Learning Art Through Copying
We all begin to learn from more experienced ones when we are young. We learn how to tie our shoes, we learn how to take care of ourselves, we learn about life from our parents or guardians. We learn at school through copying down notes and reading information provided to us. Well, what about art?
Copying Other People’s Art Isn’t Something New
It is reasonable then to learn art from other artists. We do this by copying. These are called ‘Master Copies’. This is a common practice done in art schools and even famous artists in the past learned through this method. We are able to learn their techniques, discern how they created their artwork and why they used these techniques in order to create an overall effect. In a previous blog, I discussed a bit about how other artists were inspired by their peer’s techniques and design elements in their artwork.
When Is Copying Not A Good Idea?
The only time that it wouldn’t be appropriate to copy is to steal someone’s artwork. Copying someone else’s work and claiming it as your own, is certainly not a new concept. Forgeries have been going on for centuries. But the point is, it’s still stealing and in the end doesn’t truly benefit anyone. However, I know that this is obvious to everyone, so that is all that I will say about this for the rest of the blog.
My Experience With Master Copies:
I have had some limited experience in creating my own copies in my sketchbook when learning about ‘Rhythm and Repetition in Art’. I had fun learning about this. It made it easier to understand why rhythm and repetition are important in a composition. And I learned how I could use this principle more in future artwork. I plan to recreate more master copies in the future to help me further my skills. Below are a couple of videos that discuss master copies and their benefits. The video by Ashleigh King is especially helpful.
My Video On: Learning Rhythm And Repetition In Art | Draw With Me | Art Practice
Ashleigh King ‘Master COPIES changed my LIFE 💫 watercolor painting + art studio decor’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-msml72kueQ
Conclusion:
Creating master copies is a useful tool in gaining experience and developing your art skills. It is definitely worth a try and you benefit through learning from the original artist and also develop a deeper appreciation for the amount of effort on the part of that artist.
What’s you experience with creating master copies? Would like you to try this method in the future?
