Copying paintings by famous artists has long been a separate business. Copies of famous canvases are well bought, while the cost of work can be very high. It is difficult to write a high-quality copy, for this you need to master at least the basics of painting techniques and know the nature of the copyist's work.
Instructions
Step 1
Ideally, you should write your copy next to the original canvas. Few can afford it, so the overwhelming majority of copies are made from color reproductions. To make the colors of the copy as close as possible to the original, before starting work, find several reproductions of the painting you are interested in. You will see that they differ slightly from each other in shades. By comparing several reproductions, you can get an idea of how the copied painting looks in reality.
Step 2
Find out the size of the canvas to be copied. If the information is not on the reproduction, find it on the Internet. Prepare a stretched and primed canvas of the appropriate size.
Step 3
Before starting work, try to find out what writing technique the author of the copied canvas used. In your work, try to repeat this technique as accurately as possible. Remember that old masters often painted pictures not on white ground, but on painted in one color or another, which immediately set the color of the entire work. Look closely at the reproduction and find the appropriate color for the primer.
Step 4
To accurately transfer the details of the original image to the copy, draw the reproduction into cells. Since the size of the reproduction is always smaller than the size of the original, the size of the cells on the copy must be proportionally increased. Transfer the contours of the details of the image from the reproduction to the copy along the cells.
Step 5
After all the elements of the copy have taken their exact places, apply the first painting layer - underpainting. At this stage, you work out the main areas of the picture with the corresponding colors, setting the color scheme of the picture. Let the underpainting dry so that the brush does not cling to the canvas when applying a new layer - that is, it does not stick to it.
Step 6
With the next layers, gradually bring the copy to the maximum resemblance to the original. If you want to get the dark tone typical of old canvases, achieve this by covering the painting with a patina-effect varnish. Remember that the painting is varnished only after the paint layer has completely dried.
Step 7
Old canvases have a characteristic network of cracks on the surface of the painting layer - craquelure. If you want to give your copy a similar look, use a special craquelure varnish, which can be purchased at art stores.
Step 8
The last stage is the selection of a good frame for the picture. It is better to order it from a master specializing in the manufacture of frames for paintings. Give him a photo of the original showing the details of the frame. By inserting a copy written by you into a frame made by a master, you will get a picture that looks almost indistinguishable from the original.
