I can't always paint from my imagination or memory. Often, I need to find an example of the subject I want to illustrate, something artists call a "reference." Once I adopted a dog so I could understand dogs better. Most of the time, however, I just look at toys, photographs, or books.

For "Down by the Station," I started with the toy trains you see here. Then I found photographs of a puffer-belly and a train station. These photos became the basis for the pictures in the book.

References help you make pictures that are recognizable to other people. But you don't have to copy your references exactly. Use your imagination to embellish or transform your reference.

Look at the photographs of the train and the station. Look at the sketches.

Some things are the same, but some are different. Can you find the changes?

A) I based my first drawing on the toy train. I liked the way the giraffe stuck out of the roof. B) I drew an engine based on the toy train, and opened up the car to show the animals better. C) I found a photo of a puffer-belly in the library. D) Referring to the photo, I revised the engine, opened the car completely, and added toy trains at the end to show "puffer-bellies in a row." E) My first sketch of the train station was just a figment of my imagination! F) My next sketch more closely resembled a photo I found of an old station. Note the penny in the corner; it shows how small this sketch is. G) and H) The final station retained the simple lines in the reference photo, with the addition of a clock and arched window.

View the full "Starting from Sketch" presentation

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