To all that asked questions and shared their thoughts in this thread -  the episode is scheduled to be released July 28. Thank you for all your help!

Hi Stan, my problem with this is - I don't actually like a lot of them - so dark - and very removed from anything I want to draw. I can look at something Steve Bauman posts on Instagram about the colours in a face and think it's really interesting - but when I'm looking on my own I find it hard to know what I'm supposed to be learning from who. The finer details of oil paint colours feels a million miles away from someone who only picked up a pencil with any real intent 9 months ago. However having said that - I have seen a higher level critique by Diego Catalan who talks about deliberate mistakes and other compositional tricks (angle of a look 'v' angle of a head 'v' angle of a torso for example) used in Masters Portraits that I found really interesting and something that was at a level I can use. I think I have just identified myself as a very strategic learner!

Thank you everybody for asking questions and sharing your stories! It ended up being VERY helpful for Marshall and I to film the episode. It'll be a good one!

What is more effective? To study one particular piece from that artist or study multiple pieces? For example: do you study everything of a Sargent down to even the brush work or do you go to multiple images to see how Bruce Timm Draws women from multiple angles? Do you think it depends on your goals or persona?

When studying Masters I can't seem to decide on which to focus and I end up going into a buffet with a sick stomach, too much to eat and nothing stays. How can you truly focus on just one artist on the time and how can you balance it with whatever course or classes you are taking at the time?

One thing that I'm learning to do is to study aspects of the masterworks separetly. Studying everything at the same time (line, composition, structure, color etc) will overwealm you and make your job harder. Another interesting thing is that we most likely don't want to study and "steal" every single aspect of the master, so why bother studying everything ? For an example, if you love the gesture of Alphonse Mucha's drawings, you can make pencil studies with rough line just indicating the rityms he used. Those are just some recent things I have been thinking about and wanted to share and know what you, Stan and Marshall think. Thank you!!

When studying masters, I want to know as much as possible about the thought processes and the sequence of decisions that the artist makes when creating artwork. So studying masters is about discovering a way of thinking as well as examining a method or style. It feels like we're moving into a new golden age because there are so many opportunities to literally look over the shoulder of an artist as they work. Not only that, but they can narrate what they're thinking at the time. This is why online courses and live demonstrations are so useful. When studying masters from the past, there's a lot more reverse engineering to be done. If we're lucky, they've written down their process or someone has observed them working. Otherwise we have to work backwards from the finished piece. We also can't see the original reference (if it's realist art), so it's harder to work out what decisions were made when translating the scene into a picture. Master copies can be really beneficial as it's only with a brush in hand that I really get to know all the problems that are going to arise. This is where instruction is so valuable. The danger is that the exercise can end up being purely about technique. The original artist has done the most important work of composing the picture. So after studying the masters and making master copies, a great exercise is to keep their methods in mind and try and create something completely new.

I got some questions! 1) Do you think old masters' works more worth studying than modern ones? 2) How does one ensure he actually learned something from the masterpieces, instead of just mindlessly copying them? 3) Should a beginner focus more on studying reality (still life, models, photos) or masters' works?

I'm really excited for this! Usually when I want to study a certain artist's work, I look them up on YouTube and watch a video of them drawing (Currently I am studying mostly comic book artists so this resource is available). That way I can see their process and not have to guess or assume anything. But unless there is a voice over of the artist talking as they draw, It's hard to understand what makes the drawing/painting 'feel' the way it does. How do you recommend approaching this subject? How can you study the 'feel' or 'mood' of the drawing without having insight into the artist's thought process?

Hi Stan and Marshall! Thank you very much for asking us, I really love listening to your podcasts. They are a real gold mine for thoughtful and practical advice when it comes to Art, every artist should listen to this. I think a interesting topic could be "What's the difference between a STUDY and a COPY". That's a pitfall I ran right into when I studied masters some years ago. The goal of the exercice was to study values and composition. However, I was so ate away by my own insecurities that I ended up spending 40+ hours recreating each painting... (I definitely improved my observing and rendering skills but that was not the point of the exercise). I facepalmed when I realized, not so long ago, that it's not an efficient way to study masters. The goal here (I think!) is not to make pretty pictures. It's to study a particular topic : how does the artist uses colors? Light and shadows? Shapes? (or in my case, values and composition) etc. Studying a piece may not even require any drawing, but careful observation of the piece, while keeping in mind what you want to study in particular. I wish I had known that sooner. With the same amount of time, I could have studied plenty of paintings instead of only 20. In my opinion That's what can make the difference between "studying hard" and "studying smart". (I'll add some of my "studies" for the sake of the argument)

Thank you for the question ☺️. I gave this a little think. What can you recommend for people who live in areas or countries where there is limited access to masters’ works? Probably you’re already covering relevant advice because of Covid-19. I live near Kyoto and Osaka, and we do have traveling exhibits come through, but they’re usually lesser known works that museums are willing to let travel. Exhibitions are usually small and expensive. They don’t allow any sketching or photography, writing instruments can be used for writing words only. Yes, they check! I don’t have the contacts yet to even attempt special access – if that is even possible here, and I have been reprimanded by guards for leaning in too close to the artwork, even though my feet were firmly on the correct side of the barrier.  My pro artist friends refuse to go because of the cost, and they feel they can get better value from books and the internet. I think it’s better than nothing, but doesn’t hold a candle to living somewhere like So. Cal. I have found doing a deep dive into the featured artist and time period before going to dramatically improves the experience, but would love to hear your ideas on how I can take this to the next level. Please don’t say to move to where the art is as Steve Martin does in his Masterclass. Thank you so much! Love your work!

My question is how to do a good master study, I mean we study Bridgman and Sargent but what is a good way to approach a master study, like focus on what? There is a big difference if I do quick digital color studies or I need to do it in the traditional way ever? And thanks for invite me to this new community :) I appreciated a lot.

Great topic! I think this is important to think about in terms of learning efficiency and how an artist grows into the artist they want to be. Something that really helps me learn is to try to recreate an image where I'm only paying attention to one or two things I want to learn. Once I'm finished I trace the reference and overlay the tracing on my drawing. This process helps me quickly become aware of and fill knowledge gaps. Since my goal is to be able to draw from memory, I then challenge myself to draw without using the reference. As my drawing journey continues I'm starting to understand how important good reference images are. When I pick reference images that catch my eye, the process is more enjoyable and I can trust I'm slowly building on what is important to me. What are some artists or even better, specific images, that you all have learned from the most? What did you learn?

Hi Stan, and Marshall, thank you for the opportunity to participate. Also thank you very much for all your hard work behind podcasts and online courses, much appreciated. I have several questions. Some, I suppose, will seem obvious, some might be silly, I apologize for that. Who are the masters to study? What artwork deserves to be called a masterpiece? What is included in studying masters? Is it their learning paths, preparation, way or work, all of that or "just" the final masterpiece its technique, color, composition, and/or how all of that serves the theme the final impression? And, I know it may sound disrespectful, but believe me it really is not. To what end do I study masters? Because if I know why, it might help to decipher how. Thank you.