When you've been making art for a while, you can get so comfortable in your own style, and so familiar with your work, that you find it difficult to see problem areas. It can help to use some techniques to get some 'distance' from your work.
1. Give it Some Time
Writers usually put a manuscript away for many weeks so that they can return to it fresh, and that works well with drawing too. Put your drawing away and work on something else. Don't even so much as peek at it for at least a month. Ok, so this might not be realistic if you are on a deadline, but if you can do it with the occasional piece, or drag out copies of old works, you might find issues that are recurrent.2. Mirror Image
Mirror images are a great way to get a fresh perspective on a piece - just hold your drawing in front of you, and stand in front of a mirror. The composition flows differently but it can also reveal issues with proportion, and atmospheric perspective - such as when contrast causes an area to pop forward which should be dropping back.3. Go Digital
Digital Reproduction is a handy tool, especially if your work is going to be used in a digital form anyway - seeing it on screen and at different resolutions can really change the way you look at it. A weak composition becomes very aparrent when an image is scaled down so that you can look at it 'all at once'. The contrast between overworked and weak areas becomes more obvious, and issues with proportion and perspective become aparrent. If using a photo, try converting your source image to grayscale and placing it side-by-side with your drawing.4. Turn Off Your Emotions
Expressive, emotional work is very hard to assess. Often proportions and realism are the first thing to go. Make sure that you are making these choices appropriately, and not just taking lazy short cuts. Portrait artists often let affection for their subjects blind them to problems with their drawing - especially if the problem originates with a poor source photo. The investment of time and effort in a drawing makes you want it to be perfect, but being honest about your work will help you make the next drawing even better.5. Ask the Right Questions
You need to get specific. Is the tone in the shadow areas as dark as it should be? Are the edges of your highlights as crisp or as soft as they need to be on that surface? Are the proportions accurate? Is the line as beautiful and flowing, or as energetic and sharp as you want it to be? Does the subject fit into the background? How does the eye travel around the picture? Have you exaggerated the forshortening too much, or wimped out on a tricky bit of perspective drawing?6. Learn from Others
Find another artist who does similar work to yours, but better. Someone whose work you wish you'd done. Compare your drawings. What have they done that you haven't? Why is their portrait more vibrant, their character more alive? Look at the whole image and look at small areas, comparing how you have each handled specific issues - mark-making and expression, proportion, design, perspective, texture, fine details.
