How to Paint a Master Study: Learning Painterly Brushwork from John Singer Sargent

[@alexisgraffice4559]

I’m very thankful to have had my time in undergrad be VERY master focused. Even whenever we started a new project where we were to make an original, we would look at inspiration from a ton of artists doing similar subject matter. My sketchbooks had to have 40% master studies. I love everything you said about the importance of this. My professor said that it’s essential to study and learn from our masters, they are our art ancestors. There’s pieces of them that live on through us.. and I just find that so so beautiful.

[@debbiejohnson2789]

That was wonderful for you. I wish I had gone where you did! I’m glad you had such in depth study and experience where you went!

[@tpitman]

Loved your remarks about musicians learning by practicing music written by others and an artist's tendency to think original work is the only valid method of practice. The brushwork in your rendering of the "wrap" in your copy here reminded me very much of Sargent's brushwork in his watercolors. Thanks for posting!

[@paulklein8831]

I don't agree with this. If you want to listen a Bach's musical piece, you need great musicians to recreate his magic: just looking at the music score is not enough. On the contrary, a painting (as long as it is in good condition) don't need to be reproduce. You just need to go to a museum and watch it.

[@debbiejohnson2789]

@@paulklein8831 you have to experience and practice painting to get an understanding of how to do it. All the master painters of whose work you see in museums learned from other masters before them. You can’t t get a decent painting by just looking at other art. Yes, that’s where you start , but you must practice and practice, just like with playing a musical instrument or singing!

[@daviller74]

for the past few years I've been creating a lot of work, and even sold some. But a few months ago, I took on a commission. It has sapped me. The customer had a very limited and vague idea of what he wants and the only specific detail he provided was the size of the painting, which is the largest canvas painting I've ever done. This painting is almost entirely palette knife work and I use a very strictly limited palette as well which has worked well for me in terms of color mixing. But I've been stuck, having completed about 75% of the painting, I've just stalled in a way I never have before. Watching this video has made me realize what it is that I am missing and how much I want to get back to painting. I miss brushes and brush work, and I truly love Sargent's work, so much so that his paintings are the ones I seek out immediately whenever I visit a museum, almost as if I'm collecting them by having seen them with my eyes. So I will double down my efforts now to finish this painting so I can get back to what I most love to do. Thank you Chelsea, for talking me through this. Watching you paint has always served as inspiration and has me going back in times like these.

[@rozzierat]

I cannot tell you how consistently helpful your videos are. I’m a middle aged guy trying to pick back up on a hobby I loved as a kid, and everything you say resonates so well. Thank you.

[@BlackKettleRanch]

You're a good, clear, intelligent speaker.

[@jayjay-bz3rr]

“ I don’t need to achieve perfection in order to be finished.” Thank you.

[@Kathysart]

I love that you pointed out Sargent leaving things more undone than you thought before. Wow, watching this I see that too! Huge release from tight painting and wanting to scream in the middle of it.

[@martimajor4766]

I love how you generously share your wisdom , skill and talent. Am so grateful.

[@meldixon1918]

“When we go through the literal motions of master artists” ❤

[@maggiefulop]

thank you so much for this incredible video! as a classical musician who just starting out oil painting, i love that there are others out there who value technical skill as much as creativity. it’s so nice to know that u can translate skills i’ve acquired from playing violin to mediums like paint

[@anilvinayakan1701]

That was amazing ! I started painting after seeing Sargent's paintings at Chicago art institute. I found this video very inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing your talent.

[@robinbartky3181]

This was such a helpful video to watch! It clearly demonstrates exactly how Chelsea Lang teaches and helps students improve on the skills they need to learn. I find that the key elements in how to develop integral skills are so clearly and directly expressed and demonstrated by Ms. Lang's mentoring. The two artists that I am most inspired by currently are Daniel Keyes and Chelsea Lang. Since starting the Alla Prima program, I am moving from being fearful and hesitant in painting consistently (because I lacked confidence) to now being excited to start my next painting day! I consider myself extremely fortunate to be learning from her. For those of you who are considering Chelsea Lang's mentoring, I would strongly recommend reaching out to Chelsea and explore the fit that you might be searching for! I've experienced my skills expanding quickly because of her teaching methods. The idea of working on master studies really does build key skills in becoming much more proficient in many aspects of painting! And that is only one aspect of her teaching style, she imparts a wealth of support and teaching methods that I found very difficult to find in other truly exceptional mentors/painters!

[@damienkearns3654]

Love John Singer Sargent, one of my favourites. Love Master Copies too and also painting in the style of. So much to learn.

[@trashbug4843]

This video was so needed, thank you so much, I had been thinking about this lately. To become a great choreographer you usually need to be a part of a dance studio, learning the choreographies of others for quite some time. Whenever I listen to a lot of a certain genre for a while, I find myself coming up with songs that follow their structure.

[@donnatabor8445]

Thank you for lighting the way. I hadn’t known how much I needed to hear what you have said in your videos. I feel fortunate to have found you.

[@sayusayme7729]

Thank you, just beginning. Makes perfect sense 🎆

[@kramollag]

Just excellent, thank you so much. The concert violinist analogy was excellent and spot on! Anytime I feel like I've reached a plateau I will do a master study and always come away feeling fresh. Thanks again.

[@meredith7236]

Iove this sergeant painting cos of the succulent material and the atmosphere

[@harryainsworth6923]

omg omg, as a self taught painter, whos trying to copy sargents style, these videos are insanely helpful, thankyou so much

[@incognito3620]

Sargent. Best example. I copy him…and others…to learn. Good video

[@abigailh4109]

You did a beautiful job!

[@karib3909]

Talk about perfect timing! I recently have been wanting to do some Sargent master copies and decided to watch how other artists do it and this video happened to show up! Great video! 👍

[@normanbon]

Love what your said here and its going in my list of quotes: “…how simply he would render certain parts of the painting and how things like having really accurate color and value and having the overall proportions hold together really strongly allows him to get away with much more looser, heavily textured and evocative brushwork.” I think you're really onto something there. Part of me learning to paint is discovering what's important to put careful attention toward. I often put energy into things that don't matter or are worse than useless....i.e., Details!

[@gabriellanowicki856]

Collaboration is key! What a lovely approach to being kinder to ourselves as artists, and learning from the past. Beautiful work!

[@Idahadleyart]

this video is just amazing....i think your painting was gorgeous. So close to Sargents. Thank u for the info regarding photo source.

[@michaeljohnangel6359]

Excellent, Chelsea!!! Well done! In the past centuries, students were required to learn by copying their, or other, masters. Once certain aspects were learned, the student would then start to apply what they'd learned to paintings of their own. Today, most schools teach it the other way around (if they teach copy studies at all!!), which is why their paintings are so bad (from the Realist's point of view).

[@S___________D]

Maestro, I'm grateful that you exist and did not expect to see you here. My dream is to attempt the Florence Academy of Art one day. Until then, I've got a question: I have a few studies on Anders Zorn and got some offers on them but never intended to sell them - is it moral to sell them as long as they've got my signature?

[@michaeljohnangel6359]

@@S___________D It is definitely moral to sell signed studies of the Old People's paintings. It was standard practice among artists in the old days-it's how they made a part of their income (particularly students and apprentices). Buyers would often commission copies from students.

[@debbiejohnson2789]

Michael John Angel, you said that so well and it is so true.

[@S___________D]

@@michaeljohnangel6359 Thank you so much for your reply! I wish you all the best!

[@patriziaarroyo5976]

I am a trained scenic artist from the Opera in Berlin and we do mostly master copies in out apprentice ship (3 years) :-), only difference is the scale, we scale it large ;-)

[@NMranchhand]

This is so true and so overlooked by modern people. Mort Walker (Beetle Bailey’s creator) was a big proponent of learning to execute the work of an artist one admires. He invited and encouraged people to learn to copy the Beetle characters and was entirely dismissive of the idea that it would stifle the creation of one’s own original style. He said that a student’s own style couldn’t help but develop as a natural consequences of this type of work since, after mastery of another’s artwork, “better” ways to do things would occur to the practitioner or be discovered by accident and eventually replace the copied techniques.

[@AvtarSingh-ey1my]

Absolutely great work thanks for sharing God bless you 🌹💝

[@jessikakearns3506]

Chelsea, this was wonderful. I began in studio art - sculpture and drawing specifically - and never took a painting course. Now I mainly paint. I'm learning on the wing and I've been eyeing my old textbooks with so many pieces that inspired me years ago, thinking of trying out some mastercopies for the fun and thrill of it, but also for the invaluable learning. I love how you broke this down. One of my term papers was on Sargent, so he's extra close to my heart and I really enjoyed this.

[@savedraven5096]

Your artwork is BEAUTIFUL! What is the ( who) source providing the commentary in your dialog? Is it You tube, or a specific company? It was excellent!

[@motlba]

I love Dargent's work, magnificent work.👌👏

[@aletabarker]

Awesome Chelsea thanks for this video!

[@garybarker6994]

This is so helpful! Thank you. Master studies have been so important to me in my growing as a painter. I recently attempted a Sargent and didn't do all the wonderful prep you talk about. I knew a lot about Sargent and his methods, but was so busy messing with my different sizes and shapes and a much too complicated painting to let Sargent's wisdom begin to sink in my muscle and vision. I learned some good things, but I would have learned so much more and been able to enjoy the work without all my frustration if I had seen this first. Now it's time to try again! Just a different painting and prep for me this time! Thank you!!!

[@grahamemolloy3510]

Once again. Thank you.

[@meredith7236]

You did a brilliant job bravo

[@almonick6417]

Great great video and painting. Eye opener

[@rajagopalanravindran7619]

❤🙏 Thank you for sharing & for your very insightful & valuable tips ❤️🙏

[@donaldcouchie646]

Very enlightening. Thank you for sharing your talent and insight.

[@giovanni5634]

Bravissima chelsea!!

[@ludmilaverite3627]

Ваше видео и мастерство СУПЕР - класс 👍👍👍👑. От просмотра Вашего видео я получила большое наслаждение и, кроме того, я как будто находилась в Вашей студии вместе с Вами и было такое ощущение, что я копирую картину одновременно вместе с Вами . БОЛЬШОЕ СПАСИБО за видео ! Вы СУПЕР МАСТЕР - КЛАСС 👍👍👍👑 . Всех Вам жизненных БЛАГ и БОЛЬШИХ творческих УСПЕХОВ и ДОСТИЖЕНИЙ ! 💟💟💟👍👍👍😉

[@DreamingCatStudio]

Thank you for these important insights. I’m just about to embark on a year-long online art program, and feel like your thoughts are exactly what I need to approach painting in a way that will work for me. I loved the comparison to professional musicians! I played classical piano for many years, and you’re absolutely right-there was a right way to play those pieces, so we had something definite to aim for, whereas with original art it’s much more complicated. That one insight is gold. Thank you!

[@quinlotus2927]

Thank you! I will try this practice. :)

[@matmacmillan5147]

Great insight and advice. Great work too! Thanks.

[@aleistershiranui199]

Amazinc video and very helpful thoughts!!! :)

[@shreyadahale5232]

Your videos are really helpful. Thank you so much!!! ❤❤

[@bomfimribeiro9516]

Você é uma grande artista! Você teve um mestre?

[@mugwart99]

I'm doing a Solomon Solomon one now - its taking me months to do it because I discovered I'm terrified of working on it! Got a Waterhouse and Drapers lined up but I fear this Solomon is going to take me a looooong time as I'm trying to study a lot in this masterstudy. Thanks for the video

[@alexlynn7219]

Thanks so much for that. Coincidentally Repose is the only master study I've done. Loved the process - so educational.

[@tosteson1]

Incredible insight and commentary. Thanks so much!

[@PaulRansonArt]

Thank you Chelsea for a wonderful video. Your comparison of musicians and artists really struck a cord with me ( pun intended 😊) I look forward to seeing more of your insights into the world of art and painting - Paul

[@debbiejohnson2789]

Yes, you’re not kidding about in school not doing enough master studies!. I went to university art school where we weren’t taught any technique much at all. How are students going to learn these things if not from the teacher, or the masters? I kept thinking as a student it was going to get better. We were like the blind leading the blind for all we learned! I guess the most we learned was from critiques after the fact, rather than learning the proper skills to create something worthwhile and good. I learned more from colleagues after graduation than from any so called professor of art I ever had!! It still makes me mad to this day because I felt very cheated. I guess what I was looking for in reality were private classes from a real expert! My daughter is an adjunct professor of art in a major school and I have told her to please teach her students some techniques to develop their skills as artists!

[@saraswatisky3119]

Technique should be part of art education. I'm surprised to learn it isn't. So, what is taught, instead?

[@debbiejohnson2789]

@@saraswatisky3119 yes, it should be. I just feel that I got very little of it. In 1 particular class, the teacher told us to do a self portrait, which we didn’t even begin in class. When we arrived the next time, he told us to put them up on the wall. He didn’t up open the critique to anyone, but instead, went in front of each one and made comments. He thought he was funny. He was insulting on most of them. No constructive criticism. Most of the time and in other classes as well, we were given assignments, but never really explained much in detail. None of them ever demonstrated any techniques. I guess I should have asked more questions. Sometimes they would show some of their own work, but there were no demonstrations. We were required to go to presentations and lectures, which we liked. In ceramics class, the teacher did show us how to throw on the wheel, and explained about different clays,etc. He was very good, and I felt satisfied with what we got there. This was at University of Houston at the main campus in the mid 70’s.

[@saraswatisky3119]

@@debbiejohnson2789 that's awful.

[@عبدالقادرعبدالقادر-ش3ز]

Très bon travail artiste bravo maître 😊👍👊

[@Asiosky211]

great video! very insightful and an amazing study

[@jayarajnmnm6274]

😱😱 How talent you are.Great work.👌👌

[@normanmerrill1241]

Really valuable…great POV…. Thanks

[@sarahhill1492]

You have inspired me to try copy of a Gauguin for colour and Brett Whitely ink drawings for mark making. Great video thank you, as a musician I related well to the musical analogy .

[@ghuntressart669]

Well said; and well done 👌! Thank you, Chelsea 😊

[@Bradwelbornfineart]

Amazing stuff 🙌🏻

[@CherylScott]

Love this! Nonchaloir was the painting I chose for a master copy in my oil painting class. I enjoyed hearing your thoughts on talent and skill.

[@ArtBSP]

Wonderful video, great advice and the painting turned out beautiful!! 😊

[@p.j.miguellascano9351]

Thanks for this.. I appreciate it.

[@sotetsotetsotetsotetsotet2379]

I always find it stark how departed we are from old schooling methods. The mastered learned by repainting endlessly their own masters work, THAT was schooling throughout art history.

[@TheMarkEH]

Terrific video. Thank you.

[@hotlineoperator]

You have select color very well compare to orginal. Orginal painter could study live model, so he see objects like they are. Repaint try also copy orginal style of brush work and an interpretation made. Dress example in orginal painter could render elements in layers - paint blue shapes first and then dark shadows over those patterns. You render pattern and brown shadows at the same time and that makes more difficult to get same effect what orginal have. As you nicely say it - repaint is also a exersise to figure out how orginal painting is created. I like these painters: Albert Edelfelt, Helene Schjerfbeck, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Pekka Halonen. Also like Scott Christensen’s landscapes.

[@oluckyman]

Thanks for educating me about these great painters.

[@ruthmoore2246]

Thank you great explanation

[@BlancaVarguesArt]

Amazing painting!😍

[@johncharles7733]

Wonderful thanks JSS is a hero figure so it related even more.

[@DetraDearmas]

Sargent is my hands down fav. I'd love to try the Arab

[@DwayneHamiltonArtist]

Amazing painting

[@lisengel2498]

I am a great admiror of the use of color and the brushwork of van Gogh and might make a mastercopy of one of his flower paintings and maybe also his extraordinary way of painting eyes and skin in self portrature 🎶🌷🎵

[@carlosreira413]

Oh nice! I've stared at the original in the NGA in D.C. many times. It's actually quite small, about the size of your copy. JSS was able to miniaturize his same calligraphic brushwork to this small scale. We see the old prop here, the paisley shawl, his niece RoseMarie the likely model. But in the end, there's only ONE Sargent. The rest of us are fighting for Corporal at best!

[@elyamour]

that was very helpful, can you make another sargent but with portraits

[@DelmanilaArtPainting]

Beautiful painting portrait thanks for sharing your wonderful art i'm your new friend with the same hobby

[@brendahart9930]

Thank you so much for this clarification. I always thought it was "cheating" to do this kind of work. In fact I down play my skills when I do this kind of work. I subscribed and am looking forward to more of your videos.

[@MyXboxIsBroken]

Ian Roberts JUST used this painting as an example of loose brushwork in his video released a couple of hours ago. Coincidence? I think not.

[@ArtBSP]

I was just thinking the same thing!

[@blessedhappyjams8973]

Me too 😃😆

[@lisengel2498]

Great video as always - the only thing I missed is a link to find the ultra High resolution photos of old masterpieces. .... I heard it as wikimedia comments???? Can anybody help 🙏🎶💜

[@KelseyRodriguez]

Wikimedia Commons!

[@allenvoss7977]

Very helpful

[@leuvaart4982]

wonderful video

[@ruthmoore2246]

Thank goodness

[@abdelillahessaken2571]

You are charming with your art and beauty.

[@muhlenstedt]

I have already learned a lot watching the video, a lot to think about. I always felt a little gilty about trying to copy the masters, it was like a sakrileg. As you spoke about the musicians playing the classich it has made a click in my head....a bulb got on! Thank you so much! Could you please tell me where you get the photos on the internet. I am not a english native speaker and do not catch names sometimes. Thanks again.

[@johnallen5999]

She's just copying paintings from other artists. Just search for famous artists or famous painters. Then check out the images.

[@muhlenstedt]

@@johnallen5999 yes, thank you . Actually I was curious about the name of the site because she have mentioned that she can get very good close-ups from the photos without have the pixies showing. Perhaps I should be not so lazzy and just look and compare the images myself.

[@LoganSSBM]

@@muhlenstedt Wikimedia Commons. Search for the Wikipedia page of a painting you would like to study, and click on the article's photo. Then, you'll be able to download in original resolution (download the largest size version of the photo). If you have trouble understanding what a KZbin video is saying, then you can turn on closed captions. This video has English captions which will make it easier to understand.

[@muhlenstedt]

@@LoganSSBM Thank you very much. It was great help !

[@alydaart]

Thank you so much

[@123youknowme]

Bravo!

[@colorzgarden1201]

Thank god i have been tryin so bad to do sargent studies

[@mintki1888]

Thank you :)

[@meaux7409]

Lol this is EXACTLY what I need my coursework is on him

[@elonmusk8667]

More John Singer Sergeant is great

[@allenvoss7977]

Sargent is one I will study In between original paintings. it’s so hard to find original references and so during those times of searching I can do these studies . I’m thinking just buy cheap canvases for this purpose as well , what are your thoughts? this video was very helpful thank you

[@gggjfjc1098]

Super!!!

[@stevenfromer3816]

Paint shapes first details later? I’m not a painter. Just interested

[@joycesmith5786]

awesome

[@807060ful]

What your skin pallete plss?

[@gorgenfol]

I agree that practicing hard skill of painting by reproducing references is really fundamental! If you can't make the shapes you want to make, having soft skills for composition won't get you very far

[@Kdogpiper]

I think the molding you see above her is a very large picture frame.

[@saraswatisky3119]

There's a place in China where the artists produce replicas of original master paintings like a factory, hundreds of them. The product is then shipped abroad.

[@parkavenue6970]

Curious; Where did you study?

[@Sebastian-ge1cq]

I'm studying Botticelli 2022

[@aedcetera3583]

Are you on Patreon?

[@danielelee6323]

👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍👍🙏❤️

[@saromessina4970]

sei fantastica