Left: The Jester Don John of Austria, Diego Velázquez. 1632–1633.
Right: Buffoon Don Juan of Austria, John Singer Sargent. 1879.
You’re six months into painting, with a couple of decent Monet studies under your belt, and you’re starting to experiment with Van Gogh’s impasto brush strokes.
A friend walks by your easel: “Oh, you’re copying again?”
That word, copying, lands like an accusation.
It doesn’t feel like “real painting,” does it? Real painters have an original vision. Real painters have their own unique style. Real painters don’t spend Tuesday afternoons recreating someone else’s portrait from 1885.
Except they do. They did. They all did.
The Helsinki Bus Station
In 2004, Finnish photographer Arno Rafael Minkkinen gave a commencement speech about Helsinki’s central bus station. He explained that dozens of bus routes: 21, 71, 58, 33, 19, all leave from the same platform. For the first kilometre, they travel the exact same road. Same stops. Same view out the window.
Then, gradually, they split. Each bus finds its own unique path through the city.
“The bus numbers might read as follows: 21, 71, 58, 33, and 19. Each bus runs the same route for a while, but then they begin to diverge. The 33 goes north, the 19 heads southwest, the 21 and 71 continue together for a few more stops and then split.” – Arno Rafael Minkkinen
It’s an analogy that applies to all creatives.
You board the bus. You start painting. Your work naturally resembles the masters who inspired you—Vermeer’s light, Velázquez’s loose brushwork, Caravaggio’s drama. Then someone (maybe your own inner critic) points this out. Panicked, you leap off the bus, grab a taxi back to the station, and try a completely different route.
You chase abstraction. Then realism. Then impressionism. Then digital art. Then back to oils, but with a different subject matter. Different palette. Different everything.
The Argument for Master Copies
Here’s the thing: copying master paintings isn’t avoiding your original voice; it’s the most direct path to finding it.
I know this because I’ve painted more master copies than any other style of work. This isn’t a quirky personal preference. This is how mastery has always worked.
How the Old Masters studied Older Masters
Leonardo & Verrocchio
The Baptism of Christ (Verrocchio and Leonardo), 1472–1475, (Detail)
Leonardo da Vinci spent years in Andrea del Verrocchio’s workshop, not painting his own revolutionary compositions, but completing sections of his master’s paintings. Giorgio Vasari (1511 – 1574) claimed that Andrea del Verrocchio gave up painting after seeing his pupil paint an angel so perfect he knew he could not compete, humbled by his student.
Leonardo learned by copying. Perfectly. Obsessively.
Michelangelo
Before the Sistine Chapel, before David, teenage Michelangelo was making drawings so similar to ancient masters that he would artificially age them and pass them off as genuine antiquities.
Delacroix and Rubens
Eugène Delacroix spent extensive time in the Louvre making copies of Rubens’ paintings. He wrote in his journals about how copying forced him to understand Rubens’ decisions.
“COPIES, COPYING. Herein lay the education of most of the great masters.” – Eugène Delacroix
Why that colour, why that composition, why that exact brushstroke. He wasn’t stealing; he was apprenticing across time.
Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh worked on the Barque plates to improve his tonal drawing skills.
Vincent van Gogh, The Sower (After Millet), 1888
He copied Millet’s “The Sower” and “The Reaper.”
Jean-François Millet, The Sower, 1850
He copied prints. He wrote to his brother Theo:
“I’m now working on copies, and I’m working with delight… it’s learning, and above all, it brings me peace.” – Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh, one of history’s most recognisable, original Impressionist painters, found peace and learning in copying.
Cézanne and Poussin
Paul Cézanne, who revolutionised painting and paved the way for Cubism, spent years studying and copying Nicolas Poussin’s classical compositions. He once said he wanted to “redo Poussin after nature.” He wasn’t abandoning originality; he was building the foundation that would later support his radical innovations. There are 21 pieces in a list of Cezanne’s oil copies from the Paul Cezanne Society
John Singer Sargent
Sargent (exhibition review) spent nearly six weeks in Madrid (October–November 1879) primarily to study and copy Velázquez’s paintings in the Prado Museum.
Manet and the Old Masters
Édouard Manet, the rebellious founder of Impressionism, spent his formative years in the Louvre copying Titian, Velázquez, and other masters. His “Olympia” and “Luncheon on the Grass” scandalised Paris precisely because he understood tradition well enough to subvert it.
The craft of copy work
It feels uncomfortable because we’ve romanticised originality. We imagine artists channelling pure creativity.
But that’s not how painting works. That’s not how any craft works.
You don’t learn guitar by writing original songs right away. You learn songs that already exist. You copy Hendrix’s riffs, Clapton’s solos, until your fingers know what good playing feels like.
You don’t learn to write by immediately penning a novel. You read thousands of pages, you study how other writers construct sentences, you might even hand-copy passages from writers you admire (Hunter S. Thompson famously typed out entire F. Scott Fitzgerald novels to feel the rhythm of great writing).
Why should painting be different?
The Path Forward
Here’s what happens if you stay on the bus:
Your paintings start to look like the masters you’re studying. You’re pleased with the painting because it looks like what you’re trying to create.
But your ego is the problem; you don’t feel the same amount of pride because they’re not uniquely yours.
But you’re painting. You’re producing volume.
You start noticing which masters resonate most with you. You’re drawn to Sargent’s painterly confidence more than Vermeer’s precise realism or vice versa. Preferences emerge. Your hand is learning.
You start making small departures. Not revolutionary ones, just slight adjustments. A colour choice that’s yours. A compositional risk you may not have taken at the beginning -now some of it is exploration.
Someone looks at your work and says, “That’s interesting. Who are you influenced by?” They can’t quite place it. Because by now, you’ve stayed on the bus long enough that your route has diverged. You’re painting in a voice that’s recognisably yours, built on a foundation of deeply understood craft.
The balance of the art of copying
But there is always a balance. You rarely find your own unique styling by only copying others. You have to go through the mistakes, the wipes-offs, the failed gallery submissions, with your own ideas. Sitting in a room with no internet, music, distractions, or external inspiration can allow you to follow your own interests, notice what you’re drawn to and follow your instincts. You don’t have to vigorously copy the exact piece; let your own artistic voice come through.
The alternative is bus-hopping. Chasing trends. Reinventing your approach every time self-doubt whispers that you’re not original enough.
Copy with curiosity
I’m not suggesting you copy forever. I’m asking you to trust the process that created every master whose work now hangs in museums.
Copy with intention. Copy with curiosity. Copy to understand, not to imitate.
And then, crucially, stay on the bus.
Keep painting. Keep studying. Keep making decisions with a brush in your hand. The divergence will come. Your style will emerge, it’s waiting for you, miles down the road you’re already on.
One of the best things I remember from the speech is that, when you reach that stage of your own originality, the first question people ask you is, “Where did it all begin?” “ Who were you first influenced by?”
And then you get to pick up all these stops of all these artists and all these things that have influenced you throughout your career.
And it’s not seen as copying anymore; It’s seen as the origin story of how your style emerged.
Here’s a Kohn gallery description of a figurative artist, William Brickel, who they exhibited in 2024: https://www.kohngallery.com/brickel
“In some ways all figurative work owes a debt to art history. Brickel’s paintings follow an illustrious path, from William Blake to the Pre-Raphaelites, to Stanley Spencer and Lucian Freud, as well as the rich tradition of English figuration. Yet, Brickel’s paintings have also been characterized as Mannerist, with figures in impossible contortions, sharing a 16th century sensibility derived from Italian artists like Pontormo and Giorgio Vasari. The strongest contemporary figurative painting distinguishes itself from the past as seen in the paintings of William Brickel.”
Notice how the inspiration ‘stops’ of the painters are listed as the journey: Vasari, Pontormo, William Blake, Pre-Raphaelites, Mannerist Style, Stanley Spencer, Lucien Freud.
Have a creative week,
Will
You Might Also Enjoy:
Book: Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon
Article: Guardian: This column will change your life: Helsinki Bus Station Theory
Will, you are an amazing teacher. I’m getting ready to paint what we call a fabulous fake for our Art League here in Hendersonville North Carolina. This recent piece you posted reassures all us artists that it’s okay to follow the Masters originals. Thank you for all you do to enrich our artistic lives! Linda
Thanks Linda, so pleased it resonated. Really hope that your painting goes well for your art league.
Will
Thank you Will, that was very well said and much appreciated.
Mike
My pleasure, Mike, so pleased you enjoyed it.
Thank you Will,
This came just at the right time. After a long pause from painting I’m in a position to again paint. But how to start? This seems the perfect ”route”. I feel like I have permission to learn in this traditional way while getting my painting mind warmed up again.
Happy new year,
Deb
So pleased to hear it Deb, yes it can be a great way to get your mind in a creative mode without the pressure of composing your own subject.
Will
Hello Will I have just read your email regarding the method of copying the masters, I often refer to certain painters to gain knowledge and improve me skills, as an amateur I always want to do better each time I paint and need that extra help as I go along. Sometimes I do feel like I am just copying when I paint from a photo I have taken or from commissions from friends and family and felt like I wasn’t really learning. But I was wrong, each time I paint I learn another way of doing something a different way or using a brush I haven’t used before or mixing a colour I didn’t think would work on a subject. I am learning and picking up new skills slowly but surely and hopefully, heading towards my own style like you say. thank you.
Hey Gail, what you describe is exactly how learning really happens. Each painting teaches you something new, whether it is brush choice, colour mixing, or simply seeing a subject a little more clearly than last time. That is not just copying, that is understanding.
Will
Heartfelt thanks to you Will. I love copying my favourite artists work – Toulouse Lautrec, Henri Martin, Hester Berry, Julian Merrow-Smith, and I sometimes feel slightly uncomfortable about it, but it is so helpful, and just pleasurable, plus we have a few copies of masterpieces hanging in our home!. So now you’ve given me permission! Brilliant! Thanks very much
Glad you’ve been enjoying them Julia, and great taste in artists!
I recall seeing the occasional young artist copying a painting in the Louvre or the Musée d’Orsay. I didn’t want to bother them, but I could have watched for hours.
That’s such a perfect example Nancy, when you slow down enough to copy with intention, you start to see decisions, not just outcomes.
Hello you all.
My account on Instagram is Petra Paints. I don’t mention this because I want followers or likes but for all you to have a look in my art adventure which is quite chaotic. I started out with watercolor followed by gouache. Then acrylics, oils etc. I have every art medium and I can even divide each medium into different brands. I have Schmincke, White Nights, Prismacolors, Faber Castell, Caran d’Ache, Rembrandt; I really can shop in my own little studio because I love everything what a good artist can make.
As you can guess, my progress is really slow. I’m still learning the basics and still today I was doing the value scale with the jar in your e-book which I purchased recently (I finished the clementines) and still the value scale was not correct! Value 4 is darker than value 5 by example. The highlight on the clementines is too bright and too big. So even simple paintings are difficult for me to realize as I’m always everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
That’s the reason why I don’t have my own style and I was also quite deceived of my own slow progress and always copying other artists.
Thanks to your courses I feel I’m finally progressing and even though copying your art, I feel like this is the right thing for me to do in my art journey. So thank you for this lovely article and talking about this taboo topic. Thank you also for making art accessible for us all. I love the impressionist style so I will hang around here for other courses too :)
That’s so great to hear Petra, glad you’re seeing progress in your paintings, and spotting areas that can be tweaked.
Will
That was interesting and inspiring, Will! Thank you for studying these masters to learn all this information. I’m a watercolorist, but the same applies.
Sure does Donna, glad you enjoyed it.
Will
Hi Will
Thanks so much for this! It’s great to have it reiterated that we’re LEARNING from the Masters; I like to think that at some point in his life, Sargent was at a beginning, learning to handle a pencil. This thought keeps me from giving up on the hard days when my lines and shadows have minds of their own!
Ha, ha, yes, lines and shadows having minds of their own feels very apt!
Thank you Will, very well written and an excellent supportive narrative for those who have decided to go back to painting after a long break. Knowing where to start is overwhelming, but going back to the artists who have always inspired me will help me to progress onwards. A great read.
So pleased to hear that Ellie, enjoy your journey of creative stops!
Hi Will, thank you so much for this. I’m going to have a go as I love Van Gogh. So here is to learning . Thank you again for your energy and encouragement. Kind regards Giselle
Good luck with your Van Gogh Mastercopy Giselle!
So true. But you are not an artist until you make your own paintings
You’re an artist the moment you commit to the act of making. Making your own paintings doesn’t mean inventing everything from nothing, it means choosing to learn through doing. Original work grows out of that process, not before it.
I will confess I mostly draw. I took my first drawing class at age 12 (I’m 62) and I’ve taken every one of your drawing courses and found them excellent. I keep saying I need to learn to paint but pencils and (slowly) pens seem to be my happy place. I was just leafing through a book of Rembrandt‘s drawings; in particular, a chapter titled Copies of Works of Art. In it was a collection of chalk and ink copies of masterworks. Do you think there would be any value for me translating famous paintings into black and white drawings or should I focus on just copying famous drawings? I have to admit I get super fascinated by something as simple as an artist’s choice of line and I ADORE Han Holbein’s portrait drawings. And by the way, this article was excellent.
Hey Kathy, yes, absolutely. Drawing in graphite, you are forced to answer questions the original work disguises with colour.
You must decide:
What is structurally important and what is incidental?
How values are organised beneath the colour?
How form is carried by light rather than hue?
These are all immensely helpful, yes, always partial to a Holbein sketch!
Will
Hello Will!
I really appreciated your thoughtful reply. I think I understand what you mean. Last summer I checked out a book from the library titled Hopper’s Drawings. Hopper made most of the drawings prior to painting the finished painting. I can see where doing a pencil study “in reverse” could be very beneficial and help me really understanding how these paintings “work”. I picked a favorite Rembrandt and Sargent to start. Maybe these copy exercises will make me less fearful of color. It’s funny but when I looked at one of Sargent’s watercolors just now, certain lines of paint seem to eerily resemble the distinct mark making of his drawings. I hate to admit it but your beginning acrylic course has been sitting in my inbox for over a year. All about my anxiety of falling off the cliff into color and losing my pencil:))
Kathy
Will,
As a long time student of yours I continue to be impressed, not only by your accessibility but your ability to hone in on issues that affect every amateur artist. This post on copying the masters is one of your best. Encouragement and permission are two traits that I believe great teachers use to move their students forward. Thank you
Hey Matt, thank you so much. That really means a lot, especially coming from someone who’s been learning alongside me for such a long time. I’m very glad the post resonated, and I appreciate you taking the time to share that.
Will
A lovely article Will, that is exactly how one learns I now feel a collective sense of complete vindication!
Thank you
Alasdair McDonald
So pleased to hear that Alasdair.
Very encouraging article!
Thank you Will. My paint brushes are in a draw bored to death. My paints have almost forgotten what daylight is. Your post has inspired me and my brushes and paints will be very grateful.
Jillx
That’s great to heat Jill
Will, an excellent article and inspiring!
Thanks Sharon
Thanks Will your writings are always inspirational as well as being educational.
Always enjoy the effort researching that you put into your work.
Look forward to more of your writings and observations into the future!
Very much appreciated Ron, glad you enjoyed it.
Will
Thanks for sharing this interesting article Will! And for the encouragement to stay on the bus! Very helpful advice about not letting your own insecurities or unhelpful comments from others knock you off course – instead stay at it, including gaining insight and skills from copying the work of accomplished artists.
My pleasure Paul,so pleased you enjoyed it.
Will
Thanks Will, as an earlier post says, I feel like you have given me ‘permission’ to copy. I enjoy doing your lessons immensely and recently, tried to reproduce a loose watercolour work by an Australian botanical artist using acrylics utilising the skills I learnt from your Modern Stilllife lessons. Although it was ‘copying’ , I still felt a sense of ownership. You are always inspiring and encouraging. Thank you!
Yes exactly that Julie-Ann, you can take one lesson that you’ve learned and then put it on to another artist and the more you progress the more you’ll develop your own sense of style and knowledge.
Will
I concur with your excellent post. I am currently painting Winter Landscapes for a u3a Group ‘Winter’ Project. Sometimes I use photographs but recently taken to copy other artists Winter Impressionist work such as :-
– Monet ‘The Magpie’
– Aldro Hibbard – Plein Aire – Rockport,Maine and New Hampshire, USA
– Fern Isobel Coppedge – Plein Aire – ‘Lumberville-in-Snow’, Bucks Co, Penn. USA
The most I have learnt and enjoyed from these artists are the ‘rich colour palettes’ within the winter snow landscapes and the way winter lights brings out colour patterns in white snow. I now look forward to learning more in the future from our respective artist peers on other subjects.
Our next u3a Group project is ‘Life Drawing’ in March
Keep up your good work
Thanks Keith, sounds like you’re on a roll with the Winter Scenes, glad you’ve been enjoying them.
Will
Thanks for this article Will as it is a great reminder that by copying we learn. As babies/toddlers, we learnt how to walk, talk and eat by ourselves by looking, copying, being shown and learning. So why do we feel it’s not ok if we copy artworks from artists whose works we love when we’re learning? As you’ve pointed out in your article, it’s a great way to learn and find our own style…my problem is that I love the works of a huge of variety of artists from realist to abstract! I’ll be going a loooong time before I find my own style!! :)
So true Connie.
What a very interesting article Will, it should inspire us all. At 90 years old one does need some extra therapy to be inspired. So I shall now start a new chapter and hope it is on the correct bus route. Thanks again. Best regards
Norman
Sounds a great plan Norman, even if its temporarily the wrong bus stop, it’s the staying on the matters!
Hi Will, I have spent the last 3 weeks on the beginners Oils course trying to copy you!
I feel so lucky to be able to watch you colour mix, prepare and paint from scratch.
So far I have copied 6 versions of your jug painting and three of your Cup.
I would have probably worked out what to do myself in the end but after a couple of years, not weeks. Many thanks, the course is really enjoyable and I am already getting to the point where I feel I want to paint my own jug, my cup etc. Am staying on the bus.
Perfect stuff Daisy, thank you for sharing this, it’s such a good description of how learning really works.
What you’ve done over the last few weeks is exactly the point of working with a teacher. You’re not skipping the thinking, you’re speeding up the feedback loop. Seeing the colour mixing, the preparation, and the decisions made in real time compresses years of trial and error into weeks.
That moment where you feel the urge to paint your own jug or your own cup is the signal that the learning has landed. Copying builds understanding, and understanding creates the freedom to compose for yourself.
Will
Thanks Will – that’s very reassuring – I’ve always loved Singer Sargent but felt a bit guilty copying him! I find your teaching the clearest and most inspiring of any art teachers I’ve tried. Thanks also for your background travels to art galleries etc
Thanks so much Bonnie, very kind of you to say so.
I loved reading this post, really resonated with what I’ve been trying to do, trying to break away and gradually it’s been happening. It is just like a bus journey or any other journey – you don’t know where the next turn or branch will lead you necessarily or intentionally maybe we actually do?!
So pleased it was in alignment to what you’ve been experiencing yourself Christine.
Will
Great article Will. Very informative. Thanks
Cheers Terry!
Thanks so much for this! It’s really brightened my Saturday morning. I haven’t blamed myself for copying things, but now I’m celebrating! I do my own stuff as well but I have copied Klee and Klimt and you of course, and a few others. Years ago, I even got a children’s book from the Pompidou Centre entitled Dessiner Avec and it showed you step by step how to do some simple pictures! It really got me started, and I learnt loads from seeing what they must have done and in what order. Our hands and eyes and minds learn what to do from all the practice. I don’t see why anyone should feel ashamed of their artistic endeavours.
Hey Catherine, so pleased you’ve changed the blame to a celebration. That’s absolutely fantastic to hear!
Will
I agree with the comment that you are an amazing teacher. Thank you so much for this article. I have always felt a bit in adequate because I tend to copy. But I have noticed, as you suggested that you will eventually diverge a little bit change a color change a little bit of a technique as You develop your own personal style and that’s exactly what has happened with me. It all makes sense now because of this wonderful article. Thank you so much for your wisdom and generosity.
Very much appreciated, Kathleen. Thanks so much for your kind comments.
Will
That was a nice read! Thank you very much for sharing. You’re not only talented as painter but to as teacher and blogger! – Trudy
Very kind of you to say so, Trudy. So pleased you enjoyed it.
Will
Hi Will,
Good to know. I’ve copied many times and each time it felt productive, so didn’t think it was a waste of time. In addition to the painting portion of it, I’ve noticed that it feels like I’m somewhat getting inside of artist’s head. It also forces me to factor the time the art was created, and I think many of the artists you mentioned were alive during the Little Ice Age. I enjoy your posts … deepens my understanding. -Laura
Thank you again Will! You are really an amazing teacher, also very kindhearted! You always share and teach us something interesting. And as a Finn myself, and a big fan of A. Minkkinen, this was especially close to heart and cool to read.
Really, thank you for your good work! Highly respected!
– Petra
So pleased the article resonated with you Petra. Thanks for your kind words.
Cheers,
Will
This came at the right time. I was feeling less than because of copying your Monet painting and other copies of various prints and photos. But I learned so much and as I pass by “my” Monet I’m quite thrilled with it. I’d love to do more and hope you’ll have another “masterpiece” soon. It’s inspired me to get painting again. Btw everyone who sees it thinks it’s brilliant. Your messages always hit home and I’d love to send it to you. Thanks
Carol in California.
Hey Carol, so please you enjoyed the Monet course and and even better that other people respond so positively to it. Often we are far harder on ourselves than anyone else ever would be. Glad you’re feeling inspired in your practice.
Will
I find it interesting that this is one of the physical artistic fields where ‘copying’ is frowned upon. No one goes up to a guitarist and says “oh, you’re copying Van Halen again” or an actor and tells them they need to be themselves, not Hamlet.
I would like to know, do you think it helps to learn to paint tightly prior to going more loose/impressionistic? I’ve gotten through the intro to acrylics course, and not really happy with the results, they feel more messy than loose. At the same time, if I’m tight and controlled, it looks like paint by numbers. I think the first observation is based on my stylistic expectation, the second based on my still limited skill with the paint. Should I just keep toward the more controlled attempts, until my control and range improves with the paint and my mark making is more ‘accurate’?
Thanks again for the great courses. I plan to go through the basic course again and then branch out. My personal goal is still life and then portraiture and figure work in acrylics.
Hey Jonathan, Yes, in my experience, learning to paint with control first does tend to make loose painting much stronger later on. What often looks “loose” on the surface is actually controlled simplification underneath. Messy, on the other hand, usually comes from uncertainty. At a glance they can look quite similar, but structurally they are completely different.
Will