Even the most casual snapshot can be a treasure for finding a reference for painting a portrait. If it draws your eye more than once, chances are you sense a story to be told, written, or painted.
This stock photo was given to participants in a painting contest at Innographx.com/forum a year ago, with instructions to recreate it digitally, artfully.
I printed it out and looked at it for several days.
- Who were these girls?
- Where were they?
- And why?
- Were they aware of me?
- Had I just interrupted their conversation ?
- Have I annoyed them?
- Or have they been waiting for me?
They are too relaxed and casual for me to be a stranger in their midst. Maybe I just called out their names to get a photo of them. From their faces, I haven’t startled them at all. Nor irritated them. But neither do their faces invite me to join them… So I just get my shot, say thanks, and move on.
My imagination settled on a story of friendship and interrupted conversation during a break from a sports event or other group activity. (They could be models posing, but that’s not the story that interests me.)
I sketched and painted their faces with digital charcoal and water brushes, cropping just their faces. The rest of the photo was parenthetic. So I cropped it out.
Published in Digital Paint Magazine
John Derry and Tim O’Neill ran this tutorial in the January issue of Digital Paint Magazine.
What Do We Do With the Mental Snapshots We Take Every Day?
Every day our eyes and ears and minds take snapshots of daily happenings, and we wonder. Who are they? What’s going on? Why? Where to from here? How come?
We ask. We wonder. We imagine. We judge. And then, what do we do with all that?
I write about it. Or paint it.
What do you do with your snapshots?
Please grab some coffee and share your ideas… If you’re a digital artist, click on and enjoy the tutorial, and then sign up for your free copy of the magazine.
Barb
P.S. I won first prize with this painting. 
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Excellent, thoughtful post (as usual, of course!). I’m always looking for stories to shoot, but you’ve reminded me that the story can come after the fact, in my own mind. That is especially good to remember as I become more and more interested in image enhancement and creating ‘different’ stories with my photographs through use of PS and filters.
If I haven’t already mentioned how much I like your new blog format, I want to.
Hi Karol. To me the art begins with the creative crop, or composition of the photo or drawing. Then the skill of technique, the special connection between the artist’s hand and mind following that.
I process most data visually — so of course searching for and finding the story is always the fun part. In the early years of our marriage, Wes and I would go to an amusement park nearby and just watch people. (Admission was free a hundred years ago, and parking only took part of a dollar. So it was good entertainment for us. After Terri was born, she joined us, in her stroller. It was great Sunday afternoon entertainment.
And I’ve always been an inquisitive sort — asking questions from the time I could put two words together says my mom.
I love your photography — and the stories you write to go with them. Thanks for coming by.
Very interesting post…I learned a great deal here…and about the parts of the story that were not necessary for what you were reading.
Lovely work…thank you…
I attempted to do a cray-pas rose from a photograph last year… it was better than I had drawn in years and the tools worked for me. Now the tremors in my hands are so severe and I don’t think I want to tackle doing painting with my teeth or toes….
I did get a Dragon Dictate and as I practice using it – talking to the computer my story telling is changing…I think I am going to like this medium and enhance my technique with it.
Patricia´s last blog ..Book Review: THE HELP ~Kathryn Stockett
Hi Patricia. I didn’t learn about the cray-pas until I had grandkids and bought each one of them a box. (Better even than the Crayolas I grew up with.) Lots of control when you have dry media. I haven’t used the crayon category in Painter yet. Must try it.
Your story telling hasn’t suffered a bit by your using the Dictate program. That has to be a huge blessing to you, discovering it and mastering its use. (No wonder you prefer bottled water over coffee. )
Hi Barbara .. that’s great – I hadn’t thought of looking at a scene that way .. sadly I can’t paint .. one day perhaps I’ll have another go – but I’m not that artistic and am unable to draw things out – pity because it’s in the grandparent family.
What did strike me – is that I’ve just Jan’s meditation course over on AwakeIsGood – and what you’re say is take time out and just think about what you see – yes in Meditation you take time on your breath, but you also can just experience that moment – looking at the scene in front of you.
I’m not surprised you got first place – well done … must be lovely to have a talent like that & you’re making the most of it – good for you – Hilary
Hilary´s last blog ..Rhinoceros chase – or how about a little rolling over with Hippopotami?
Hi Hilary.
Your comparison to meditation is a good one. Taking time to see what we see. Your gift to draw a scene is not with brush and pigments. But with words. The composition is similar. You see something, zero in on the area of detail, and write away. My dad spoke his stories. He painted moving pictures with his words and his delivery.
Regardless of the medium, the most powerfully told stories (for me) are the ones that zero in on a focal point and engage you somehow — your thinking, your heart, and/or your desire to do something.
You make history live in your stories. With insight and humor.
Congratulations Barb! Well deserved.
What do I do with my mental snapshots? I know what I do with my physical – or digital – pictures. I have just spent several boring days putting my photos, drawings and paintings – 6,500 or so of them from babyhood and beyond! – into iPhoto and assigning keywords. It’s hard work,. I hate it – but I love it now it’s done. I can key in a keyword, say ‘texture’ or ‘cat’ and all my pictures of cats or background textures fly instantly out of their folders and present themselves for use.
After that I’m free to change my personality from obsessive to creative. I love to see things in my pictures that were never there, and paint them.
Valerie Beeby´s last blog ..Afternoon Apple. iPhone Finger Painting.
Hi Valerie. Oh wow! What an undertaking — one I’d love to have after it’s all done. Hahaha. I love that part about speaking to your iPhone and having the pictures show up. Cool!
And of course I love the part about seeing something new — and painting it. Painting on a screen so small almost requires you to focus on what’s important to the story.
I’ll scoot over and see what you’ve painted next…
Congrats – I can see why you won!
I use my mental snapshots for savoring, inspiration or motivation.
J.D. Meier´s last blog ..Know Your Rules to Be Successful
Hi J.D. And you do that so well. You seem to me to balance the fine line between left-brained organizational thinking and intuitive right brain exploring and creating. You can ask the what-if questions and run back and forth between what might be possible and here’s how to get it done.
Thanks for coming by…
Congradulations. I love how you took this photo and made it totally your own. Now there is a new story for these two girls. Who are they, where are they and why are they together are a just few questions. Your painting is rendered so beautifully. Great Job!
Thanks, Sandi!
I wonder what questions you ask as you paint… your snowy landscape you allowed me to post has been raved about. Here and on FaceBook. It simply draws one into it with the promise of something.
When I see a painting like that, I always wonder what the artist saw and felt.
I’m so looking forward to your blog when it gets rolling. You have a great idea going…
That IS beautiful! No wonder you won first prize. Congratulations Barb. To me, these two girls look like they were having a private conversation and were interrupted. The picture was snapped right at the second of interruption before they have a chance to respond.
Davina´s last blog ..Take a Spiritual Bawdy Break
Hi Davina. Yep — that was my take too. No irritation, no invitation, just interruption. Thanks!
That is a beautiful picture of the two girls!
Your paintings are lovely.
People watching is fun, we used to do it in Costa Rica, but having no artistic talent, all we did was take pictures. And where are these pictures? We have boxes of 35mm slides, and snapshots, to sometime put them into our scanner and put the best up on our site or blog.
Ive got the PS filters to do them justice if I could just start the project!
Your blog is an inspiration!
Thank you so much, Jane.
I think all writers and artists are intuitive to some extent. It’s why we take the pictures in the first place — the topic in our heads, hinted at by what we see when we see something, if that makes sense. It’s all art. We desire to tell the story and let others in on it.
I love that Van Gogh painted because he wanted others to see as he saw. We like it or we don’t — it doesn’t matter. He had something inside that had to be told. That was his art.
So there… you do TOO have artistic talent.
Your talent is buried in your stash of photos. As you go through them to scan and post, some will jump at you and you’ll set them aside. Those are the ones that have stories you want to tell. And you’ll use your new techniques to tell them. 
Have some fresh hot coffee and start sorting. (Just don’t spill any on the scanner.)
Hi Barb – Just wanted to stop in and say a big thank you for leaving your wonderful comment on my blog. Little did I know I’d discover your amazing talents! So glad you found me so I could find you. I love your work, and I adore stories, so when I saw that you make story paintings from photos, I was hooked immediately. I also resonate with what you write here about each of us taking mental snapshots. I think I internalize mine, and they all become a sort of inner movie, full of shapes and emotions. Then they come out in different ways: speaking, singing, writing. Sometimes collage. But until I read your post, I’d never thought of it this way. So thanks!
Patty – Why Not Start Now?´s last blog ..Meaning Mondays: The Clouds Edition
Hi Patty.
I’m so glad you mentioned collage. As I live each day I think more and more that’s just what we all are — fascinating collages of images and actions and love and hurts and overcoming and growing.
You say your mental snapshots also express themselves as speaking, singing, writing. I wonder if you, and others who share this mental-movie process with us, are energized by such expression, or if it wears them out kinda’. Just wondering… It can be overwhelming, but mostly for me, it’s freeing.
Thank you so much for coming by.
Oh now Barb this is just awesome! I have been pondering portraits for a while, and will get with the tutorial shortly (have to finiah class first;O) Your enthusiasm for all of life just spurs a reader to join in. Brava and thanks for sharing more and setting another spark.
Hi Suzie.
Thanks! I wish you well with your classes. If you’re like me, though, you’ll never be ‘finished’ with taking them! Ha! Maybe you can find a way to mix in a portrait here and there. Portraits are really everywhere, you know.
It always amazes me what you create from a photo reference. Beautiful work and yes it did deserve first prize
Anita
Sliloh´s last blog ..Mindfulness
Thank you Anita. Add to your qualities, supportive and always a friend.
I appreciate you.