GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
Is a way of passing messages/information through the use of sketches and drawings.
USE OF LINES
A line is the distance between two fixed points. Various types of lines are used in sketching or drawing.
Each line has its own meaning and characteristics to enable the person looking at your sketch to interpret
the drawing accurately.
NAME SYMBOL PENCIL USES
Construction ------------------------ 4H Used for setting (starting) out a drawing or sketch.
line
Outline _______________ H, HB Used for outlining a sketch or drawing.
Center line _ ___ _ ___ _ ___ 4H Used to show the center of an object.
Hidden detail _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4H To indicate parts on a sketch or drawing that you
line cannot see.
Dimension line 4H Used to mark or show distance between two points
PLANE GEOMETRY
Plane geometry is construction of two-dimensional figures.
It includes angles, triangles, quadrilaterals, circles and polygons.
1. BISECTING A LINE
To bisect is to divide into two equal parts. Bisecting a line means to divide a line into two equal parts.
2. DIVISION OF A LINE
Division of a line means to divide a given line into a number of equal parts.
3. CONSTRUCTING PERPENDICULAR LINE
A perpendicular is a line forming a right angle (90°) to another line.
A line which meet the baseline at 90°.
[Link] ANGLES (30°, 45°, 60° and 90°.
An angle is a corner or the space between two straight lines which meet at a point.
Is a corner where two lines intersect?
Angle is a space created between the intersections of two or more lines. Angles are measured in
degrees.
The amount of turn between two straight lines which meet at a point.
Design & Technology notes...Written by Mr Pasela...Form 2 2025 Page 1
TYPES OF ANGLES
NAME DRAWING DESCRIPTION
Right angle This is an angle of 90°
Acute angle Is an angle of less than 90°
Obtuse angle Angle which contain more than 90° but less than
180°
Reflex angle An angle which contain more than 180° but less
than 360°
5. BISECTING ANGLES
This means dividing angles into equal parts.
6. CONSTRUCTING QUADRILATERALS (Square, Rectangle, Rhombus and Trapezium)
A quadrilateral is a figure bounded by four straight lines. It has four sides and four angles. Its angles
add up to 360º.
Examples of quadrilateral
NAME ILLUSTRATION DESCRIPTION
A quadrilateral with four equal sides
Square and four inside right angles.
Opposite sides are parallel.
Design & Technology notes...Written by Mr Pasela...Form 2 2025 Page 2
It has its two pairs of opposite sides
Rectangle equal and inside angle are 90°.
Quadrilateral which its two inside
angles are less than 90°and two are
Rhombus exceeding 90°. Opposite sides are
parallel and are equal. Pairs of
opposite angles are equal.
Trapezium is a four sided plane
figure which one pair of the sides are
Trapezium parallel and two pairs of angles are
equal.
7. CONSTRUCTING A CIRCLE AND A TANGENT
A circle is a plane figure bounded by a curved line, all points on which are equidistant from its centre.
Sector
Semi circle
Radius
Diametre
Quadrant
Segment
PARTS OF A CIRCLE
i) ARC: Any portion of the circumference.
ii) CHORD: A straight line shorter than the diameter joining two points in the circumference.
iii) CIRCUMFERENCE: The outline of the circle.
iv) DIAMETER: A straight line across the center of the circle ending at the circumference.
v) QUADRANT: The part enclosed by two radii at right angles and arc.
vi) RADIUS: A straight line from the centre to the circumference.
vii) NORMAL: A straight line drawn outside the centre but radiating from its centre.
viii) SECTOR: The part enclosed by two radii and an arc, and covering less than 180°.
ix) SEGMENT: The part of a circle enclosed by a chord and its arc.
x) SEMI CIRCLE: One of the halves into which a diameter divides a circle.
xi) TANGENT: A straight line touching the circumference but not entering the circle.
Design & Technology notes...Written by Mr Pasela...Form 2 2025 Page 3
8. CONSTRUCTING REGULAR POLYGONS (Pentagon, Hexagon, Heptagon and Octagon).
Polygon is a plane figure bounded by more than four sides.
Regular polygon is a plane figure with more than four sides with all the sides and inside angles equal
and irregular polygons the sides and angles are different. Polygons are classified according to the
number of sides.
REGULAR POLYGONS
NAME ILLUSTRATION DESCRIPTION
Pentagon A polygon with five sides.
Hexagon A polygon with six sides.
Heptagon A polygon with seven sides.
A polygon with eight sides.
Octagon
9. ENHANCING DRAWINGS USING DIFFERENT PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES
RENDERING
It refers to the technique used to make simple drawing look more realistic and interesting.
Applying shade, texture or colour to a surface to make it look more realistic.
It can be done quite simple using shading or texture in the form of lines or dots.
a) TONE SHADING
Refers to the lightest or darkness of a surface according to the amount of light it receives.
When light falls on an objects, surfaces reflect different amount of light depending on their position in
relation to the light source.
Design & Technology notes...Written by Mr Pasela...Form 2 2025 Page 4
The side which faces towards the light looks light than that which faces away from the light. Suitable
pencils are soft lead (2B, B, HB) to give a wide of tones from light grey to dense black.
First determine the position of the light source and estimate where the shadow will fall.
Tone shading practice
i. Apply a very faint tone over all three surfaces.
ii. Ignoring face A, apply a second tonal layer over faces B and C.
iii. Now complete the process by adding a third layer to face C, which should then appear to be
in a shadow.
b) LINE SHADING
Lines can be used to imitate the tonal difference produced when light falls on an object. The lines
vary in thickness and spacing.
When lines follow the form of an object, the shading is called form shading.
Hatching is type of line shading where lines do not follow the direction of any edges of an object.
Cross hatching is hatching in two directions.
Form shading Hatching Cross hatching
c) TEXTURING
It refers to the smoothness or roughness of a surface.
When tones, lines and dots are used to show the surface texture of an object and suggest the material
that it is made from.
TEXTURE: The “surface finish” on a material. It is both VISUAL (smooth surface that you can see but
not feel) and TACTILE (rough surface that you can feel).
All materials have their own particular texture and it is this which helps to identify them.
Parallel surface can be used to suggest a shiny surface.
Broad stripes of dark tone can be used to show metal tubes or cylinders.
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Variety of lines can be used to represent wood grains.
d) COLOURED SURROUNDINGS
When colourings surround a sketch and enhance it to stand out. It is done through coloured
mediums such as coloured pencils, felt tip pens or crayons.
e) SHADOWS
When including shadows made by an object to make a sketch more realistic. The colour of the
shadow should be darker shade of the surface on which it falls and shadows should be produced in
relation to the light source.
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