In art, to transcribe is to copy or record information in a different form than the original. To transcribe a painting or drawing is not to copy the artwork exactly, but instead to record observations in a different form. A transcription also doesn’t need to copy everything in an original. An artist can choose to pull selected aspects of information here and there from within an artwork. An artist can choose to transcribe a color palette, size relationships, or an idea from an original. For many artists, the goal is not a perfect and complete copy of an artwork, but instead to use the artwork as a jumping off point to further their own work.
Good advice:
“If you don’t know what to paint, pick an artwork that you love, and do a transcription of it.” – Jonathan Harkham
Below is a collection of transcriptions by Jonathan Harkham, one of our online art instructors.
“Every great painter has loved and learned from someone that came before them.” – Jonathan Harkham
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Titian’s Saint Margaret
Jonathan Harkham’s transcription
Rembrandt’s Slaughtered Ox
Jonathan Harkham’s transcription
Chaim Soutine’s Slaughtered Chicken
Jonathan Harkham’s transcription
Rembrandt’s Diana Bathing with her Nymphs with Actaeon and Callisto
Yesterday’s challenge was to draw your left ear without looking at it. Sunday is observation day, so today the challenge is to draw your right ear, this time from observation. Challenge: draw your other ear Set up mirrors, snap a picture, zoom yourself, whatever it takes to get a look at that lobe. The first …
My last V. Note proclaimed itself “the first of four posts highlighting black artists with professional careers in both painting and printmaking.” I had done an internet search for black artists, and found a Wiki page with a fantastic list of artists I could research. To narrow down the list, I looked for all the artists …
I used to view digital paintings as inferior to “real” paintings, requiring less skill. I’ve since come to realize the skill of digital work is no less challenging, and the medium can be every bit as sincere. Digital paintings require the artist to mix and apply specific color, value, texture, layers, and transparency – all …
[image_with_animation image_url=”11400″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Copper plate with grey ink (see print a few pics below) I met with Nikki today to get some schoolin’ on drypoint. Dypoint, the art of scratching a shiny surface with a pointy thing, seemed to me to be an easy form of printmaking because I can draw with …
Jonathan Harkham’s Transcriptions
In art, to transcribe is to copy or record information in a different form than the original. To transcribe a painting or drawing is not to copy the artwork exactly, but instead to record observations in a different form. A transcription also doesn’t need to copy everything in an original. An artist can choose to pull selected aspects of information here and there from within an artwork. An artist can choose to transcribe a color palette, size relationships, or an idea from an original. For many artists, the goal is not a perfect and complete copy of an artwork, but instead to use the artwork as a jumping off point to further their own work.
Good advice:
“If you don’t know what to paint, pick an artwork that you love, and do a transcription of it.” – Jonathan Harkham
Below is a collection of transcriptions by Jonathan Harkham, one of our online art instructors.
“Every great painter has loved and learned from someone that came before them.” – Jonathan Harkham
.
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Yesterday’s challenge was to draw your left ear without looking at it. Sunday is observation day, so today the challenge is to draw your right ear, this time from observation. Challenge: draw your other ear Set up mirrors, snap a picture, zoom yourself, whatever it takes to get a look at that lobe. The first …
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My last V. Note proclaimed itself “the first of four posts highlighting black artists with professional careers in both painting and printmaking.” I had done an internet search for black artists, and found a Wiki page with a fantastic list of artists I could research. To narrow down the list, I looked for all the artists …
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I used to view digital paintings as inferior to “real” paintings, requiring less skill. I’ve since come to realize the skill of digital work is no less challenging, and the medium can be every bit as sincere. Digital paintings require the artist to mix and apply specific color, value, texture, layers, and transparency – all …
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[image_with_animation image_url=”11400″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Copper plate with grey ink (see print a few pics below) I met with Nikki today to get some schoolin’ on drypoint. Dypoint, the art of scratching a shiny surface with a pointy thing, seemed to me to be an easy form of printmaking because I can draw with …