That’s a really good question, Patrick, and you’re thinking about exactly the right thing 👍

When you scale a drawing up, you almost always need to **push the dark values more**. On a larger surface, light and mid tones spread out visually, so if the darkest darks stay timid, the whole drawing can start to look flat or washed out. Bigger drawings need stronger value contrast to read from a normal viewing distance. That doesn’t mean pressing harder everywhere, it means being more intentional about where your deepest shadows sit and letting them anchor the form.
When you scale a drawing down, it’s kind of the opposite. You usually have **less room to transition**, so heavy darks can overpower the form very quickly. Smaller drawings benefit from restraint, cleaner value grouping, and softer transitions so the shapes stay readable and not muddy.
A simple way to think about it
Large scale = wider value range and deeper darks
Small scale = tighter control and fewer extreme jumps
No matter the size, the rule stays the same: focus on clear shapes first, then adjust contrast to support those shapes. If the structure reads well, the scale adjustment becomes much easier.
Great topic to explore, this kind of thinking will level up your work fast 👏 Also must share the results here for everyone else.