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Reference Photography &
Vital Drawing Skills

📷 See better to paint better. In this insightful demo, Josh Clare reveals how he uses reference photography to fuel his art practice—bridging the gap between camera and canvas with intentionality and artistic vision. Then we'll discuss simple editing techniques that are available to you right on your smartphone! 


You’ll learn how to:

  • 🔎 Choose reference and create photos that support strong value structure, composition, and mood

  • 💡 Light and frame your subjects with painterly goals in mind — not just “snap and go”

  • 📐 Explore Nicolai Fechin's work to improve line variety and edgework

  • 🧠Dive into Notan drawing as you start to see faces in this stark value pattern


Perfect for painters who want to elevate their reference game—so they can build stronger, more confident paintings that feel rooted in reality but guided by artistic insight. Runtime: 3+ hours

  • Josh Clare

    Instructor

  • Fundamental

    Difficulty
Meet your instructor

Josh Clare

Josh Clare grew up drawing and was rarely without a pencil and paper, but it wasn’t until he began studying art at BYU-Idaho that he began painting. That first oil painting class included a trip to the galleries in Jackson Hole (his first visit to an art gallery or museum) and completely changed the course of his life.
Josh has been supporting himself and his family with art since 2007 after graduation and he thanks God every day for that remarkable blessing. He figures that if he can paint all day, every day, for the next 20 years, eventually he’ll paint something pretty decent.

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