Loosen Up: Drawing from Photos Without Tightening Up
As artists, we all take loads of photographs, don’t we? But how often do we actually use them? Drawing from photos can be a great way to work from the landscape without braving the elements, but sometimes, working from a static image can make our drawings feel tight and lifeless.
In this post, I’m sharing three playful, expressive ways to draw from your photographs that will free up your creativity and bring more life and movement into your work.
1. One-Minute Drawings
If you’re prone to overthinking (like I am), this one’s perfect. The idea is simple: set a timer for one minute per photo and draw quickly, without worrying about details or accuracy.
You can print your photos and use a timer manually, or set up a slideshow in Canva to do it for you. Just upload your chosen photos, give each one a one-minute duration, and hit play. That way, you can stay focused on drawing instead of stopping to reset your timer.
I like to work on loose sheets of cartridge paper with a soft graphite stick (around 4B). Hold it near the top to get those wibbly, wobbly lines that add life and character. Don’t aim to recreate what you see – instead, pick out interesting shapes and lines and let your hand move freely across the page.
As you go, you can layer drawings from different photos over each other, letting marks mingle and overlap. It’s a great way to create organic, expressive sketches that reflect the natural messiness of the world around us.
2. Negative Space Drawings
For the next technique, try focusing on what’s not there. Instead of drawing the object itself, draw the spaces between objects – the negative space.
I love using a Stabilo All pencil for this – it’s water-soluble, so you can dip it in water to get those beautiful, fluid lines. Work loosely and let your pencil wander. Overlap lines, vary the pressure, and keep things imperfect.
This approach helps you see your subject in a completely new way. The drawings that emerge are often quirky, spontaneous, and full of unexpected rhythm.
3. Thumbnail Drawings with a Viewfinder
If you tend to get lost in the details, thumbnail drawings are a fantastic way to simplify. Create a small viewfinder using two L-shaped pieces of card or mount board, and use it to crop into different parts of your photo.
This helps you focus on smaller compositions and key shapes, cancelling out all the visual noise. I like to use a brush pen for this one – holding it near the top for a loose, expressive line.
Move your viewfinder around the photo, filling a series of small boxes or squares with quick sketches. Each one will feel different, and together they’ll give you a wonderful record of shapes, rhythms, and possibilities to explore later in collage or paint.
Bringing It All Together
These three techniques are all about loosening up and letting go – using your photos as jumping-off points rather than blueprints. The results are expressive, lively drawings that can inspire future collage work or paintings.
So next time you’re scrolling through your camera roll, pick a few photos and give one of these ideas a try. You might just find a spark that leads to something new.
If you enjoyed this…
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Ready to turn your photos into something more than just a drawing? Have a look at my online course - Playful Pages
