Left, right and center

You might have seen the article in the Atlantic Magazine that demonstrates the way most of us mug for the camera. We put our left side in profile believing that's our 'best' side. One theory posits that because the right side of the brain governs the left side of the body and the right side of the brain is the center of emotional impulses the left side of the face would naturally be more expressive. The sampling of photos and famous portraits yields a 70% occurrence of left facing posers.

Then there's the bartster's sketch book. I bet the ratio of left to right is reversed! Most of my little nebbishes that are profile or 3/4 face right. Do I draw left to right? Not really. I often start with the nose and work toward the ear (right to left). Am I right? Have I left something out? Am I off center (centre in Canada and the UK)?

Profiling from the right without computer assistance