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Chock · 13 October 2009, 11:03 AM

With regard to copying original paintings, I can tell you that I have done that once or twice when I was at art college, copying the works of Turner and others. It was something we were encouraged to do. It was indeed a commonplace thing for painters when learning in the past as well, but it was rarely with the intention to deceive and it was as much about observation as brushwork.

I was once commissioned to copy a work by LS Lowry (probably twenty years ago or more), that being the 1934 painting, The Organ Grinder. He often incorporated the viaduct which runs through my home town as a feature in his paintings of the industrial northern landscape, so I was certainly familiar with his haunts. On that occasion it was a straight copy, at a smaller size than the quite large original, with no intention to deceive with regard to the origins, just being something somebody wanted and asked me to create, that person having one or two Lowry originals. Of relevance is the fact that to copy the layout, I simply drew a grid over a black and white photocopy of the original from a book, and then a scaled up grid on the canvas, and sketched it all in by eye faintly, using the grid squares as reference, before largely obliterating it with a titanium white wash, so most of it had to be painted visually once the basic detail was in place. Thus there was an initial guide to paint by, but it was nevertheless done by hand and by eye, there was no projection or lenses, or anything like that involved.

That was before computers were common too, so that wasn't an option either! Most of the real work for that was done by seeing originals by Lowry and checking out the paints he used and how he laid stuff on, as I had to emulate palette brush scratches and such. I'll see if I can get a photograph of the one I did, I see it fairly regularly as it is a relative who has it hanging on their wall, and you'll agree it's a good copy, difficult to distinguish from the original, despite having been done by eye. Trust me, you can do stuff by eye and make a good copy!

Al

13 October 2009, 11:03 AM	#52 (permalink)
Chock Scout Pilot Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The grim north of England Posts: 405	With regard to copying original paintings, I can tell you that I have done that once or twice when I was at art college, copying the works of Turner and others. It was something we were encouraged to do. It was indeed a commonplace thing for painters when learning in the past as well, but it was rarely with the intention to deceive and it was as much about observation as brushwork. I was once commissioned to copy a work by LS Lowry (probably twenty years ago or more), that being the 1934 painting, The Organ Grinder. He often incorporated the viaduct which runs through my home town as a feature in his paintings of the industrial northern landscape, so I was certainly familiar with his haunts. On that occasion it was a straight copy, at a smaller size than the quite large original, with no intention to deceive with regard to the origins, just being something somebody wanted and asked me to create, that person having one or two Lowry originals. Of relevance is the fact that to copy the layout, I simply drew a grid over a black and white photocopy of the original from a book, and then a scaled up grid on the canvas, and sketched it all in by eye faintly, using the grid squares as reference, before largely obliterating it with a titanium white wash, so most of it had to be painted visually once the basic detail was in place. Thus there was an initial guide to paint by, but it was nevertheless done by hand and by eye, there was no projection or lenses, or anything like that involved. That was before computers were common too, so that wasn't an option either! Most of the real work for that was done by seeing originals by Lowry and checking out the paints he used and how he laid stuff on, as I had to emulate palette brush scratches and such. I'll see if I can get a photograph of the one I did, I see it fairly regularly as it is a relative who has it hanging on their wall, and you'll agree it's a good copy, difficult to distinguish from the original, despite having been done by eye. Trust me, you can do stuff by eye and make a good copy! Al __________________ Wiseman: When you removed the book from the cradle, did you speak the words? Ash: Yeah, basically. Wiseman: Did you speak the exact words? Ash: Look, maybe I didn't say every single little tiny syllable, no. But basically I said them, yeah.