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MUSIC AND VISUAL ARTS DEPARTMENT

Drawing as Documentation NOTES

What is drawing?

A drawing is an image in which the main element is line. Drawing is the most immediate way

of showing an object, an idea or a feeling in a pictorial way. This is done by using any tool or

material that makes a mark. Drawing is basis to all forms of visual art, craft and design.

Painters, graphic designers, sculptors and architects all begin their work with drawing-drawing

is usually the first step in producing artworks.

 Drawing Media

In drawing, line is the most important element of art. The characteristics of a line are

determined, in part, by the medium used to draw it. The most popular drawing media are

graphite pencils, coloured pencils, pens, crayons, pastels, chalks, coloured markers, charcoal,

a stick, even a piece of cardboard dipped into paint or ink. Pen and ink, pen and brush, and

brushes with watercolours are also used to make drawings. The drawing material you use will

depend on you, and the effect you want to create.

 Art Medium versus Art Media

A medium refers to the material that is used to create a work of art. The plural of medium is

media. Each drawing medium has its own qualities. Chalk and crayon, for example, produce

rough lines. A pen, by contrast, makes smooth lines.

Pencil

Picking the right supplies for drawing is very crucial. The cool thing about pencils is that it

goes well with most types of shading techniques. Graphite pencil is the most common types

of pencil. These pencils are made out of the combination of clay and graphite. Their ratio is

according to the softness or hardness of the pencil. This means the more the clay composition

the harder the pencil. Graphite varies from hard to soft. They are categorized into hard and

soft.
 Shading Techniques

Shading is the use of light and dark values to create the illusion of form. There are four main
shading techniques:

Shading means adding values to your already drawn art work to show depth, contours and the

position of light. The major difference between three-dimensional objects (3D) and two-

dimensional objects (2D) is the presence of light and shade. Three-dimensional objects reflect

light in the areas where they are closest to us. Without shading your drawing will look flat.

There are different types of shading techniques. The combination of different types of

shading techniques actually makes your work realistic. Some shading techniques: hatching,

crosshatching, blending/smudging/rubbing, stippling/pointillism, scribble hatching and

planes.

 Hatching - This technique consists of drawing thin lines that run in the same
direction.
 Crosshatching – Shading created using crisscrossing lines called crosshatching.
 Blending/smudging/rubbing – Artists perform blending by changing the colour
value
little by little by rubbing with a cloth or finger.
 Stippling/pointillism- Shading that creates dark values by means of tiny dots
clustered together in shady areas.
 Scribbling - Building up of with scribble lines
 Planes - blocks of different tone
 Drawing as Documentation

Generally speaking, art documentation involves the creation and organization of documents

representing and related to artworks and artists. Art-making itself can be considered a form of

documentation and finished artworks as documents in their own right. Drawing as

documentation also, involves the preliminary steps to achieve a finished work of art.

Composition

A composition is an arrangement of two or more objects in a pleasing and balanced way on a

surface to be drawn. The aim of a good composition is to keep the viewer’s attention, leading

them/the eyes into and around the layout.

 Sketch

Sketch, traditionally a rough drawing in which an artist notes down his preliminary ideas for

a work that will eventually be realized with greater precision and [Link] is an idea or plan

that is quickly done. A sketch is a quick representation of an image on a surface.

Baseline

It is a horizontal line which is drawn behind the objects. This is to indicate that the objects

drawn are resting on a surface and not floating.

 Foreshortening

Foreshortening refers to the technique of depicting an object or human body in a picture so as

to produce an illusion of projection or extension in space.

Ellipse

An ellipse is a circle seen in perspective. When a circle is seen in perspective, it no longer

looks like a circle – it becomes squashed by the effect of foreshortening of the eye into a

shape called an ellipse. An ellipse has two axes: the major axis (horizontal line) and a minor

axis (vertical line). Always start drawing the ellipse from the minor axis.
 Format

This dictates how the paper is set for drawing. The format depends on the subject; if the

subject has more height then it would be best to set or use the paper vertically called portrait.

If the subject has more width, then it would be best to set or use the paper horizontally called

landscape.

Proportion

This is the relationship of an object in comparison to the other, the size of an object in

comparison to another. Nearer shapes and forms overlap, or partly cover, those meant to
appear farther away. Distant objects are placed higher up in the picture; closer ones are

placed lower down.

Construction Line

These are pale or imaginary lines that an artist uses to achieve accuracy, neatness and

balance.

Types of drawing/Drawing techniques:

Contour

 Still-life
 Figure
 Gesture
 Caricature
 Perspective

REFER TO TEXT: Art, Craft & Design by Clodagh Holahan & Maureen Roche, topic:
Drawing PAGES 93-140.
 Contour drawing

These are the most common form of finished drawings. The outlines and the edges reduce the

subject matter to a few lines. Such drawings are full of confidence and clarity. They are

nearly always accurate interpretations of the subject. Depending on the artist, contour

drawings can be done quickly, with one line and without much detail. Sometimes such

drawings are called pure line drawings.

 Still-life drawing

A still-life drawing or painting is seen as drawing or painting of non-living objects, either

natural or man-made which is not moving. This can be a vase of flowers, basket of fruits,

shells, stack of books, telephone, a group of bottles, ball, utensils, shoes, box- the list is

endless. These are arranged on a surface to be drawn. A still-life set up or composition is

normally effective when three (3) or more objects are present. The key to still-life drawing is

observation and proportion. Before you begin drawing one has to pay keen attention to the

setup or composition. Observe the subject matter. When getting ready to begin, start from the

closet objects towards you.

 Figure Drawing

A figure drawing is a drawing of the human form in any of its various shapes and postures

using any of the drawing media. The term can also refer to the act of producing such a

drawing. The degree of representation may range from highly detailed, anatomically correct

renderings to loose and expressive sketches.

 Gesture Drawing

Gesture drawing is a type of drawing that prioritizes flowing movement, resulting in sketchy,

fluid lines with less defined shapes than contour drawing. Most gesture drawing uses the

human figure as the subject, making it a type of figure drawing.

A gesture drawing is the capturing of the action, form, and pose of a model/figure. Typical

situations involve an artist drawing a series of poses taken by a model in a short amount of

time, ‘spur of the moment’, often as little as 10 seconds, or as long as 5 minutes.

 Caricature

A caricature is a drawing, of a person or thing in which the features and form have been

distorted and exaggerated in order to mock or ridicule the subject. For example, if a person

has a big nose, or bushy eyebrows, these might be highlighted by the caricaturist. The main

targets of the caricature are politicians, film stars, pop stars - almost anyone in public life.
 Perspective

Perspective drawing is a technique to create the linear illusion of depth. Perspective is a way

of showing distance in a drawing or painting. As objects get further away from the viewer

they appear to decrease in size at a constant rate.

To make the subject of a drawing or painting appear in the correct proportions, we must use

perspective. Perspective is all about creating an illusion – a 3-dimensional appearance on a 2-

dimensional surface. We want to create the illusion that things get smaller as they go farther

away from us. Of course, objects don’t really get smaller - they just seem to. In our drawings

and painting, we must also consider colour when using perspective. Colours change with

distance. They appear to grow paler, creating an impression of depth and distance.
If you draw a railway track or straight road – like the one in the picture at the right – you will

notice that the sides of the road seem to meet in the distance, even though we know they are

parallel lines. The place at which the lines seem to meet is called the vanishing point.

Vanishing points are often on the horizon. You can also have vanishing points above and

below the horizon line. The position of the horizon in your picture depends on your eye level.
 Three Different Eye Levels

1. A bird’s eye view- viewed from the air

2. The normal view – viewed from human eye level, standing

3. A worm’s eye view-viewed from the ground