sketching from photos

last pages . . ., a photo by vickylw on Flickr.

One morning in Arkansas, Bill called me out to the backyard, which slopes down to a heavily forested area between our friends' home and Norfolk Lake. On the other side of the fence was this newborn fawn, still a bit damp. Bill had noticed a movement and briefly saw the mother, then found this baby laying against the fence.

We kept an eye on the little deer all day but no more sign of the mother. We know she was watching us; we just did not see her. Early the next morning, both were gone. There was an impression in the grass where the mother had lain next to the fawn during the night before moving it to a more hidden spot.

I sketched this from a photograph instead of working on the spot. I didn't want to hang around the baby deer too long to avoid upsetting the mother. So I took photos and moved on. Though working plein air is preferable, I've given myself permission to work from photos also. I used to feel "condemned" or less authentic as an artist if working from photos, but sometimes it works better for me.

The Amish buggy was also from a photo, taken from a moving car.