It’s your eyes focus that’s strained as the distance is between the painted work, and the work you’re seeing in the mirror increases. The mirror doesn’t have to be bigger.
Hi There, yes... technically you are right but try a small mirror on a setup larger than a couple of feet and see what happens. Suffice to say it works on paper but isnt practical in reality.
This is very exciting! I am so glad you stuck with the experiment until it worked out. I built my mirror this spring but I have had a few other projects get in between me and using it. Those are wrapping up soon and will have more time this fall and winter. I am looking forward to experimenting with it.
Hi Tomas, big fan of your and PaintingLab's work - I use your comparator mirror kit and it is simply amazing. Quick question on this one: where did you get hold of a suitable mirror of that size? When I search the net for comparator mirrors, there seems to be one provider in the USA and yourself; is there a good place to buy mirrors that are larger? Many thanks!
@@flipwoolf868 hi there, very very good question. Until our project comparator mirrors were only really used in aerospace or camera technolgy where absolute precision is needed. This means that even small CM's range from £30 to £300. We import large sheets and manufacture our own for our free kits. It took a good deal of effort to work this out but we are now in a position to make mirrors of any size for anyone who wants to experiment. If you think we could help just send an email to Chloe at contact@paintinglab.com. best wishes, T
@@paintinglabofficial Thanks very much, Tomas! In the meantime I did find one supplier in the US who also cuts mirrors to size, but will happily correspond with Chloe first; both of you have been extremely helpful in the past. And just briefly, if I may: to anybody else reading this comment, one day, who thinks "yeah sure, but I can't draw/paint, I have no idea". This was me, 18 months ago. I loved the idea of being able to draw or paint, but had less than no idea. The comparator mirror is simply genius. It guides your hand and gives you instant feedback, without tracing or gridding or anything. Even I (having not picked up a brush since I was 10 years old, 40 years ago) have painted pictures of which I am genuinely proud, using it. It has revolutionised my approach to art, and if you have even the slightest interest or curiosity, get in touch with Tomas and PaintingLabs: the mirror will make you feel as though you can actually be an artist, it is so much fun. Not a paid shill, I promise :) just a massive fan of this approach.
@@flipwoolf868 thanks for this lovely comment flip. One last thing, painting confidently and being an Artist have a tricky relationship. Always prioritise painting and the art will happen by accident. T
Hi Al, thanks for the question. All mirrors are simply reflective material applied to glass (or sometimes plexi glass nowadays) this means that before getting a final protective coating the backside of all mirrors is reflective. In this video Tomas is using 'optical' or 'first surface' mirror which doesnt have this backing hence both sides are reflective. Best Wishes and good luck!
I am persevering with this system, it appears to focus on the photo and I can see where I am going, then the next second the photo disappears and I am only looking at my painting.. I cannot get consistency with it. I would be very grateful if you can advise.Thank you.
Hi Al, I think you have emailed us about this too but as some people may also struggle with similar issues its worth posting a response here. What you have to remember is that the Comparator Mirror is not a tracing aid, in fact it is the opposite. We use it to encourage painting by observation by training the ability to look, remember what you have seen and then paint in response. This memory is the one thing which normally only clicks into place over a few hundred hours. Please do persevere, you will get the hang of it. If you need any more in depth help just drop us a line via email. Best Wishes, Chloe
Your mirror don’t need to be excessively large, physics dictate that the two walls at 90 degrees is the best setup for mobility… however the mirror can be moved both horizontally and vertically as long as it remains at the exact angle of 45 degrees, however the horizontal and vertical mechanical movement construction will need to be very precise and may be complicated to construct…
Hi Sheridan, absolutely right, but actually doing this is quite an experience. Also we have tried this setup with a smaller mirror and i can promise you that although in principal this should still work... in practice its impossible.
There are already youtube videos doing this in schools from up to 7 years ago, and this video is less than a year old. Why pretend your a discoverer when this info is readily available from the most basic enquiry.
please attach a link here if you have seen a comparator setup over 24 inches in size elsewhere. At the time of making this video Tim and I were honestly unsure about whether this was possible.
It’s your eyes focus that’s strained as the distance is between the painted work, and the work you’re seeing in the mirror increases. The mirror doesn’t have to be bigger.
Hi There, yes... technically you are right but try a small mirror on a setup larger than a couple of feet and see what happens. Suffice to say it works on paper but isnt practical in reality.
This is very exciting! I am so glad you stuck with the experiment until it worked out. I built my mirror this spring but I have had a few other projects get in between me and using it. Those are wrapping up soon and will have more time this fall and winter. I am looking forward to experimenting with it.
Hi Tomas, big fan of your and PaintingLab's work - I use your comparator mirror kit and it is simply amazing. Quick question on this one: where did you get hold of a suitable mirror of that size? When I search the net for comparator mirrors, there seems to be one provider in the USA and yourself; is there a good place to buy mirrors that are larger? Many thanks!
@@flipwoolf868 hi there, very very good question. Until our project comparator mirrors were only really used in aerospace or camera technolgy where absolute precision is needed. This means that even small CM's range from £30 to £300. We import large sheets and manufacture our own for our free kits. It took a good deal of effort to work this out but we are now in a position to make mirrors of any size for anyone who wants to experiment. If you think we could help just send an email to Chloe at contact@paintinglab.com. best wishes, T
@@paintinglabofficial Thanks very much, Tomas! In the meantime I did find one supplier in the US who also cuts mirrors to size, but will happily correspond with Chloe first; both of you have been extremely helpful in the past.
And just briefly, if I may: to anybody else reading this comment, one day, who thinks "yeah sure, but I can't draw/paint, I have no idea". This was me, 18 months ago. I loved the idea of being able to draw or paint, but had less than no idea.
The comparator mirror is simply genius. It guides your hand and gives you instant feedback, without tracing or gridding or anything. Even I (having not picked up a brush since I was 10 years old, 40 years ago) have painted pictures of which I am genuinely proud, using it.
It has revolutionised my approach to art, and if you have even the slightest interest or curiosity, get in touch with Tomas and PaintingLabs: the mirror will make you feel as though you can actually be an artist, it is so much fun. Not a paid shill, I promise :) just a massive fan of this approach.
@@flipwoolf868 thanks for this lovely comment flip. One last thing, painting confidently and being an Artist have a tricky relationship. Always prioritise painting and the art will happen by accident. T
Is it necessary to paint/draw the same size as the source image?
Or can we enlarge or reduce the size?
Tomas this has been a most comprehensive demo study where there needs no convincing, the evidence is compelling enough.
If "The Borrowers"/"The Littles" had a comparative mirror...
I notice your mirror is reflecting on the back. Could you please explain this. I had problems but the exact distance from each plane so!led this.
Hi Al, thanks for the question. All mirrors are simply reflective material applied to glass (or sometimes plexi glass nowadays) this means that before getting a final protective coating the backside of all mirrors is reflective. In this video Tomas is using 'optical' or 'first surface' mirror which doesnt have this backing hence both sides are reflective. Best Wishes and good luck!
I am persevering with this system, it appears to focus on the photo and I can see where I am going, then the next second the photo disappears and I am only looking at my painting.. I cannot get consistency with it. I would be very grateful if you can advise.Thank you.
Hi Al, I think you have emailed us about this too but as some people may also struggle with similar issues its worth posting a response here. What you have to remember is that the Comparator Mirror is not a tracing aid, in fact it is the opposite. We use it to encourage painting by observation by training the ability to look, remember what you have seen and then paint in response. This memory is the one thing which normally only clicks into place over a few hundred hours. Please do persevere, you will get the hang of it. If you need any more in depth help just drop us a line via email. Best Wishes, Chloe
Your mirror don’t need to be excessively large, physics dictate that the two walls at 90 degrees is the best setup for mobility… however the mirror can be moved both horizontally and vertically as long as it remains at the exact angle of 45 degrees, however the horizontal and vertical mechanical movement construction will need to be very precise and may be complicated to construct…
Hi Sheridan, absolutely right, but actually doing this is quite an experience. Also we have tried this setup with a smaller mirror and i can promise you that although in principal this should still work... in practice its impossible.
There are already youtube videos doing this in schools from up to 7 years ago, and this video is less than a year old. Why pretend your a discoverer when this info is readily available from the most basic enquiry.
please attach a link here if you have seen a comparator setup over 24 inches in size elsewhere. At the time of making this video Tim and I were honestly unsure about whether this was possible.