Sketching the Same Subject Five Ways: Varying Your Lens for Stronger Ideas
Most artists have a favorite subject they return to again and again, whether it is a street corner, a pair of hands, a houseplant, or a face. Returning to a subject is valuable, but drawing it the same way each time can flatten your work. A useful alternative is to hold the subject constant and change the lens you draw through. This article describes a method for sketching one subject five different ways, then comparing the results to decide which direction deserves a finished piece. The method works whether you draw by hand or plan on a digital surface, and it fits naturally into a visual thinking practice where rough sketches are used to test ideas before committing to them.
Choose one subject and fix its boundaries
Begin with a subject small enough to observe closely but rich enough to reveal different qualities. A chair with a worn seat, a bicycle leaning against a wall, or a single piece of fruit on a table all work well. Write a short sentence describing the subject in plain terms, such as 'a metal teapot with a dented lid on a wooden counter.' This sentence becomes your fixed reference, so that when your sketches change, you can tell whether the change came from your choices or from accidentally drawing something else.
Next, set a time limit for each sketch. Five to ten minutes per version keeps you working quickly enough that you rely on instinct as well as observation. Long, careful renderings tend to hide the structural differences between viewpoints, while brief sketches make those differences obvious. Keep the same paper size or canvas dimensions across all five versions so that comparison stays fair.
Define five lenses before you start drawing
Decide in advance what each version will emphasize. One effective set is: a literal view that records the subject as it appears; a close view that crops tightly on one detail; a distorted view that exaggerates proportion or perspective; a memory view drawn from recall without looking; and a relational view that shows the subject alongside something it interacts with. Writing these five lenses on a single page before sketching helps you resist the habit of drifting back to the first version you like.
The goal of defining lenses is not to produce perfect examples of each category. It is to make your decisions visible. When the close view is blurry or the memory view is incomplete, those gaps tell you something about what you notice and what you forget, which is useful information for choosing a direction later.
Compare the sketches with a short checklist
Once all five sketches are finished, lay them out together and review them with a few plain questions. Which version holds your attention longest? Which one contains a surprise you did not plan? Which one feels most like your own way of seeing rather than a copy of a reference? Write brief notes beside each sketch rather than trying to judge quality in general. A note such as 'the close view shows the dent more clearly than I expected' is more useful than 'this one is good.'
A simple checklist can make the comparison more concrete. First, identify the strongest line or shape in each sketch. Second, note which version communicates the subject's mood or character most directly. Third, mark any version where you changed your mind halfway through and see whether that change improved the drawing. Fourth, consider which lens would be most interesting to develop further at a larger scale. You can finish the review in a few minutes, and the results will usually point clearly toward one or two candidates.
Develop the chosen lens and test it again
After selecting a promising lens, make one larger study that builds on the sketch you chose. Keep the subject fixed, but allow yourself to adjust composition, value, or detail. Then compare this larger study against the original five-sketch set. Ask whether the larger version preserved the qualities you liked or whether it simply became more detailed without becoming more interesting. Sometimes the best outcome is discovering that a different lens would serve the idea better, and you can return to the set and repeat the comparison.
This cycle of divergence and selection is the core of the method. Generating several quick options prevents premature commitment, and comparing them with a fixed checklist keeps your judgment grounded. Over time, you will notice which lenses you naturally favor, which can guide future sessions and help you avoid repeating the same viewpoint without realizing it.
Keep a running record of your lenses
Finally, keep a simple record of each session: the subject, the five lenses, the chosen direction, and one sentence explaining why. Over several weeks, these records reveal patterns in your visual decisions. You may find that you consistently choose close views, or that memory-based sketches produce the most original forms. These patterns are not rules, but they are valuable starting points for planning future work. A small notebook or a dedicated page in your digital sketch space works equally well for this purpose.
Using this method regularly builds a habit of looking more carefully and deciding more deliberately. It does not require special materials or a particular style, only the willingness to draw the same thing differently and to examine the results honestly.