Diagnose / Causes / Measuring
Measuring mistakes
Proportion, angle and placement errors that checking would catch.
- Bottles and vases lopsided: no centre axisPencil. A symmetrical object has mismatched left and right contours. Rescue
- Ellipses drawn pointed at the endsPencil. The rounded opening of a cylinder or bowl terminates in sharp, pointed corners where the curve meets the outer edges. Rescue
- Eyes placed too high on the headPencil. The eyes are placed well above the vertical midpoint of the skull. Partly
- Face looks off but you cannot say why (unchecked symmetry and tilt)Pencil. The facial features are skewed at conflicting angles, or one eye and cheek are floating higher than their partners without perspective justification. Partly
- Figure grows: legs too short for the torsoPencil. The torso, head, and arms are drawn to a generous scale, but the hips and legs appear compressed and truncated at the bottom of the page. Start again
- Hands drawn too smallPencil. The hands are noticeably undersized for the figure, often ending abruptly at the wrists like tiny paddles. Rescue
- Not checking work in a mirror or at a distanceAny medium. A portrait or figure exhibits an unintended tilt, an eye sitting higher than its partner, or an overall drift to one side. Rescue
- Pen lines drawn without a pencil construction, then corrected badlyInk. Architectural verticals lean at chaotic angles, and receding walls point to mismatched horizons. Partly
- Buildings leaning with converging verticals gone wrongPencil. The vertical edges of the buildings slant inwards at random, accidental angles. Rescue
- Drawing from a photo with copied distortionsPencil. Parts closer to the camera lens appear unnaturally massive, while limbs recede too quickly. Partly
- Ears and nose not lining upPencil. The ears sit at a level that conflicts with the placement of the nose and brow. Rescue
- Forehead too short, hairline too lowPencil. The hairline is drawn far too close to the eyebrows, reducing the forehead to a narrow strip. Rescue
- Head drawn too narrow or too roundPencil. The overall silhouette of the head is either overly spherical or compressed sideways into a tall, flat oval. Rescue
- Table top tilting up like a wallPencil. The surface of the table appears tilted upward like a vertical board rather than receding horizontally. Partly
- Two perspectives in one drawing (inconsistent vanishing points)Pencil. Different buildings in the same scene follow separate, competing eye-levels. Partly
- Wrong head to body ratio on petsPencil. The pet's head is visibly out of scale with its ribcage and limbs. Partly
- Windows not shrinking with distancePencil. Windows and doors along a receding wall stay the same width and spacing as they go back in space. Rescue
Other causes
- ObservationDrawing what you think exists instead of what you see.
- MaterialsPaper, paint, tools and how they behave.
- Drying and timeWaiting, layer order and drying behaviour.
- CompositionHow shapes sit on the page.
- ColourMixing, temperature and saturation.
- EdgesHard, soft and lost edges.
- FinishingFinal stages, protection and presentation.