I used a comparator mirror to draw both of these realistic pictures of Honest Abe.
This is my 1st Abraham drawing I did with mirrors a few years ago after seeing the documentary 'Tim's Vermeer' A scene from the film is below at the bottom of this post.
Please reversed and flip upside-down.
This is the 2nd Abe picture I drew using the same technique.
For a lot of my realistic drawings, I will use a mirror to get the proper proportions which works great every time, that is if you have lined up the mirror properly at a 45° angle.
A chart to better understand the proper angles.
I will use 2 grids like this one to get my mirror lined up perfectly. It's called a comparator mirror alignment test.
once lined up I substituted the grids with a photo of Abe and my blank drawing paper.
Be sure to reverse your photo when you print it out and place it upside down so it will be correct for your drawing.
The comparative mirror trick or something similar was used by several famous artists who were part of the St. Luke Guild. All I know is that this trick does indeed work as long as you get the angles perfect.
A scene from the documentary 'Tim's Vermeer'.