Copyright Free Images To Paint

14 Websites For Finding Awesome Images Online for Free

Although I get my subject matter to paint from taking my own photos and from painting directly from life, I realize that not all of my students have access to take the photos of images they want to paint. To help you, I've found  websites that share copyright free images.  

Why is it important to use copyright free images? The answer is that it’s illegal to use photographers and artist’s copyrighted images for your paintings!  People think it’s okay to take images for reference off of Pinterest and Google, but the photographers and artists who’ve posted those images own the copyright to them.  Regarding artwork, it’s perfectly fine to copy the work of an artist after they’ve been deceased more than 70 years.  It’s not okay to see a current artists painting that you like and paint it yourself without their permission.  

The websites below have images that are 100% copyright free.  Please take the time to use these websites and bookmark your favorites.  It will be time well spent!  Please don't bring copyrighted photos to class to paint unless you have permission from the person who took the photo.  - Jill Saur

1.  Unsplash:  https://unsplash.com    

2.  Good Free Photos:  http://www.goodfreephotos.com

3.  Morgue File:  http://morguefile.com/archive  (You must alter the image in some way to use them.)   

4.  Pic Jumbo:  http://picjumbo.com

5. Pexels:   https://www.pexels.com