Art practice #4 - Learning from the old masters...

"If you can copy, you can do", according to Leonardo da Vinci. Since then, many generations of art students have been seen standing in front of 'old masters' in art galleries across the world, copying their work as part of their training.

Now, with the advent of the internet, any aspiring artist can access high quality copies to reproduce at home - and this is ideal for developing your skills. (Please note, I'm discussing copying work for your own education and practice - not to sell!! Plus, if you can go and see the originals then do - they are always better than a photograph on a screen.)

My study of 'Morning' by Fyodor Alexandrovich Vasilyev, 1872-1873

For quite some time now, I have been having fun copying such works (I try and do a couple each month if I can). But why would I do such a thing, I hear you ask?

Well, you can learn a lot from studying past paintings, especially if you study them closely. And you certainly see the painting in a lot more detail if you are having to copy it (compared to just looking for enjoyment). You can see how different artists use colour differently, how each uses composition and contrast to create striking scenes, and how they choose scenes that tell a story, or lead the eye.

A copy of John Constable's 'Dedham lock and mill' (see below) hung in my parents house for as long as I could remember. It was always there as an old landscape in the background of my daily life, and Constable is a painter I greatly admire...but if you had asked me to describe the painting in any detail I wouldn't have been able to, until I copied it and learned to love it in a way I'd never done before.

My studies of 'Fireworks in Naples' by Oswald Achenbach, 1875 (top)
and 'Dedham lock and mill' by John Constable, 1820 (bottom)

I try to keep these to roughly postcard size and give myself 60-90 minutes. Sometimes I use scrap paper or overpaint old sketches that I no longer need. I try not to feel too precious about these - that way I don't get too upset if the end result is awful, I simply have another go.

I don't give myself long because I don't want to get stuck in too much detail. Rather, I want to focus on the image as a whole. This is great for learning how artists use composition (rule of thirds, golden ratio, lines of sight etc.). It also teaches me to match, and to mix, colours quickly (a skill I've become better at by doing these regularly).

My studies of 'The thaw' by Richard Bergholz, 1897 (top) and
'Twilight. The haystacks' by Isaac Ilyich Levitan, 1899 (bottom)

These speed paintings are not too precise but that's okay, they aren't meant to be forgeries! They are exercises in observation but with a particular focus. Obviously, for me, landscapes feature heavily here (because I love to paint landscapes of my own) but you could easily look at portrait artists, fantasy art, character design, comic book art, concept art, wildlife art...the list is endless and there are many accomplished artists in each field to keep you practicing for many years to come.

My studies of 'La Dordogne' by Frits Thaulow, 1903 (top) and
'Still glides the stream, and shall forever glide' by Arthur Streeton, 1890 (bottom)

In the coming months, I will post a few more of these studies and talk about the individual works and what they've taught me or what I found interesting - so you can see the kinds of things I'm looking at when I do a study like this..

I make a point of trying to learn something from each piece I copy, and I try to remember these lessons when working on my own art. It's the closest thing I can get to having an old master sat on my shoulder, guiding me onwards to better work...

My next batch ready for paint...including works by
Achenbach, Baum, Daubigny, Bricher and Friedrich

So, if you have any artists that you greatly admire, I recommend that you have a go at this using their work. I have learnt so much since I have started these studies, including how to appreciate paintings in totally different ways. And the more I've studied, the more my skills and confidence have grown.

So take Da Vinci's advice because ..."if you can copy, you can do".