Sometimes they don’t come out so well

Walks Tall, Pastel on Bogus Recycled Sketch, March 23, 2025

While I was working on this sketch I thought it was coming out fine, but when I got home I noticed that Walks Tall’s nose is facing in a slightly incorrect direction, and I never finished his neck (I know—I gave him a Parmagianino neck). I think when he reassumed his pose after his breaks, I didn’t notice it was slightly different than at the outset. At one point I became obsessed with the model’s nose. I wanted to make it very solid since noses are often difficult to draw/paint well. Just goes to show you have to work the whole drawing at once. I used to tell my students this all the time, but clearly I didn’t take my own advice.

Here’s a trick. If you suspect your drawing is a little wonky, look at it in a mirror. You’ll see the problem right away. I usually carry a little mirror with me, but today I left it home. I should have remembered it. Perhaps I would have been able to fix this drawing.