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| British Museum 1 Million Copyright Free Images |
When
starting a project, most artists work from some form of reference photo or
thumb nail sketch done from a photo to inspire them or give them a basis for
where they want to go. Beginning artists
frequently pick photos from magazines or newspapers or from the Internet. Rarely do they consider that taking any of
these is more than likely a copyright violation. This is especially true for realistic works
where the image is faithfully copied.
Eventually we learn that it is imperative to take our own photos and
work from these. But is that always
necessary?
There
are a number of websites available that allow artists to use the photographs
they post without concern for copyright violation. They are actually posted expressly to allow
artists to reference them. At the end of
this article is a list of four such wonderful resources. Be aware that if you intend to enter your
works in juried shows, many will not allow works done with reference photos
other than your own. Be sure to read
each prospectus for the shows you enter.
The
next question arises as to how to make the best use of what you find. For recent photos, crop them, rearrange the
elements in them, collage the images on top of one another and paint from the
result. Use these photos to give you ideas of shots you might take yourself
with similar compositions. For images from antiquity (see example above)
use them as background for mixed media, cut and paste them into other images
for inspiration. Cut up parts of
unrelated images and mix them together for whimsical ideas. Use them for drawing exercises since many are
black and white or sepia only. Once you
check out what’s available copyright free, the possibilities are endless.
IF YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL SOURCES FOR COPYRIGHT FREE REFERENCE MATERIALS please share in Comments.
Websites for Copyright Free Images
http://paintmyphoto.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network
Paint My Photo offers a huge library of images posted by photographers specifically for artists to use as references
https://issuu.com/paintmyphoto/docs
Issuu -- online site for quarterly zines by Paint My Photo contributors
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/login.php?do=logout&logouthash=7fe2a65d102a1d3153c12c501ddb0a73
Wet Canvas is a huge consortium of artists offering a library of images as well as forums, contests, blogs, etc. for artists -- register for free
https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary/
In partnership with Flickr, the British Museum offers 1 million copyright free images from the 1700's through the 1900's -- WARNING -- when you start browsing, it's hard to stop. Maps, borders, portraits, signatures, you never know what you will find to inspire you.
