The picture on which I’m working at the moment has quite a complex composition. I wanted to introduce three figures into the foreground, but it was very important that they related subtly to the areas of the picture already in place. I came up with the following idea to simplify the process of establishing a correct relationship between these figures and their context, without risking a series of potentially messy alterations to the picture.
First I drew the figures to the correct scale on separate pieces of paper. Then I cut them out, and positioned them on the canvas, using small pieces of Blutack. I was then able to stand back and look at the relationships that emerged. To my satisfaction, I was able to move the cut-outs several times in order to convince myself that they were correctly positioned. Next, I drew lightly round the cut-outs, onto the canvas, removed them, and painted the figures on the canvas in their correct position and relationship to the rest of the picture. It worked really well.
I would be interested to know if this really is my invention, or whether this is a well-known trick of the trade.