Line Field / review

Keep a Small Sketch Sequence

A sequence shows decisions rather than perfection.

The small question

A sequence shows decisions rather than perfection. 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

Put three thumbnails of the same bowl on one sheet: first a free contour, then an envelope, then a value study. Label the purpose of each pass. The sheet shows how your attention moved. Keep the first marks light enough that you can revise them after another look.

What this exercise cannot prove

A later pass can be less lively than the first. Do not present the sequence as a guaranteed improvement ladder; keep the useful mark from each. An example can suggest where to look, but the scene in front of you is the evidence for your drawing.

A second pass

Circle one discovery in each thumbnail and write what you would test next time. Keep the first attempt beside the revision so you can see which choice changed.

A field-note challenge

Use arrows between thumbnails to mark what you changed: crop, envelope or tone. A reader should be able to follow the sequence without assuming the last drawing is best. If one stage reveals a new mismatch, leave a short question for a fourth study rather than revising the whole sheet.