I'm always off, a bit here, a bit there...
While progressing the painting, I'm double checking the outlines, and correcting when necessary.
So the further the painting goes, the more accurate it gets.
Also, when making strokes, I can not see outlines, they vanishing during the painting process, so imagine you've had outline, and after few brush strokes the lines, edges are compromised, they gone...
So it's necessary to make corrections and continuously checking proportions...
When you have a look on oil painting tutorials, most of artists having their canvas vertically.
To be honest, I've never seen horizontally?
Whether it's still life painting, or artist is out in the field, or they have a model at the front of them...
Canvas are vertically placed.
It's easy off constant correcting proportions...
Imagine having canvas horizontally, when model is vertically...
You'd need to lift your head up to check the subject, then lower head down to make a stroke, and so on and so on...
Having canvas at the front of your face it's much easier.
It's blink of the eye, to correct shapes.
It's much harder for brain to remember the shape exactly as it is, so while transferring on the horizontal surface, you may miss a bit, and the process will be harder to achieve perfection.
Blink of the eye is quick.
Within moments you blinking your eyes there and back, no brain memory is needed, and then you are correcting your strokes constantly in no time...
There's one more benefit of vertical position.
Remember, that oil painting is mostly about value, hue, and chroma.
Oil painting is to be watched from distance to enjoy it.
At close up, it doesn't really make sense in many cases, because shapes are compromised when looked at close range, mostly you will see patches of colours, and brush strokes, being confused what it actually is that you looking at...
Then, when you step back, it's all making sense.
Those random patches becoming the shapes, details...
I know you know what I mean Laurene
So if you an oil artist, you need to step back, away from your canvas, to see if your colours, values making sense
Because oil painting is to be enjoyed from distance
Further more, your shapes, proportions are more easy to be seen if off, when you look at these from distance.
At close up, it's not that obvious whether everything is correct or not.
And I'm talking here about bigger sizes than post card...
Post card may be alright when you have it horizontally next to your drawing.
Small enough to have it side to side on the drawing desk.
Then in blink of the eye you can make necessary corrections.
Paintings are usually larger.
For example my painting are A3 size.
Imagine having my painting at a front of me, and my reference next to it to be able to correct it in blink of the eye...
Having A3 board at front of me, means that the reference will be farther away at my side, so when looking at the reference, there angle I will look at will compromise the correct view, so I may make mistakes while placing outlines on my canvas, just because I will look at some angle at the reference...
To be correct with outlines, I need to make sure, I will look at my reference when being at front of it, not at its side...
Imagine projector, and projecting the photograph on the wall not parallel, but at some angle.
Like if your projector was on the floor, and you was projecting photo upon the wall.
The angle of projection will compromise the shapes of the picture, so projected photograph on the wall, at this angle will be off.
Oil artist need to be free to move, step in, step back, be at a front of reference, then move at a front of canvas to make the stroke, etc.
It's different when you have a model sitting at a front of you.
Then you don't need to move, as everything is positioned just alright to make measurements and place outlines over the canvas...
I know.
Lots of writing Laurene, but I wanted to express everything I know about it, to make you more familiar of benefits having canvas vertically
So sorry if it was boring, I tried to help understanding
All the best, and thank you for keen comment
