Have you ever wondered why some people say they don’t like themselves in photographs? We look at ourselves in the mirror and associate ourselves and the way we look with that mirror image. While the rest of the world sees us as the mirror of our version. So stands to reason that till you see enough of yourself as the real version, you might feel uncomfortable when you look at a picture of yourself. This requires a deep dive to explain further, which is outside the purview of this post, but it does help to explain something else – our mind’s eye knows that there is something not right… But when we are faced with an image that, for all practical purposes, ‘looks’ ok, we are just left with a bit of an uneasy feeling.
There are ways to resolve this when painting or sketching.
– Look at the painting from a distance. You might be able to see what feels off from a distance and what may not appear obvious up close.
– Give it some time and then come back to the easel. Often, one can get so caught up in the work that we lose a sense of objectivity where the work is concerned.
– Look at the work in the mirror or use Photoshop or some such tool to flip the image horizontally and or vertically.
Looking at the mirror image of the painting will magnify that aspect of the painting that feels ‘off’. And it becomes easier to correct. In this case, while at first glance the woman’s face looked okay, it was wrong. A mirror image shows you exactly where. The top eye was just a little too high, and the angle of the nose was incorrect. The line of the centre parting of her hair, the nose and the chin were completely off.
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This picture was taken in the early stages.
