know the secret ingredient to my painting process?
It's not fancy paints, cold-pressed French watercolor paper, or top-of-the-line brushes.
One of the best ways to ensure a great finished product when I start working on your house portrait is to take a great reference photo of the house you want me to paint.
You DON'T have to hire a professional photographer, this is totally stress-free. But if you already have professional photos, then by all means send those!
If not, just follow these six simple tips...
#1 Send me at least one photo of the WHOLE structure with nothing cut off.
The angle doesn't matter! Just make sure it's the whole thing.
By all means, send me detail photos too if you want. I'll use it all! But just make sure one of the photos captures the whole structure.
#2 Back up!
Take the photo from a bit of a distance. If you take the photo from too close, the proportions will look funky.
A good rule of thumb: stand back far enough that you can see the roof of the house, if possible.
If you're too far away from the house, I can always zoom in. But if you take the photo from too close, I can't zoom out.
#3 Include some of the surroundings around the house.
I like to see what's around the house - trees, flower beds, out-buildings, water features. It helps to give the final painting some context.
Try to capture some of those unique outdoor features that make the house special.
#4 Pay attention to the position of the sun.
Take the photo at a time of day when the sun isn't directly behind the house.
If you can, wait until the sun is positioned behind or to the side of YOU.
If the sun is behind the house from your perspective, the colors and shadows in the final painting will look off.
#5 Avoid "too much garage" syndrome.
If your house has a prominent garage (or other feature that isn't memorable or meaningful to you), take the photo from an angle that de-emphasizes that part of the house.
For example, try to get an angle that focuses the front door as the focal point for the picture, and not the giant garage door.
#6 Include some close-ups and details if you can.
Things that otherwise might get overlooked, like a wreath, a mailbox, or a string of lights.
If it means something to you, I'll try my best to include it in the final painting!
In conclusion.
- Take at least one photo of the whole structure with nothing cut off.
- Take the photo from farther away than you think you should - I can always zoom in.
- Include some of the background and context around the house.
- Wait until the sun is behind or to the side of you, not behind the house.
- De-emphasize unimportant parts of the house, such as a prominent garage.
- Include details and close-ups if you can.
Here's a great example of a reference photo:
Hope this helps! But I do need to say: DON'T STRESS! I've created house portraits from all kinds of reference photos. These are just some tips that will help me make your painting even better.