Pastel Sketch Check Up

After my in home critic (you know who) said that the cup was floating in my sketch from yesterday, I gave it a check up.  The cup sort of seemed to sit on the edge of the cup.  Late last night I went in and made the cup longer and slightly changed the plate.  It seems to sit better on the little plate.  I didn't want to put to much time in the sketch as it will be a wipe off so that I can use that piece of paper yet again.  

You can see how a small change can affect a painting or drawing.

Original sketch with the cup floating.

The same sketch where I just lowered the bottom of the cup.  It does sit better on the plate.

When we paint, we sometimes stay with it too long and keep looking at something and our eye corrects it in our minds.  We see what we expect to see.  Some ways to give your paintings a check up:

• Go away from the painting for some time.  Turn it to the wall or just don't look at it.  Let it "steep".
• Come back and quickly turn it upside down and look at it.
• Take a snapshot and look at it in black and white, you can see your lights and darks.
• Many things show up just in the snapshot
• Look at it in a mirror.
• Look at it in a low light to check your contrasts, light and darks.