Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Copy

I was talking to a young artist recently who told me she never copied, suggesting that it is an incorrect method. I couldn't disagree more, copy everything that you like (don't take credit for it as your own though), the best thing in the world is to learn from the best. Copying forces you to observe closely enough that you actually learn what the artist was doing.

This is a copy of a Russian figure drawing artist from a very good book I recently purchased, done with my .3 mechanical pencil in my sketchbook.

10 comments:

Erik Melander said...

I'm curious, what size is your sketchbook?
And I am happy that you are ok with copying since I've been trying to figure out your way of pencil crosshatching that way (which I find amazing by the way).

Wesley Chandler said...

Your right, copying can allow you to learn a lot more from an artist than just mere looking at it. Its funny though, how far people in south east Asia had taken to that.

Take a look at my friends demo reel

Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Cf6LLlJxTs

Copied: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNzX7ECneD8&NR=1

Mary Bullock said...

I agree with you - you can learn so much from copying. When I go to an art museum, I take a sketch book to copy from the masters - like Maxfield Parrish and Alphonse Mucha. So helpful!

Robin said...

great work! i saw the original. very good copy, very much like the original yet still your own, with the sharp corners and loose pencil. as always, Mr. Malan, excellent work!

Damion009 said...

#__#

Anonymous said...

Beautiful drawing! And, as everyone on comments, I totally agree about copies.

But, we can't forget the "evil-copy"... Those on internet who steals our art. This one I really disagree.

Hugs,
Tati

PEREZ FINE ART GALLERIES said...

Great artist!

Emmanuel Briand said...

Great ! Bravo

Unknown said...

DAVID MALAN, that spectacle of movement in his pencil drawings.
Style for a few, large domain and shadow lines.

Jala Pfaff said...

This is great, and I agree. I don't do enough of it myself.