Why Acrylic Painters Should Always Modify Their Reference Photos

Here's a quick Acrylic Painting tip. One thing I see Acrylic artists - especially new artists - do all the time is choose a reference photo then skip straight to painting. The problem with this is that a scene can often go from a 6/10 to a 9/10 with a few small tweaks to the design via thumbnail sketch.

Reference Photo Adjustment Demonstration

Here is a picture I took two Octobers ago:

This was a beautiful scene by itself but I thought to myself 'I bet I could make it a bit more beautiful with a few small adjustments. The first thing I knew I wanted to do is get rid of the road.

I brought the treeline down and continued the snow bank you see on the right and left. I added a bit more color to the snow to add some variety as well.

thumbnail sketch view of a mountain range

Next I wanted to break up the line between the foreground and the background. So, I added some trees to the scene like so.

thumbnail sketch view of a mountain range with acrylic tree

Then I thought, wouldn't it be kinda nice if there was some sun hitting the trees and snow in the front? So I added some sunlight on those trees and the snow.

Eventually I ended up with this finished design in Photoshop:

I really liked it and think it looked better than the original reference photo. It only took me a few minutes of time and some creativity! As far as composition goes, I trying to create a flow through the painting that looked something like this:

My thinking is that your eye would be drawn to the trees first, brought down to the highlights in the snow, led through the foreground by the break in the trees, up to the highlights on the top of the trees then finally to the mountains. I was trying to create a magical journey through my painting!

You don't HAVE to have a fancy program like Photoshop to make tweaks to your reference photo. The easiest way to do this only requires a pencil and something to draw on. It's called a thumbnail sketch and we have a video that goes into more depth about it right here.

You don't HAVE to have a fancy program like Photoshop to make tweaks to your reference photo. The easiest way to do this only requires a pencil and something to draw on.

Programs for Modifying Reference Photos

If you do have access to a computer and want to modify your photos on the computer, you can use any of these programs:

Photoshop (for Windows and Mac)
Procreate (for Apple iPad)
Clip Studio Paint (For Mac or iPad)
Adobe Fresco (for Windows PCs)
Microsoft Paint (for Windows PCs)
Paint.NET (for Windows and Mac)
FireAlpaca (for Windows and Mac)

If you found this helpful, share this with a friend who might benefit from this! Take control of your paintings and let your creativity run wild. Create the scene YOU want to paint!

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Acrylic Painting Supplies for ABSOLUTE Beginners!

By Jed Dorsey • February 8, 2025

Essential Tools for Acrylic Painters Acrylic painting is one of the most versatile and accessible forms of painting. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced artist, having the right tools can make all the difference in your creative process. In this post, we'll go over the essential supplies every acrylic painter should have if you're a TOTAL beginner. Even if you're used to Acrylic Painting, you'll learn a lot from this! There's a lot of unhelpful information out there that makes it seem like it's more difficult to figure out than it actually is. There's only a few supplies you need and you're all set to master Acrylic paints 1. Acrylic Paints Student vs. Artist Grade Paints There are two main types of acrylic paints: student grade and artist grade . Student-grade paints are more affordable and work well for beginners, but they contain less pigment and more filler, which can result in weaker colors. Artist-grade paints have a higher concentration of pigment, providing richer, more vibrant colors and better mixing capabilities.