Greek chapel

8 August 2024

Step-by-Step - Level ◆◆◆

I'll honestly admit that when I saw this reference photo my immediate thought was how we could have so much fun painting lots and lots and lots of flowers. The wonderful blue dome of the chapel, so clean and sharp, just asked to be framed by an overgrown vine of pink.

This is a good example of adjusting a reference photo to suit the feeling you want to paint, instead of just copying the vision the photographer had. When you're going through photos, your own or someone else's, and one catches your eye, then stop right there and ask yourself - "What is it about this scene that appeals to me?" and then paint that. It can help to write down that thought to refer to later when you're painting, to double check you haven't departed from the original idea that sparked excitement for you.

Plus, it also means that one photo can be painted again and again, telling a different story each time.

I look forward to seeing if you change this scene in any way to paint what this photo says to you.

Happy painting!