In taking walks, I often see something beautiful I want to preserve for myself and share with others. I first try to evaluate, and then emphasize, which aspects of the scene make it endearing.

Since light is necessary for us to see colors, I strive to “highlight” it – make it brighter – while emphasizing the shadows in contrast. To facilitate this process, I often use Photoshop on my MacBook Air to boost the colors of my photo. Painting from this more vibrant photo makes a painting livelier and more interesting by capturing more of the essence of actual sunlit colors. Exaggeration of color and “motion” lines also help translate a real scene onto a two-dimensional surface without looking flat or stilted.

For example, I took a photo of a wisteria branch, which, though lovely, would have translated to a washed-out painting. By photoshopping it to exaggerate the colors, I could create a more interesting painting. Below you can see the original photo, then my photoshopped version, and then the painting I created.