Before the invention of photography, artists always had their models serve as models for them to draw or paint their portraits. This practice is deeply rooted in the portraiture tradition. Of course, after photography became available, artists’ options for creating portraits expanded. This included the use of photography as a final medium, as well as a tool to help create drawings or paintings without having the subject model for the artist in the studio. Today many artists choose to use a combination of both approaches when making portraits. There are also artists who use only one form or the other for various reasons. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages that will be discussed in this article.

Use a live model

Many artists will tell you that this is still the best way to create a portrait. Without a doubt, it has the greatest weight as far as tradition is concerned. It has been tried and tested through hundreds of years of practice. And in many ways, I think this is the most rewarding approach. It is highly interactive and the resulting portrait will capture the dynamics of the relationship between the model and the artist. There are some intangible qualities that this approach offers that are not possible using a photograph. From a technical point of view, the values ​​will be more accurate and the artist will be able to see very subtle differences in shading and highlights that are sometimes lost in a photograph. Of course, I am not saying that a good photographer cannot maintain these subtleties. However, most average photographs lose those qualities to some degree. Similarly, many smaller details can easily be lost in photographic references. Small details in jewelry, for example, may be visible in person, but may not be noticeable in a photo. Again, photographers using larger negatives or higher definition digital cameras can get good detail. But, chances are, if you’re going to those ends to achieve that level of quality, you should probably use photography as your final medium.

However, there are drawbacks to drawing from a live model. First, it takes a lot more skill to draw from a live model. You are creating a two-dimensional image from a three-dimensional image. With practice, both can be done with equal effort, but for a beginner, drawing from photographs is an easier way to start. Also, models have to sit for long periods of time. No matter how still the model tries to be, it will eventually change position. The longer they sit, the more drastic those changes will be. A good artist will be able to incorporate those differences into the portrait, but I’ve seen a lot of novice artists really struggle with moving models. The other drawback to live modeling is the convenience factor. A lot of time (usually more than once) should be set aside to work periods on the portrait. These times have to be coordinated between the artist and the sitter. When you’re just practicing, this usually isn’t a big deal, but if you’re trying to make a living drawing portraits, it lessens your flexibility with your business hours and can become more difficult when you and your client live in different places.

Use of photographic references

Just as many artists prefer to only use live models, others use photographs only as the basis for their portrait references. The benefits of using photos are directly related to the drawbacks of using a live model. Photos allow the artist to really analyze a person’s face (or figure) without making the subject feel uncomfortable. While professional figure models can be used for classes of art students who stare at them intently for hours at a time, many prospective portrait clients may be a little uncomfortable with it. However, for the artist to get an accurate rendering, she must look closely. Photographs also allow the artist to draw the subject without worrying about position changes. And, of course, it doesn’t require the subject to be present. This may be something important to the subject and/or the artist.

The main drawbacks of using photographic references are listed in the previous section. The most critical problem I’ve noticed about artists working from photographs alone is that the resulting drawings tend to be very flat and lifeless. This is not always true, and can be overcome by an artist who has also done many drawings of live models. But it’s easy to become too analytical and “stiff” when working with photos. I wouldn’t recommend it as the only approach to it. If you choose to do most of your portraiture by photographic reference, I would at least keep up with figure drawing skills at a local figure drawing class with a live model from time to time.

So what’s the verdict?

My professional opinion is that portrait artists should find a way to use both techniques to some degree. Nowadays many artists will set up a session with the nanny to get some live sketches. They will take advantage of the same session to take some reference photos to finish the portrait. This seems to work very well with a lot of people. It allows you to get the best of both methods.