Line Field / review

Compare Sketch to Subject

Review one relationship at a time.

The small question

Review one relationship at a time. This exercise asks you to check a visible relation rather than judge whether the whole sketch is good.

Try it in front of the subject

Hold your sketch beside the object and check the largest width, height and tilt before checking small details. Name one specific mismatch such as a rim that is too wide. Keep the first marks light enough that you can revise them after another look.

What this exercise cannot prove

A sketch can be expressive without being a measurement exercise. State your purpose first; do not mark every departure from reality as a mistake. An example can suggest where to look, but the scene in front of you is the evidence for your drawing.

A second pass

Make one correction in a different pencil pressure and record what changed. Leave the earlier line visible. Keep the first attempt beside the revision so you can see which choice changed.

A field-note challenge

Turn the page upside down for a moment and compare only the silhouette’s widest and narrowest points. This can interrupt a familiar “cup” or “plant” symbol in your mind. Mark one correction, turn the page back, and decide whether that correction helped the stated purpose of the sketch.