Copying As A Way To Improve - Yes/No?

[Zylinder]

I think it depends on what your ultimate goal is. If you're studying an artist to get closer to their unique style, then you should probably do it longer/until you feel you've grasped all you need. If your goal is to just get better in general, then you should study whatever interests you, for however long it keeps your interest.

[nyaatrap]

Actually, when you're copying one artist seriously with no cheating, you need to learn more thing from other artists so it must not problem. I honestly think only problem is just lack of seriousness, thinking, then go cheating. When you couldn't learn any art skill from copying, you're just doing these mistakes.

[Audria]

I'm a 3d modeling teacher. I hardly know anything about pen & paper art, but when I was first learning how to build using 3d programs, my teacher told me 1 thing that stuck out: "the easiest way to learn how to build something is to
A. copy someone else's work. Get a feel for how they did it.
B. improve upon that work. Change it somehow to fit what you think it should have been. then...
C. start creating your own work on the foundations you learned with steps A & B

It worked. I'm a rather successful teacher (according to my students).

It's only theft if you try to pass it off in steps A or B as "your own work". If you're just using it as a learning tool then that's just what it is A TOOL.

[zankokunoyami]

Though I have failed to improve since I shifted my focus to writing... I remember that the biggest thing that helped me (at least up to my best... and then I went back down hill... its really not like riding a bike man!) was tracing and copying. I spent hours and days copying things like Dragon Ball Z or Evangelion. I even spent time copying from How To Draw Anime books. One comic I started when much younger, was probably the best result of that. It taught me a lot of techniques and I felt that it was a great way to really push forward and improve.

Where I failed was ultimately developing my own style. Copying gives you the basics. But then from there, you have to learn to do your own style. But I lack the focus and imagination to really embark on such. So... I stick with writing.

[muggy8]

it depends on where you are with your art. if your just starting out then definitely. in copying you learn alot of the techniques in art such as how to draw lines, how to shade, how to see more and so on and so forth. additionally you learn alot of the technical stuff as well. however once you have the basics down it is time to move on from copying and that's where you go find for yourself your own style, your own tastes and your own artistic flare. if your stuck copying others this is the stage your at. stop copying and start exploring

I myself have been taught by an arts teacher in this manner. at first all we really did was copy. but as soon as our copies were of a certain quality the copying stopped and the creativity began. this is why you get different onions in this matter.

hope i helped ^_^