Part 18—BLAM! Be on the Lookout for Reference Photos ANYWHERE

Let’s talk reference photos. I find some online (being careful about copyright), use photos from my own phone gallery, or even BLAM!—they can hit you while you’re driving! That’s what happened with this picture of the sun in the sky. I was so excited to capture it and knew I wanted to use it for this project.

I found the kittens all lined up while visiting a farm—they ended up in the lower-left corner of Barnyard Adventures. The name of the farm on a sign was inspired by a family member’s farm and now reads Jacob’s Farm in my painting.

The barn came from a reference photo I took years ago when I was looking for barn ideas for the mural at John F. Kennedy Elementary School.

I’m always on the lookout for my next reference photo—preferably not while driving, though! 😂