I have a saying : “Beautiful Model, Beautiful Painting!” and it doesn’t just mean that you need to only hire attractive models, it’s much more general than that : a beautiful vase, a beautiful jewel, a beautiful photo, a beautiful flower… For realism, having a good model to look at as a reference makes it a lot easier to make a successful painting. So what’s the best model to place next to your easel?

With modern technology, the options have multiplied. You can paint from screens, prints, still lives, or live models — each with their advantages and limitations.

So what’s the best model to place next to your easel?

What are the Best Models for a Painter?

📱 1. The Screen (Digital Reference)

The first thing one can think of is the screen, it can be a computer monitor, a tablet or - even better and more fancy - a digital painting screen that you can use with a stylus.

The Screen is great for its versatility and can help with more than just realism.

Pros: Always available, easy to zoom in, adjust contrast, or crop for composition. With a digital tablet, you can retouch your photos or paint digitally to adjust. You can store thousands of references and the possibilities are endless.
Cons: Screens emit light, meaning colors and values will shift compared to real life. They can also flatten depth perception. A poorly color graded screen makes it very hard to judge colors and you can find a little bit of everything.

Best for: Screens are excellent for quick access and experimentation. If you want to practice compositional thumbnails, color notes, or simply make a collage of several photos together, working from a digital reference is convenient and efficient. Since you can crop and adjust the image on the fly, it’s particularly useful for exploring variations before committing to a painting. The only problem is that the model always somehow feels like it lives in its own separate world.

🖼️ 2. The Print (Photographs on Paper)

To have a more palpable version of your photo model, the best option is to print it and, if possible to the desired size that you can place right next to your canvas.

The print is great for placing right next to your canvas. For larger sizes, they become more limited but still useful during prep work.

Pros: Stable, non-glowing reference — truer to the light context of your easel than a backlit screen that emits it’s own light, making it easier to judge subtle relationships in tone.
Cons: Still a flat source, with the limitations of a printer. Some say the printer can only produce a washed off version of the image on screen. Plus, printers are pure evil and somehow always run out of magenta so, unless you pay for high end professional printing, good luck getting reliable good quality prints for your paintings.

Best for: For painters, prints are mostly useful for proportion and values. If you can, print a photo the the desired size of your canvas (if needed, using a poster-making application). Prints are very helpful for preparatory work but, ultimately, the colors of your printer will pale in comparison to your paints. But still, in the painting process, they have their use, they allow you to pin references next to your easel and step back, training your eye the same way you would with a live subject.

🍎 3. Still Life (Objects in the Studio)

Real painters paint real things, they always have and the still life is the art form that exemplifies this the most.

Setting up a still life in a black box is an art form of its own. It's the best way to paint small objects.

Pros: Real depth, real light, and the ability to walk around and see changing relationships. With agood black box, you control the setup: background, color, and lighting.
Cons: Static and limited — objects won’t move, which is both a blessing and a curse. You don’t get as much possibility for imaginary elements and special effect as with a digital tablet.

Best for: The process of putting a still life together in an art form of its own. Once you’ve got your model in place, you can study how real light behaves across form, color, and texture, and they give you full control over the arrangement. By adjusting your setup — for example, changing the light source or background color — you can train yourself to see how context changes appearance. Still lifes are perfect for practicing color mixing, edge control, and developing patience with observation. All painters should have a still life box in their studio, it’s absolutely necessary.

👤 4. The Live Model

Live model sessions are the foundation of classical training for a reason. They force you to capture the essence of life — gesture, weight, subtlety of form, and individuality.

Not that you can't capture the life of a model from a photo... but there is something unique about working from a live model.

Pros: The gold standard. Nothing teaches more about structure, proportion, and vitality than working from life. Subtle color, atmosphere, and depth are all there.
Cons: Expensive, time-limited, and models move (even when trying not to). Requires more patience and preparation. If you hire actual models, it’s also costly.

Best for: The very best way to improve at painting the human form is with actual human models. Because a live model breathes and shifts, you learn to adapt, prioritize, and make artistic decisions rather than copying mechanically. This experience develops not only accuracy, but also vitality and expressiveness in your work, qualities that photos alone cannot teach. Of course, it’s not for everyone and not all your painting sessions can be with a model.

So, in the end, what model should you get?

Why not all of them?

No single model is “the best.” They all have their advantages depending on the context. For example, you might want to nail the proportions with a print and then trust your screen for mixing and color accuracy. Or might have a model for only one day, take photos and finish with photos on your screen.

The screen is the go to model source for the modern painter as it’s versatile and easy to use.
The print is good for proportions, value judgment and preparation.
The still life is an art form of its own and if you want to paint a small object, there’s no reason to use anything else.
The live model is the pinnacle of painting the moment, it teaches gesture, vitality, and truth.

A painter grows fastest by cycling through all of them, not relying on only one.