The reproductions were created using fabric paint and gold glazed cotton, which was then sewn to a heavy satin border, bag lined and hung. You can see some 'making of' photos in my Fabric Painting 101 tutorial. Counter-intuitively, these mere reproductions were intensely difficult to create- harder than my originals!
Hand Painted Reproduction of Kano Sansetsu's 'The Old Plum' 142cm x 63cm
Reproduction painting before wall mounting. |
Reproduction painting after mounting on wall. |
Hand Painted Reproduction of 'Early Spring' by Miyata Shizan 30cm x 115cm
Reproduction hanging before mounting on wall (left), and shown on wall with tapestry hanger (right).
I learned a lot by having to so intensely examine the work of these masters, and for such long periods of time. I can completely see why fine art students for hundreds of years were once trained via the method of reproducing masterworks. If you're not a formally trained artist (I hate the word amateur), you could try this technique to hone your skills and have some direct interaction with a Master you admire. I went to art school, but this method of learning seems to have largely been abandoned, and I don't personally know anyone who learned this way. Shame really, not only does it improve your skill and give you a deep appreciation for artists who came before, it's kind of humbling to be hands-on confronted with how badass they were.