--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you are painting you should take a…" description: "\"When you are painting you should take a flat mirror and often look at your work within it, and it will then be seen in reverse, and will appear to be b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c62/leonardo-da-vinci-330_able_when-you-are-painting-you-should-take-a_2953669.jpg" --- # When you are painting you should take a flat mirror and… ![“When you are painting you should take a flat mirror and often look at your work within it, and it will then be seen in reverse, and will appear to be by the hand of some other master, and you will be better able to judge of its faults than in any other way.” quote by Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c62/leonardo-da-vinci-330_able_when-you-are-painting-you-should-take-a_2953669.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c62/leonardo-da-vinci-330_able_when-you-are-painting-you-should-take-a_2953669.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c62/leonardo-da-vinci-330_able_when-you-are-painting-you-should-take-a_2953669.jpg) > “When you are painting you should take a flat mirror and often look at your work within it, and it will then be seen in reverse, and will appear to be by the hand of some other master, and you will be better able to judge of its faults than in any other way.” [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Using a mirror reveals hidden flaws, improving artistic judgment. **In simple terms:** Mirror shows reverse view, exposing errors. Key Takeaway Use reflection to refine work. Themes artistic practice self‑critique perception Mood thoughtful analytical Type creative inspirational When to use this quote - painting - drawing - design reviews Key Concepts visual analysis feedback loops Questions to Reflect On - How does seeing yourself change perception? - What flaws become visible with a mirror? A Different Perspective May be time‑consuming and unsettling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirror/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) ## Related quotes > [For the painter, the system of painting in flat tints is superior to all others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-eugene-chevreul/for-the-painter-the-system-of-painting-in-flat-tints-is-superior-to/) Michel Eugene Chevreul > [Having a background in doing printmaking and letterpress, I think that I became very interested in images that were flat and graphic. And my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-kilgallen/having-a-background-in-doing-printmaking-and-letterpress-i-think-that/) [Margaret Kilgallen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-kilgallen/) > [The actual technique, the process of painting flat color and simple geometric edges, all dates from my time here on Coenties Slip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-indiana/the-actual-technique-the-process-of-painting-flat-color-and-simple/) [Robert Indiana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-indiana/) > [If you are on the side whence the wind is blowing you will see the trees looking much lighter than you would see them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/if-you-are-on-the-side-whence-the-wind-is-blowing-you-will-see-the/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [The world is a mirror into which we look, and see our own image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/the-world-is-a-mirror-into-which-we-look-and-see-our-own-image/) [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) > [I'm as vain as everybody else, but if I see a mirror I have to look at myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessandra-ambrosio/i-m-as-vain-as-everybody-else-but-if-i-see-a-mirror-i-have-to-look-at/) [Alessandra Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessandra-ambrosio/) > [“I grasped the mirror to look closer at the strange girl in the reflection. Yes, I could see some similarities. The shape of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-legette-2/i-grasped-the-mirror-to-look-closer-at-the-strange-girl-in-the/) [M.L LeGette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-legette-2/) > [“O look, look in the mirror O look in your distress Life remains a blessing Although you cannot bless O stand, stand at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/o-look-look-in-the-mirror-o-look-in-your-distress-life-remains-a/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [Don't make a habit of pointing out other peoples flaws. You're not perfect either. Look in the mirror before you look out the window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-make-a-habit-of-pointing-out-other-peoples-flaws-you-re-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Yoga is a mirror to look at ourselves from within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/yoga-is-a-mirror-to-look-at-ourselves-from-within/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [The more you work, the less you exist. I believe (at least, I used to believe, because I no longer think this is entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-boltanski/the-more-you-work-the-less-you-exist-i-believe-at-least-i-used-to/) [Christian Boltanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-boltanski/) > [“If you can't see anything beautiful about yourself, get a better mirror. Look at little closer. Stare a little longer. Theres something inside of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbey-robinson/if-you-can-t-see-anything-beautiful-about-yourself-get-a-better/) Abbey Robinson > [Look deep in the mirror, look deep into its eyes. Your face is replaced, a creature you despise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megadeth/look-deep-in-the-mirror-look-deep-into-its-eyes-your-face-is-replaced/) [Megadeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megadeth/) > [I stand in front of the mirror and look at myself, and I don't make a sound but my eyes scream out help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/front-porch-step/i-stand-in-front-of-the-mirror-and-look-at-myself-and-i-don-t-make-a/) Front Porch Step > [Sometimes you have to look into a mirror and look at the worst you could have been if you're ever going to know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-plummer/sometimes-you-have-to-look-into-a-mirror-and-look-at-the-worst-you/) [Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) ## More by Leonardo da Vinci > [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with-a-wash-of-black-because-all/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Nothing can be love or hated unless it is first known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/nothing-can-be-love-or-hated-unless-it-is-first-known/) [Leonardo Da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [An arch consists of two weaknesses which, leaning one against the other, make a strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/an-arch-consists-of-two-weaknesses-which-leaning-one-against-the/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [But to me all sciences seem vain and full of error that are not born of experience, mother of all certainty, and do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/but-to-me-all-sciences-seem-vain-and-full-of-error-that-are-not-born/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [“Time stays long enough for those who use it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/time-stays-long-enough-for-those-who-use-it/) [Leonardo Da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [It is ordained that to the ambitious, who derive no satisfaction from the gifts of life and the beauty of the world, life shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/it-is-ordained-that-to-the-ambitious-who-derive-no-satisfaction-from/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Be a mirror, absorb everything around you and still remain the same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/be-a-mirror-absorb-everything-around-you-and-still-remain-the-same/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Your brain is much better than you think; just use it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/your-brain-is-much-better-than-you-think-just-use-it/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Necessity is a guardian in Nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/necessity-is-a-guardian-in-nature/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature because in her inventions nothing is lacking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/human-subtlety-will-never-devise-an-invention-more-beautiful-more/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [People reveal themselves completely only when they are thrown out of the customary conditions of their life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/people-reveal-themselves-completely-only-when-they-are-thrown-out-of/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [To be a winner you must want to win but must know of the chance of losing and must not fear of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/to-be-a-winner-you-must-want-to-win-but-must-know-of-the-chance-of/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Nature is so delightful and abundant in its variations that among trees of the same kind there would not be found one which nearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/nature-is-so-delightful-and-abundant-in-its-variations-that-among/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Wisdom is the daughter of experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/wisdom-is-the-daughter-of-experience/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) [Explore all 664 Leonardo da Vinci quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you are painting you should take a flat mirror and often look at your work within it, and it will then be seen in reverse, and will appear to be by the hand of some other master, and you will be better able to judge of its faults than in any other way.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leonardo da Vinci" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/when-you-are-painting-you-should-take-a-flat-mirror-and-often-look-at/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/when-you-are-painting-you-should-take-a-flat-mirror-and-often-look-at/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c62/leonardo-da-vinci-330_able_when-you-are-painting-you-should-take-a_2953669.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c62/leonardo-da-vinci-330_able_when-you-are-painting-you-should-take-a_2953669.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c62/leonardo-da-vinci-330_able_when-you-are-painting-you-should-take-a_2953669.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you are painting you should take a flat mirror and often look at your work within it, and it will then…” — Leonardo da Vinci", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Leonardo da Vinci", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you are painting you should...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/when-you-are-painting-you-should-take-a-flat-mirror-and-often-look-at/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/when-you-are-painting-you-should-take-a-flat-mirror-and-often-look-at/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```