Christmas Portrait Photo-set Special: Santa Claus (Patreon)

As part of our new seasonal photo-set series we present our 2023 Christmas Special: Santa Claus! The folkloric figure of Santa Claus takes his name from Sinterklass, a Dutch version of St. Nicholas, the Greek Christian bishop in 4th-century Lycia (now Turkey). Over the 20th & 21st centuries his identity has been combined with a range of pan-European traditions, creating a multifaceted gift-giver with magical transport and a penchant for brandy.  

In this portrait photoset we present three full rotations to draw, paint or sculpt the big man from a range of angles as well as a series of expressive portraits. Our aim was to lean fully into the contemporary American cliché of a Coca-cola swigging, big-rig driving, ruddy-cheeked man in a fur trimmed red coat, providing reference imagery for anybody keen to portray him in the manner of J.C Leyendecker or Norman Rockwell. In future years we'll be providing reference images of more of the stereotypes of the festive season as well as presenting reference images that explore the deeper traditions which underpin the mythology of this festive figurehead. 

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About the model

• You can follow Doug on Instagram HERE 
• Doug is an actor & writer and annually dons the red-and-white for the delight of Brighton residents, and now - us! 

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About the photos

• This photoset was shot by Justyna Neryng - you can buy or commission photosets from her directly HERE
• You can follow Justyna on Instagram HERE
• For the full list of winter release dates, have a look at our teaser photo-set HERE 

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Use the Draw Patreon Navigator to find any of our past photosets and take a look at our blogs on how to gather, manipulate and translate photo reference.

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Guidelines for using the photographs

Please do:

• Download these pictures to your own computers and devices, downloading the Zip files for all images, or saving individual photos.
• Use the pictures to draw, paint, print and sculpt from, being as realistic or creative as you like
• Share the artwork you’ve made with us and the world - in books, in exhibitions, on social media, or on your fridge
• Tag us in work you make (@drawbrighton / #drawbrighton) – you don’t have to, but we love to see what you’ve made!
• Edit the photo files as reference for your own drawings - you can change the contrasts, colours and backgrounds to provide more tailored reference for yourself.

Please don't:

• Share these pictures with anybody else – they are between you and us
• Share the photos themselves online – thanks for respecting our models’ privacy
• Include photos themselves in artwork – we want to see original work you’ve made

Thanks!