Copying Styles

~HonorablePerv Aug 8, 2012

Just an interesting general art question (but mostly centered toward comics & such) but anyway of is copying an art style really a taboo for an artist? For many it's a good starting point, but that's said under the impression that the said artist would eventually do their own style. Also what if an artist simply went out to try & copy style after style?
What do any of you think about it?
The Pros, Cons, when does it get ridiculous or unoriginal?

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Devious Comments

*jerseycajun Aug 8, 2012 Professional Digital Artist

Pros: if that's the gateway that gets you into the arts, then kudos! Many a great and successful artist has started out that way. In autobiographies, however, another trend shows up, and that's the one where they came to the realization that they had to cut it out in order to advance. If they realized that it was holding them back, why wouldn't anyone else take that as a sign that it's better not to stay in that pool very long?

Cons: the longer one persists in copying styles and others work, the greater the probability you're going to be stuck only knowing that style and none other, and the harder it will be for you to get out of it if and when you're finally sick of drawing the same way over and over again.

A better way to put it would be not to try copying at all, but rather, recreate a style through understanding of what the artists were doing that created it. If you understand something first, and are able to explain another artist's choices consciously (literally "I see what you did there!") then the dangers are lessened considerably that you'll be in as much doo-doo when you want to jump ship.

There are also realists who copy real things in their drawings, but the problem is the same: Copying does not involve mental comprehension of what you're seeing, it just teaches you to, well, copy. Many realists do not or find they cannot translate their skills to abstract design, like the kind in cartoons. Eventually you have to gain an understanding of what all those lines and shapes mean in a meaningful way that allows and enables you to do, well, any style and any degree of realism-abstraction.

For my money, I have to ask why would anyone spend all that time and energy practicing only to learn one way of drawing, rather than learn the fundamentals as soon as possible so you can do that style, - and every other one under the sun, for about the same amount of time invested?

~Bengtzone Aug 8, 2012

It's not pure evil to mimic well known art styles.

~DelphineApollo Aug 8, 2012 Student Digital Artist

From everything I've been told it's considered really bad but I honestly want to learn to copy other people's styles. There are already enough out there and I don't think I could ever, ever create a style I would even remotely like.

~blazedriver Aug 8, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

It's annoying to see the style you spent so much time developing copied :/ As long as they don't claim it has there own I think it's okay

~book-wormy Aug 8, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

I teach myself by doing this.

I've developed my skills and learned a lot because I do this - but it really is hard to be consistent when you start out by copying. Maybe it's because I look at a vast number of styles, but I really have trouble staying consistent.
I also find it really handy when studying anatomy. I want my characters drawn a certain way, so I look at how other people draw bodies and pick and choose different things I like.

I don't think it's really taboo. It just varies from person to person. Some people are really protective of their art - some are happy to let beginners do this.

~Glori305 Aug 8, 2012

This is one of those "it depends" things.

In the Renassiance when people were studying under a master, they were SUPPOSED to copy the masters style. So much so that many times the students work is indestinguishable from the original master.

And now, people call it unoriginal and say that you need to get your own style.

There are merits to doing your best to duplicate anothers work, and there are mertis to doing your own work, from life and from your imagination. You can learn something different from all of it.

I think it is taken too far, when that is all you can do, and it doesn't matter if that means all you can do is copy other's art, or all you can do is reproduce photo's in pencil. Diverse skills is where it is at.

But then I am a diverse artist, so my opinion is tainted.

*Joe5art Aug 8, 2012 Professional General Artist

Well you can't use other peoples characters but you can draw in their style without it being an issue. I think a lot of people copy and want to look like a certain style at some point and there is noting wrong with that. At some point that skill transfers into drawing what you see and learning to draw better.

I use to spend a lot of time working in other peoples style. In the end my life drawing and such got there very own strong style that didn't come from anybody else.

~Vyctorian Aug 8, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

The copying of styles isn't really bad, that's how artistic movements start. We've also built upon others that's the foundation of human accomplishment, a style is something more abstract a style can be copied without any real harm to the artist. It's not like your copying their work but more the way in which they create their work. If people have issues with that they should have equal issues with drawing from the same sources or inspiration or using the same tools.

Copying style after style is the basis of creating new styles, by combining elements of different styles, entirely new styles are created.

makes brief mention to learning via copying styles in this piece

Here are also a few good videos exploring the nature of art and media creation and the role copying of style, and the remixing of styles plays in said creations.

[link]
[link]
[link]

As for when this get's good or bad, that's very subjective. Even in the legal system the line where a rip-off becomes and original work is a big gray area.

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