Size does matter

..even in art! The physical dimensions of the area you are drawing/painting on are very important. This fact gets overlooked because it's so obvious, but it shouldn't be neglected. For example, most beginners start out on smaller surfaces, because it's easier to keep all the elements of the drawing in relation to each other, the work is easy to see as a whole (mainly because of the way our vision works) and it requires shorter hand motions to draw even the largest details in the piece, compared to working on a larger scale.(easyer to control those pesky lines' flow!)
Smaller scale works have their strenghts, that are unique to them, too, but I'm focusing more on the point that the size you work in changes the way you draw/paint/, organize the composition etc. which, I think, is really interesting. During life drawing sessions I often wondered "why I distort the proportions of the model the exact same way as last time, even though I consciously try not to?", "Why sometimes my composition works out well, and another time it doesn't, although I am using the same principle?" and many times the answer was right before me, the size of the sheet I was drawing on! Well, I found that out years later, of course. Working on a format, not suited for the distance between you=>your workplace=>the model often proves to give bad results, especially on the perspective and foreshortening in your work.
"Well, that's common knowledge! You just have to have enough space to back away from your workplace to see the piece as a whole", you say, an you'd be completely right! The problem is, ideal conditions for life drawing are rarely present. Packed studios, wall behind you, not enough space between your easel and the model etc. are what is often the reality. So, one should constantly think about this in order not to let such obstacles hinder him...for years, in some cases. *cough*..me..*cough*

This can be employed to mix things up a bit too, if you are stuck burned out, or stupefied by the complexity of such arduous tasks as painting naked women realistically, whip out your biggest/smallest sheet/canvas and see what could happen, I bet you'll be surprised of the result. Dunno if the surprise would be a pleasant one, but a surprise s a surprise nonetheless!