Recreating Jack Vettriano’s The Singing Butler: Acrylic Beach Dancing Tutorial & Tips”
- Marco
- May 15
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 11
Are you an aspiring artist looking to hone your skills by recreating famous paintings like Jack Vettriano’s iconic “The Singing Butler”?
Learning how to paint in the style of an artist like Jack Vettriano can transform your artistic abilities, teaching you perspective, depth, and composition. In this blog post, we’ll explore the process of recreating Jack Vettriano’s masterpiece with personal twists, discuss copyright considerations for copying art, and share a detailed step-by-step painting tutorial using acrylics. Whether you’re practicing Vettriano-style beach scenes or developing your own transformative art, this guide will inspire your next skill development project.
Why Recreate Famous Artworks Like Jack Vettriano’s Paintings?
Recreating established artworks, such as Jack Vettriano’s “The Singing Butler,” is a proven way to build artistic skills. Vettriano himself was self-taught, mastering his craft by copying masters before developing his signature romantic, nostalgic style featuring elegant figures on beaches.
Copying art for practice isn’t cheating—it’s education. As long as you credit the original artist (like Jack Vettriano) and add transformative elements, it’s a valuable exercise. However, selling exact copies without permission violates copyright laws. For personal development or home display, it’s perfectly fine and enriching.
Even street artist Banksy recreated “The Singing Butler” in his “Crude Oils” series, adding oil drums and hazmat suits for commentary on pollution. His version sold for over £3 million, sparking debates on fair use and parody in art copying.
Ready to try? Here’s how I recreated it as “Beach Dancing,” focusing on Vettriano’s style while enhancing, adding my flair—like a dramatic sky and detailed figures.
Understanding Jack Vettriano’s Style: Key Elements to Emulate
Jack Vettriano’s paintings often feature:
• Dramatic lighting and shadows: Emphasizing mood in beach dance scenes.
• Elegant, stylized figures: Dancers, butlers, and maids in 1930s-inspired attire.
• Subtle backgrounds: Minimalist skies to keep focus on foreground action.
• Romantic narratives: Evoking mystery and nostalgia.
Tips: To paint like Vettriano, study his use of color contrasts (e.g., red dresses against muted seas) and practice figure proportions.
Step-by-Step Tutorial: How to Recreate The Singing Butler in Acrylics
Step 1: Choosing Inspiration and Sketching the Composition
Vettriano’s original has a bland sky to spotlight figures. I wanted more depth, inspired by a real photo above for my transformative version.
Initial stages
• Sketch lightly in pencil: Outline the butler, dancer, maid, and umbrellas.
• Focus on perspective.
Challenge: Skies in Vettriano paintings need balance—avoid overpowering the dancers.
Stage 1: Developing the Sky and Initial Layers
Blocked in the sky with blues and grays. Left sketch lines visible for now.
• Issue: Sky would be too dominant if left like this you have to think ahead and plan where the key features are going to be. See Stage 2.
• Acrylic tip: Use several thin washes for clouds to build atmospheric depth.
Stage 2: Adding Depth and Roughing Figures
Adjusted tones, added cloud shading for a vanishing point behind figures. Started umbrellas and butler.
• Transformation: As you will see the butler now pops forward as he is coloited in with the result that the sky starts to fade into the background. As more figures are detailed they too will advance within the picture.
• Review tip: Step back (or photograph) and assess over a break—patience is key in art skill development.
Compared to Banksy’s version (muted sky, pollution theme), I kept romance but enhanced vibrancy.
Commentary
Upon review, the sky appeared too dominant, lacking depth and nearly overshadowing the figures in the foreground. By making subtle adjustments in tone, applying washes, and repositioning certain clouds, the depth was restored. Observe how I have shaped the clouds using shading and texture to establish a vanishing point behind the central figures.
The umbrellas have been detailed in rough, and the butler is starting to take shape, which also confirmed that, as the figures were painted in, the perspective and depth would help to balance my more dramatic sky. The butler now appears to be ahead of the other figures.
Stage 3: Detailing Figures and Beach Elements
Day 3: Refined poses—maid holding hat against wind
(Vettriano blurred her; I added story).
• Figures: More detail than Vettriano’s impressionism—expressions convey personality.
• Beach start: Mixed sands with glazing for texture. This takes practice.
Pro tip for painting beaches like Vettriano: Layer wet-on-dry for wave pools.
Commentary
Before leaving the studio, I took another quick photo for further review, accompanied by yet another glass of wine. I'm now satisfied with the changes made to the sky. The next step is to create the figures in a Vettriano style while incorporating some of my own touches. I prefer a bit more detail in my figures, and although I know the saying "less is more," I can't help myself. Observing Banksy's approach and his alterations, I notice his sky is even less prominent than Vettriano's. Like me, he removed the white cloth held behind the butler's back, and the lady's red dress is much more vibrant than the original. Adding a message about sea pollution is... well, different! I appreciate the subtle changes in the figures, but it no longer aligns with what I wanted to achieve—sorry, Banksy. Perhaps Banksy needed to be more transformative with a sale in mind?
What are the next steps? Initially, I needed to finish the figures before proceeding to the beach and pools. I always felt Vettriano didn't do the maid justice, as he blurred details. Since it's evidently windy, she should be holding her hat. Thus, the next stage required more attention to detail on various elements of the figures.
We're currently on Day 3, with approximately 12 hours of work completed.
Stage 4: Final Touches on Beach, Waves, and Finishing
Day 4: Reworked beach for sun-kissed feel—trialed textures till waves lapped realistically.
• Maid’s bag/apron: Added folds and shadow for realism.
• Overall: Balanced colors; vibrant red dress nods to original.
Commentary
On Day 4, we're approaching the final stretch of this creative endeavour. The remaining tasks involve several key components that are crucial to bringing the entire scene to life. Specifically, focusing on the beach itself, which has proven to be a challenging aspect of the work, as well as the maid's bag and apron. It's often said that the devil is in the details, and I have come to appreciate just how true this adage is throughout the course of this project. The beach scene, in particular, presented its own set of challenges that required a significant amount of rework. Achieving the right texture and color to mimic the natural beauty of sand and surf was no small feat. I experimented with various techniques and materials, trying to capture the essence of a sun-kissed beach where the waves gently lap at the shore. After much trial and error, I am pleased to say that I finally achieved a result I am satisfied with, and one that evokes the feeling created by Vettriano Each character has a story to tell, and I wanted to ensure that their expressions, poses, and clothing were crafted to convey their individual personalities. This attention to detail is what truly brings the entire composition to life, allowing viewers to feel a connection to the scene and the characters within it. Once complete, this piece will be proudly displayed in my home bar for a while,serving not only as a conversation starter for guests but also a personal reminder of the work and the lessons learned.
Copyright and Ethics: Can You Copy Jack Vettriano Legally?
• Practice vs. Sale: Copying for learning is fair; selling requires permission or transformation (e.g., Banksy’s parody).
• Fair use factors: Add commentary, like my sky twist.
• Resources: Check UK copyright laws or sites like the Artists’ Collecting Society.
Benefits of This Project for Your Art Skills
• Improved skies, figures, and composition.
• Confidence boost: From copy to creative twist.
• Inspired? Try recreating other Vettriano paintings like “Mad Dogs” or beach dances.
Thanks for reading this guide on recreating Jack Vettriano!
Share your versions in comments or on social media. For more tutorials on painting in famous styles, subscribe to Art-Marco.co.uk.
Kind regards,
Marco
Here it is installed in the bar.
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