No. 32: A Photograph or a Drawing?
Deciding when to draw a reference photograph or leave as is, and a few class announcements.
I have about 65,000 photos in my camera roll, and there would be at least 10,000 more if I weren’t constantly deleting them just to keep the number down. I take pictures of everything, both to document my days and because photography is a valuable part of my creative expression and process. As both an avid diarist and artist, I am always asking myself, What will bring me back to a moment in time, and what do I want to draw? It is the harmony of these two questions that I always seek, and photography seems to unite them. Many of my photographs are taken as reference for my drawings and paintings, but sometimes I will decide that a photo is better left as a photograph, as the image captured satisfies as a piece of art in itself.
Photography has always been a huge part of my life. It is an art form that was just as much in the backdrop of my life as drawing and painting. I took classes in high school, in summer programs, and throughout my years in college. My parents are both serious photographers, and my great-uncle was a photography professor at FIT in New York City. I had two photo-related internships during my college years that were hugely beneficial as I began my career (one with Margaret Morton and the other with Ray Charles White). My father gave me my first camera, a Nikon FE2, when I was seventeen. I miss that camera so much, and wish I could go back in time and tell myself not to trade it in for a digital one.
I recently traveled to Savannah, Georgia, with my older son, who is studying photography and film at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He has had the eye for composition and light since he was fourteen, so despite his annoyance at constantly being photographed when he was little, the interest rubbed off! We went to an exhibition at Telfair Museum featuring the work of Frank Stewart, a photographer who went to my alma mater, Cooper Union, and graduated a few years after I was born. The photographs on display in the galleries span the 1960s to today, and they filled me with so much nostalgia, as the images span my lifetime.
There were two things that struck me as I walked through the show. One was how Stewart shared the same image printed in two different ways, to show how a digital print differs from the original darkroom print. I loved seeing this contrast because it reminded me of the small decisions I make when I’m drawing. How one seemingly small detail can change so much, like when I add another layer of darkness to a shadow and it makes all the difference. The other notable thing was how Stewart describes his later photographs as “drawings” because they are more abstract and painterly. He spent most of his career documenting life, music, culture, and travel as an observer of the world, and now, in his mid-seventies, he feels more free to create images that are not as straightforward but more expressive. Like so many artists I know and talk to regularly, Stewart wants to be freer with his style.
The exhibition reminded me of my vast appreciation and respect for photography as an art form and left me feeling incredibly inspired. Since everyone with a phone is a photographer these days, it’s hard to carve out space for new artists to emerge and show a unique perspective in the field. But Stewart’s show proved that if you stay pure, sincere, and stay away from too much manipulation of images, then those photographs will always stand the test of time and technology.
Above are some recent photographs I took with intentions to draw from them but have decided to leave as photos. In the one of the brick wall there is so much texture in the gate to the left and in the uneven pavement and I don’t think my style will be able to capture it as well as the photograph does. And in the one with the vase, I was struck that the petals are a bit blurred and painterly, and again I don’t believe my drawn and painted version would be as nice.
To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event.
– Henri Cartier-Bresson
Two children buying donuts in Oaxaca last month. I believe this one would make a great drawing and I really like the reference image as well. This picture will be the subject for my next Draw Your World meetup that I will host next week. We will work on this together—paid subscribers stay tuned for date and time via the chat!
A photograph taken in Paris this past summer. I love the layers and different reflections, as there are multiple images and things happening in the frame if you look closely. I share this image because there is no way I am going to attempt to draw this!
There are times that I work off of photographs very closely to replicate the feeling of a moment in time. The significance or the reason a scene or subject caught my eye becomes just as important as the desire to do it justice through a drawing in my own style in my sketchbook. Sometimes it doesn’t work, and the photograph is much more dynamic.
Above are two examples of photograph versus drawing. I love the sketchbook versions, though each photograph left me wondering if I could pull off the impact they convey through my drawing and painting style. The clouds were extra challenging, but I am pleased with the outcome.
I would love to know if any of you have a similar experience with photography. Do you use it as another way to express your creativity or it is a tool to simply gather reference and mark time with group family photos at events and during travel?
I love following FlakPhoto Digest from
. If you enjoy looking at photography, Andy curates collections of images so thoughtfully. I highly recommend visiting his page.Stationery Fest!
I am so excited to announce that I will be teaching two workshops this summer, August 8 and 9, at Stationery Fest in Brooklyn. I am ironing out the details with Daisy from Yoseka in the coming weeks, but stay tuned for signup information. There will be limited spots each day. All participants will get a full package of supplies from my favorite brands, like Caran d’Ache, Sakura of America, Blackwing, and Derwent.
Thank you to everyone who joined my class last Friday, Fill Your Pages From Edge-to-edge with Derwent. Here is a link to the replay!
Save the date for the next one that will be on April 19th at 2pm EST.
My newest Skillshare class is now available to watch
Drawing Everyday: Using Shape & Light to Paint Everyday Subjects
This class is designed to help you think differently about “harder” subjects, and help you see that anything you decide to draw can be broken down into simple shape and form in order to get you started and less afraid. We start with a few technical exercises, and then by sharing some examples of my work as well as other artists work, we will discuss how to break everyday subjects down first by using some tracing paper, and then by using pencil and paint. By the end you will see your subjects with new eyes, and hopefully with less fear, and ultimately be able to create some beautiful pieces of art with more confidence.
You can now join Skillshare month-to-month or yearly. Check out the newest class here!
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We are two like minds when it comes to photography. I have been passionate about it since I was a teenager and put my Canon EOS SLR through a ton of use throughout my 20s and 30s. I took classes at Ryerson where I used a darkroom and LOVED it. Now that I almost exclusively take photographs with my I-phone, I, too, miss the weighty feel of it hanging around my neck and sitting in my hands. I fist bump in agreement everything you wrote in this post as it summarizes my feelings about photography’s place in my own life.
I probably lean heavily towards drawing and painting, and definitely, for me, textile. to throw a bit of a wrench in, I really like textile work done on top of photographs. or photographs transferred to fabric and incorporated into a textile art piece. I love that. it's a peek. (like your interactive art. I suppose I like seeing the hidden and unexpected and being surprised.) so for me: all of it. together! :)