John Collier
July 11, 2014John Collier (1850-1934) studied at The Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, Germany and at the Slade school under Edward Poynter. He was a respected portrait painter and painted many of the famous people of his time.
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Equal To, Larger Than, Smaller Than
September 21, 2016The size of a drawing or painting done in Sight-Size can be equal to, larger than, or smaller than life size. Which size you are in depends entirely upon the placement of your easel, relative to your subject, and your viewing position. To understand that, you first need to understand exactly what Sight-Size is.
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Darren R. Rousar
May 14, 2015Darren R. Rousar began formal classical art training when he was 16 years old. He has been teaching Sight-Size for over 30 years, to students from age 8 to their mid-80s. Darren is the author of three books, two of which are based on Sight-Size.
Do you want to learn how to accurately draw, paint, or sculpt?
First, learn to see.
Sight-Size is the best way to do that because it allows you to directly compare your artwork to nature.
The result is a visually accurate 1:1 comparison.
Educate the eye before you educate the hand. The hand will become cunning soon enough when the eye has learned to see, whereas if the hand be educated before the eye one may never see.
Carolus-Duran (1881)
John Singer Sargent
Sargent, when he painted the size of life, placed his canvas on a level with the model, walked back until canvas and sitter were equal before his eye, and was thus able to estimate the construction and values of his representation.
Sir William Rothenstein (1931)
Richard F. Lack
To see is the student's first and last concern. Without a well-trained eye a student can never rise above mediocrity. If there ever was a secret of the old masters, it surely was their extraordinary ability to see.
Richard F. Lack (1975)
Philip de László
I set my canvas beside my sitter, but what I put on that canvas I judge from a certain distance [so as to see] my subject as a whole. When I stand back I am recording mentally what I am going to put on my canvas when I walk up to it.
Philip de László (1934)
Sight-Size.com exists to help you learn to see.
And, by extension, to draw, paint, and sculpt.
-Darren R. Rousar
Darren provides helpful tips that only an active, involved teacher can provide. It's clear he has worked with students who tackle the problems he addresses when learning to see values and shapes correctly. Each problem is addressed with a solution, helpful tips and encouraging advice.
-A. Champlin
Darren R. Rousar is a master teacher and made the whole process so simple and easy. Everything you need to get started is right here.
-Dianna H.
What you will learn from Rousar is a way of drawing that is focused and sure. It is like having him there beside you as he walks you through an approach to skill development in drawing. He is one of those rare teachers, formed from the studio tradition, who understands the how and why, and can explain it and do it.
-David P.