[Michele Rushworth]

I was taught, and in turn I teach my students, to draw using relative size. It's hard enough sometimes to set up the model, lighting and fifteen students in a studio without having to restrict everyone to working "sight size".

Working only sight size also limits the size of canvas you can use. Working with relative size means more math and ratios (yuck!) but gives you much more flexibility as to your position in terms of distance from the model and the size of your finished image.

For those of you not familiar with the term, "sight size" means you create the image on your canvas the same size as you see it. For example, you might use a pencil held at arms length for measuring. A feature on the model may appear to be as long as the eraser and ferrule of the pencil. You then make it as long as the ferrule and eraser on the canvas you are working on.