I joined VI earlier this year and I really enjoy watching the member’s minute episodes. I started with the newest episode and am going back to the older ones, and right now I am watching the episodes in August last year. I especially enjoy looking at the differences in expressions and approaches made by using different materials and am very curious to see how different the results will be if some artists draw or paint using the same reference photos. So I would like to share some photos I took in Madagascar and if any of you are interested in creating artworks using these photos, please feel free to do so and share the artworks in member’s minute or share your art page in the forum. For the recent one year or so, I myself have been learning soft pastels, so I may try drawing some pastel works using these photos. But actually I am about to try pen-drawing because I need to prepare lots of pen-drawings for my next animation film, so I may also try creating some pen-works as well.
I very much look forward to looking at the works in a variety of medium😊
term of use: You are free to use these photos as reference for practicing purposes only. If you want to include the artworks using these photos in your official portfolio, please make sure to indicate an appropriate credit, something like “reference photo provided by Maki Cologne”.
Great photos. I have been with Matt since 2013 and find that he explains things very well about the mediums and different ways in using them. II feel he is a excellent teacher in all areas.
Hi Denise, many thanks for your comment.
Yes, I do think so. Before I became a member, I had not seriously thought about mastering multiple mediums, I did not think that it would be possible in the first place. But Matt has accomplished that and so have many of the VI members! It is a huge encouragement as well as a surprise for me. I’m really glad I joined VI.
By the way, I found another photo which I think will be a good reference for paintings/drawings. This is the one I took in Croatia, Plitvice Lakes National Park. This will make a good practice material for somebody who wants to strengthen a skill to make a really subtle, smooth colours transition of blue, green and other colors somewhere between the two. So I attach the photo here too
These photos are unbelievably AWESOME! Thank you so much for unselfishly sharing them! And thanks to you and Denise for your wonderful comments about the program. They really mean a lot to me!
Thank you for your comment. Currently I live in Hokkaido, Japan.
This is where I am originally from. Although I had been living in Tokyo for over 20 years, I came back to my hometown 2 years ago to take care of my mother.
I’ve been to Australia a couple of times. First time I visited Canberra to attend a film festival and next I visited Melbourne mainly for leisure, stayed there for about a month. I’d love to visit Cairns too!
If you ever come to Cairns, let me know, we (my husband and I) have a guest room. We could do art together! Japan looks beautiful too… I would love to visit there.
My pleasure:
I’ll try to turn them into pastel works once I complete making the storyboard for my next film. Then I will submit the works to the member’s minute. Then you can compare the works to the photos, which I think will give you good information for your critique. When using reference photos, it is always somewhat hard for me to decide what to emphasize and what to make simpler. This really needs practice
Another photo for reference, this time from Kamakura, Japan.
Hey, maybe we can have a photography section. A part for just showing our photography and then a part wher we can share photos specifically for artists to use as reference. I think it would have to be made very clear which photos are free for people to use for reference. What do you think?
Thank you Ginny, and I love the idea. Reading your response, I thought I would need to add the terms of use of my photos to avoid confusion. I just added it in my original message.
That sounds like a great idea. The only problem are the issues that would arise.
People may share photos that they don’t own. This happened with people uploading artwork that wasn’t actually their’s on the old forum, so I’m sure it would happen with photos as well. I’m not really sure why people do these kinds of things - but they do.
Also, people change their minds (or lose their minds). Back when the site was brand new (2010), we had a gallery section. Someone once posted their original art to the gallery section. A few weeks later this person wrote me and asked why I posted their art without their permission and how I got it. But after looking at the logs, it was clearly uploaded by them.
There are many more examples that I could share, but I’ll spare you. In most cases, it was someone trying to scam me as the site owner. (Someone even tried to prove that the logo I created for “The Watercolor Workshop” course was their design - even though I created it from scratch. They claimed that one of the paint splatters was their “paint splatter” from the floor of their studio. - no kidding.)
The internet is open to the world and not everyone in it is good or in the right mind. Some people are just out to entrap others. Others are looking for excuses to bring others down.
These days, there are sites that are dedicated to photo sharing. They have a process for uploading images that require users to authenticate ownership and sign away the rights for reproduction.
I don’t think I want the forum to go in this direction.
So although this is great idea, it may be overwhelming to constantly monitor images that people upload and verify ownership.
As a side note, I plan on adding “Challenges” on the forum in the future with photos that I provide. Users will be able to work from theses photos to create original art and share them on the forum.
Thank you, Matt. I did not think of those issues. Sigh… so true. . And it would all be on your shoulders. I use pixabay and pmp. Thanks for the wonderful forum. I hope it doesn’t go sour. I will try to be an asset.
＞As a side note, I plan on adding “Challenges” on the forum in the future with photos that I provide. Users will be able to work from theses photos to create original art and share them on the forum.
This is excellent, and this is, after all, what I wanted to see. I bet you will put some hard photos to work on, but otherwise it won’t be up to the name of “Challenges”, tee-hee
Thank you Maki for the wonderful photos. If I get to try one I have made a note to give you credit for the photo. The transition of colors from greens to blues will certainly be a challenge. Maybe above my skill level? But it certainly will be good practice.
. Your photos are lovely. 
. And it would all be on your shoulders. I use pixabay and pmp. Thanks for the wonderful forum. I hope it doesn’t go sour. I will try to be an asset. 
I will when I graduate to the level that I am permitted to post. I don’t think I am there?