Can I paint that photo? Reference Image Licensing Considerations
When I was learning to paint 25 years ago, I learned that the first step was finding a reference image.
This was way before Google images, Instagram, and iStock.; My art teacher encouraged me to flip through photographic magazines and cut out pictures I liked. I stored them in a large manilla envelope with the rest of my art supplies. When it was time to start a new piece, I would thumb through the images I’d collected to choose the one that most inspired me to.
It was only when I started painting again as an adult that I learned that artists must pay attention to licensing and permission when choosing reference art, especially if they want to sell their work.
Is copying a reference really art?
I’ve learned that ideally, artististry isn’t just reproducing reference images, it’s combining various sources and ideas to create something new. And yet, the way I was taught to paint was my mimicking source images. So semi-faithful image reproduction is still my safe space. For me, the step from where I am now to truly combining sources and ideas in novel ways feels steep.
And I want to be sure that art I am safe with my use of a particular image.
I don’t know what I’ll ultimately do with things I’m painting now. I want to keep open the option of someday selling my art. That’s why I’ve started to pay closer attention to the licensing of images that I choose as references.
Private sources of free reference photos
Best of all: your own photography: I love using my own photos! Not only am I free and clear to paint photos I’ve taken, but they also feel uniquely like “my art” through and through. When I get a compliment, I don’t feel like I need explain the source image. I store my photos on Google Photos which handily allows me to search them by their contents.
Friend’s photos: I always keep an eye out for beautiful photography that friends share. Many would be honored to have their work painted. Just be sure to ask permission.
What license should painted look for?
Permission can come directly from the person that owns the copyright to an image, or in the form of an image license.
Creative Commons 0 licenses (also known as CC0 or CC Zero) mean no rights have been reserved. For me this is deal because I worry that if attribution is required, I may someday lose track of the image to which I should attribute a particular painting, or it may appear in a place that doesn’t provide an obvious way to attribute.
Other licenses can work too, but a cc0 is particularly powerful because it means image is completely free and clear.
Public websites for free reference photos
Free stock providers aren’t known for consistently awesome photographic quality, but since you’re creating your own art, you can change what you want to in your art.
I’ve reviewed the licenses and options at dozens of free stock sites, and these are some of the best options if you search my criteria.
Pexels - “You can use Pexels content as a visual reference for your artwork, and it is okay to then sell that work. Our contributors always appreciate being given credit when their work is used as inspiration, but it is not mandatory.” (Source)
Unsplash - Images can be used as a reference for illustrations and paintings. These new works of art can be sold, as long as they were not created by automated means. (Source)
Pixabay - “You can copy, modify, distribute, and use the media, even for commercial purposes, all without asking for permission or giving credits to the artist. Depicted content may still be protected by trademarks, publicity or privacy rights.” (Source)
Flickr - Filter for images with ‘No Known Copyright Restrictions’ or ask the photographer.
Morguefile - “All photos found in the Morguefile archive are free for you to download and re-use in your work, be it commercial or not.”
Reshot - “Can be used in your commercial and non-commercial projects, for free. You’re granted a copyright license to download, copy, modify, distribute, publicly perform and broadcast the Items. Your rights are non-exclusive, worldwide, sub-licensable and ongoing. Attribution is not required, however, we would appreciate it if you credit Reshot where reasonably possible.”
LifeOfPix - “Free high-resolution photos, no copyrights restrictions for personal and commercial use. All images are donated to the public domain. Warning: no mass distribution allowed.”
StockSnap.io - All CC0 (Public Domain)
Burst - By Shopify. Thousands of images from a global community of photographers. “All our photos are free for commercial use with no attribution required; you can read more about this on our license page.”
KaboomPics - Over 23k images with more added every day. All by the one woman behind the site: Karolina Grabowska. “All photos on Kaboompics can be used for free for commercial and noncommercial use.”
VintageStockPhotos - “You can do nearly anything with the images, commercial or not. Just don't redistribute them. If possible, we appreciate a photo credit.“
Gratisography - 700+ stock photos you will not find anywhere else on the web. “You may use Gratisography pictures as you please for both personal and commercial projects. You can adapt and modify the images and get paid for work that incorporates the pictures.”
Be careful about the image you choose
Most of these photo sites make their money from lining the free results with paid options, and those “extra” options can become extra prominent when there are no search results. So be extra careful to look at labeling around the image you select to be sure it’s actually one of the free results.
Search all of these sites at once
My career for the past 18 years has been in technology, so of course, I had to optimize the process of searching for source images. Using a Google Chrome extension and a little bit of find and replace, you can search all of the above sites at once.
Here’s how:
Install the Bulk URL Opener extension in Google Chrome.
Identify your search term. If it has spaces in it such as puppy dog, replace the spaces with %20 like this: puppy%20dog.
Create a copy of my Google Doc.
In that doc, go to Edit > Find & Replace.
Replace * with your search term.
Copy and paste the list, which now has the search term embedded in it, into the field in the Bulk URL Opener.
