What is there to learn? (Master Studies)

[William Scott]

Hey everyone, I just want to gain some knowledge on this subject. We've all done some sort of master study ( I am currently doing one now for the teen challenge yay), my question is what is there to get out of it? A student does a master study and replicates it 90%, but that doesn't make him/her a master, but why? Don't get me wrong i've learned things but i just don't think its the right thing.

I don't know if this is cheating or not by the way, since i am getting tips for a challenge.
Also when rereading this I get the feeling you guys might think im arrogant but I really don't intend to sound that way, I just want some help.

[karta tajba]

You learn how they approach the human figure and all the techniques, they use for the drawing.

[karmazon]

You will, if you approach it right, gain a little bit of an insight into the master's mind. You might, for example, notice that they made a stroke a particular way and you might even figure out why they made it that way. It's a really great practice. We can only get better by standing on the shoulders of giants.

[M.A.C.]

'Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters' is a useful book, because not only is it filled with drawings to copy but also has lots of useful text which explains why the artist made a mark the way they did. It'll help a lot in learning. Also, it helps if you know what it is say Michelangelo is drawing. Copying the way he suggested the sartorius for example will do little good if you aren't familiar with the muscle and it's origin/insertion.

[Doug Hoppes]

When doing your study, it's not a matter of just copying it per se. Try to think about why they are doing what they are doing. I know that, when I copy other artists, copying their brushstrokes, etc gives me insight on how to approach problems that I'm having with my own work.

[JeffX99]

A masters copy is a study of their approach, process, construction, composition, handling of light/value, edges, color, etc. For the beginner there probably isn't that much that can be learned just due to lack of awareness of what to even focus on...but there is still always something to be gained. But...one word of advice (which it sounds like you already understand since you said 90% accuracy) is that it doesn't do much good at all if the effort isn't toward as accurate an interpretation as you can manage...and in the same media. The only exception is you can do a decent "copy" and learn a great deal with a charcoal copy...you still hit most of the same basic concepts.

[William Scott]

Thank you all for your insight on what it means to do a master study, its pretty challenging for me to differentiate what I already know and what I have learned and I am learning, to me its just a "go with the flow" process sometimes. When I do a master study I try to focus on a particular weakness of mine and hopefully I get better at it. I have yet to make a piece that is balanced though (meaning it all looks finished instead of one part)