drawing

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1. The act or an instance of drawing.
2. 1. The art of representing objects or forms on a surface chiefly by means of lines.
   2. A work produced by this art.

Definition

Children's drawings are visual representations made with crayons, markers, or pencils that are generated for pleasure but can also be used for therapeutic purposes or developmental assessment.

Description

Children's art, especially a drawing, represents one of the delights of childhood. The child's artistic endeavors are mainly produced for pleasure and the exploration of art media. They can also be used for developmental and therapeutic assessment.

Children's drawings obviously show artistic development and expression. In educational and clinical settings, they can be vehicles for assessing a child's personality, intellectual development, communication skills, and emotional adjustment. Children's drawings can also aid in helping to diagnose learning disabilities. Law enforcement officers, social workers, and counselors often have children draw traumatic events, especially when they lack the communication skills to explain what they have witnessed or experienced. Children may also feel distanced from the traumatic event by drawing it and talking about what is happening in the picture, as if discussing a character in a book or on television.

Color analysis has often been a means of determining a child's emotional state. A lot of black or red recurring in a child's drawing may be a troublesome sign. Black often is an indication of depression or feeling hopeless or restricted. Red may indicate intense anger. Blues and greens are usually calm colors, and yellows and oranges often indicate cheerfulness. Therapists are not ordinarily concerned if a child does one drawing in one of the troublesome colors, but may want to investigate a series of dark drawings, especially if the content is also frightening or disturbing. Therapists may use the therapeutic session as a means of emotional release and may encourage a child to create drawings that express their deep fears and angers. Drawings in this case are not assessment instruments, but become therapeutic tools.

Stages of Creative Development

In 1975, Viktor Lowenfeld launched a theory of artistic development based on systematic creative and cognitive stages. Each stage demonstrated specific characteristics and had an age range. He encouraged the use of his artistic development stages in classrooms and as guides for parents.

These stages are as dependent on a child's exposure to art and art media as they are on a child's innate artistic ability or fine motor skills. It should be noted that because a child does not seem to go beyond a specific developmental stage, it does not mean that the child has a cognitive or developmental problem. This apparent arrest of development may be due to limited exposure to art, lack of interest, or fine-motor differences. Cultural values can also affect artistic expression and development, influencing content, art media, style, and symbolic meaning as represented in the child's view of the world.

The following stages are generalized from Lowenfeld's work and that of Betty Edwards. Both theories show children moving from scribbling through several stages to realistic art. Children may overlap stages, making drawings with elements of one stage while progressing or regressing to another. Generally, boys and girls will develop similarly in the initial stages. Whether any child progresses to the latter stages usually requires instruction of some kind.

SCRIBBLING STAGE. The scribbling stage usually begins around two years old and lasts until the child is about four years of age. In some cases, it can begin as soon as a child can hold a fat crayon and make marks on paper, which is sometimes around 18 months old. At first, the child is interested only in watching the color flow on the paper. Some children are more interested in the marking itself and may even look away while scribbling. What results on the paper is accidental and often delights the child, even though it is indistinguishable to adults.

With about six months of practice, the child will be more deliberate and may start drawing circles. Later, the child will name the drawing, saying, "This is a dog." The child may even look at the drawing of the dog the next day and say, "This is Daddy." The child will also start drawing people that resemble a tadpole or amoeba (a circle with arms and legs, and sometimes eyes).

PRE-SCHEMATIC STAGE. The pre-schematic, or pre-symbolic, stage begins around age four; however, it may start earlier or later, depending on the child's cultural and artistic experience. In this stage, the amoeba or tadpole people may have faces, hands, and even toes, but no bodies. These figures face front and often have big smiles. Omission of body details is not a sign that something is developmentally wrong. It just means that other things in the drawing of the person are more important. For example, heads are the first objects drawn and may continue to be bigger than other parts of the body. This is usually done because the child sees the head as being very important. The child eats, speaks, sees, and hears with parts of the head.

Colors are selected on whim and usually have no relationship with what is being drawn. Figures may be scattered all over the page, or the page turned in every direction as the figures fill the paper. Objects and figures may appear to float all over the page because children do not yet know how to express three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface.

The child's self-portrait appears as an amoeba person, but it will usually be the biggest figure, appearing in the center of the page. The child may test different ways to draw a self-portrait before settling on one for a period of time. In this instance, art helps define a child's self image.

SCHEMATIC STAGE. The schematic stage usually begins around seven years old and extends through age nine. At this time, the child has developed specific schema, or symbols for people and objects in his or her environment, and will draw them consistently over and over. Human figures have all necessary body parts. Arms and legs also fill out, instead of being stick-like. This is usually due to more body awareness and recognition of what body parts do; e.g. parts of the body help the child run, catch a ball, jump, etc. Adults usually have very long legs because that is how children see them.

Houses and people no longer float on the page. They are grounded by a baseline that acts as a horizon line. As the child continues to draw, there may be two or more baselines to show distance or topography. Children may also draw a series of pictures, like cartoon squares, to show action sequences over time. This seems to reflect a child's desire to tell stories with the drawings. By eight or nine years of age, children will often draw their favorite cartoon characters or superheroes.

REALISTIC OR GANG STAGE. The realistic or gang stage begins around nine years old. Here, the child begins to develop more detail in drawing people and in determining perspective (depth or distance) in drawings. Shapes now have form with shadows and shading. The people they draw show varying expressions. Colors are used to accurately depict the environment, and more complex art materials may be introduced.

Children at this stage are eager to conform and are very sensitive to teasing or criticism from classmates. They also are very critical of their work, individually or when it is compared to the work of others. Children at this stage can be easily discouraged about creating art if they are overly criticized, teased by their peers, or become frustrated with art media or problems expressing what they see in their minds. This is the time to begin quality art instruction, where children receive the technical training in mastery of art media, perspective, figure drawing, and rendering (shading).

Somewhere between ages 12 and 16 years, children face a crisis in artistic development. They will either already have enough skill and encouragement to continue a desire to create art, or they will not. If it is only a matter of training, finding appropriate art classes will help the child through this crisis. If the child has been discouraged by criticism or lack of enough art experience or exposure, the child may not continue to draw or partcipate in visual art activities. Some discouraged children may change to a different art medium. For example, a child may not draw or paint again, but may enjoy making clay pots or welding metal sculptures. Other children will find alternate ways to express their creativity. For example, a child may become involved with auto detailing, fly-tying, sewing, or needlework. Still others will never participate in any other kind of artistic activity and may ridicule or disdain those who do.

Common Problems

When to Call the Doctor

Generally, children's drawings are no cause of alarm, despite color choice or content. They are merely artistic expressions and may present a variety of emotions, representations, and themes that are explored and then discarded.

Nevertheless, if a young child is repeatedly drawing violent pictures, there may be reason to seek out a therapist for the child to see if deeper emotional issues exist. For teenagers, especially those who are artistic, entertaining a dark period or even a quasi-violent Goth or vampire series of art work may simply be artistic exploration of darker themes. If this period of art work is coupled with risky behaviors or depression, it may represent a cry for help and therapy may be appropriate.

Other indicators of possible emotional problems may be drawings of a particular object or person much bigger than a drawing the child makes of himself or herself, or a drawing of a human figure in disjointed parts. In these cases, a child should be evaluated by a therapist because drawings of this sort usually indicate being overwhelmed by something or feeling fragmented. Drawings with incomplete or hesitant lines may indicate that a child feels unsure or insecure. Children who make these drawings may just need encouragement. Further evaluation may be necessary if these kinds of drawings continue for a long period of time.

Parental Concerns

Since artistic expression and appreciation is an element of a balanced life, encouragement by parents and other adults is essential. Adults can encourage art expression by offering art materials to children at an early age. Even toddlers can make drawings with fat crayons, as crayons are non-toxic. Art materials should be good quality. The materials do not need to be expensive, but they should be good enough so that they perform as they are intended. For example, a child may be given a set of colored markers; but if they do not flow well or are dried up, the child can become discouraged because the tools do not function properly.

Children also enjoy experimenting with a variety of art materials. Using chalks, pastels, charcoal, and pencils of different softness expands the artistic possibilities that crayons and markers begin. This variety allows a child to explore different media and how they behave. No child is expected to become the master of any or all of these media, but the experience with each helps them expand their artistic voice and opens up greater appreciation for artwork by others found in museums or created by their fellow classmates.

Adults can encourage artistic expression by allowing children to use the media they have experimented with in ways that are truly unique. Adults can make sure that children know that drawings are not always supposed to look like photographs, but are each person's view of the world. Children's drawings become expressions of how and what each child sees. Adults can help children understand that art is self expression and that there is nothing wrong with what the child chooses to express. Artistic risk taking, experimentation, and the development of meaning are intrinsic to making art, and children can begin to understand these concepts through their own artistic efforts.

Exposure to a variety of visual art at an early age can encourage a child's lifelong appreciation of art. This can be in the form of quality children's picture books that have beautiful illustrations. Trips to art galleries and museums can broaden a child's exposure to a variety of artists, styles, and content. Visiting artists at art shows or art fairs can also be a way to show children how artists work or handle different media. Adults can extend this exposure through discussions about the art works and talking about media or content.

Children's responses to their own drawings and their perception of the level of their competence is often affected by the attitudes of their peers and adults who react to their art work. Direct and indirect criticism of a child's drawings should be avoided. When children are very young, it is sometimes difficult for adults to figure out just what a child's drawing is about. In order to avoid quashing young talent or a child's self-esteem by commenting on the beautiful bee the child drew when it really was a dog, adults can praise the child for having made something wonderful and then ask the child to tell about the drawing. From the answer, the adult can then praise the child's work in context. For example, if the child brings a drawing of yellow and blue scribbles, the adult can say, "What beautiful colors! Tell me about your picture." If the child says the drawing is about a flying horse, the adult can respond, "What a graceful flying horse! Does he like to fly?" The adult can continue to engage the child in discussion about the horse, choices of color, reasons for drawing a flying horse that day, or how the child felt doing the drawing.

Criticism can occur constructively when children enroll in technical art classes. There is a context in the art education setting for mastery of art media and technique. The normal preschool or elementary classroom is not the place for this kind of critique. Many children have been so severely criticized by teachers that they never pick up art materials again and some are even turned away from appreciating anyone else's art.

See also Cognitive development.

Resources

Books

Gaitskill, C., et al. Children and Their Art. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982.

Golomb, C. The Child's Creation of a Pictorial World. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1992.

Levick, Myra. See What I'm Saying: What Children Tell UsThrough Their Art. Dr. Myra Levick, 2003.

Malchiodi, Cathy. Understanding Children's Drawings. New York: Guilford Press, 1998.

Oster, Gerald. Using Drawings in Assessment and Therapy: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 2004.

Rubin, Judith. Art Therapy. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1999.

Periodicals

Burkitt, Esther et al. "Children's Colour Choices for Completing Drawings of Affectively Characterised Topics." Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry(2003): 445.

McDonald, Faith Tibbets. "What Drawings Reveal" Christian Parenting Today.14, no. 18 (March/April 2002): 20.

"Scribbles Can Measure Kids' Development." USA Today(December 2001).

[Article by: Janie Franz]

For more information on drawing, visit Britannica.com.

Quotes:

"A drawing is always dragged down to the level of its caption." - James Thurber

"My drawings have been described as pre-internationalist, meaning that they were finished before the ideas for them had occurred to me. I shall not argue the point." - James Thurber

"Matisse makes a drawing, then he makes a copy of it. He recopies it five times, ten times, always clarifying the line. He's convinced that the last, the most stripped down, is the best, the purest, the definitive one; and in fact, most of the time, it was the first. In drawing, nothing is better than the first attempt." - Pablo Picasso

"There is a relationship between cartooning and people like Mir? and Picasso which may not be understood by the cartoonist, but it definitely is related even in the early Disney." - Roy Lichtenstein

"In the final analysis, a drawing simply is no longer a drawing, no matter how self-sufficient its execution may be. It is a symbol, and the more profoundly the imaginary lines of projection meet higher dimensions, the better." - Paul Klee

"I could draw Bloom County with my nose and pay my cleaning lady to write it, and I'd bet I wouldn't lose 10 % of my papers over the next twenty years. Such is the nature of comic-strips. Once established, their half-life is usually more than nuclear waste." - Berke Breathed

See more famous quotes about Drawing

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For other uses, see Drawing (disambiguation).

For a topical guide to this subject, see Outline of drawing.

Male nude by Annibale Carracci, 16th century

Drawing is a visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoals, chalk, pastels, markers, stylus, or various metals like silverpoint. An artist who practices or works in drawing may be referred to as a draftsman or draughtsman.

A small amount of material is released onto the two dimensional medium which leaves a visible mark—the process is similar to that of painting. The most common support for drawing is paper, although other materials such as cardboard, plastic, leather, canvas and board, may be used. Temporary drawings may be made on a blackboard or whiteboard, or indeed almost anything. The medium has also become popular as a means of public expression via graffiti art, because of the easy availability of permanent markers.

Contents 1 Overview 2 History 2.1 Masters of drawing 3 Drawing topics 3.1 Subject matter 3.2 Media 3.3 Materials 3.4 Tone 3.5 Layout 3.6 Perspective 3.7 Artistry 4 Applying media 5 Digital illustration 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links

Overview

Madame Palmyre with Her Dog, 1897. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

Drawing is a form of visual expression and is one of the major forms within the visual arts. There are a number of subcategories of drawing, including cartooning. Certain drawing methods or approaches, such as "doodling" and other informal kinds of drawing such as drawing in the fog a shower leaves on a bathroom mirror, or the surrealist method of "entoptic graphomania", in which dots are made at the sites of impurities in a blank sheet of paper, and lines are then made between the dots, may or may not be considered as part of "drawing" as a "fine art."

The word 'drawing' is used as both a verb and a noun:

• Drawing (verb) is the act of making marks on a surface so as to create an image, form or shape.
• The produced image is also called a drawing (noun). A quick, unrefined drawing may be defined as a sketch.

In simplistic terms, drawing is distinct from painting, perhaps more so in the Western view; East Asian art, which generally only uses brushes, has historically made less distinction between the two. Critics may praise a painter's ability to draw well, meaning that the shapes, especially of the human body, are well-articulated, or a drawing may be considered painterly.

Adding confusion, similar tools and media may be used in both tasks. Dry media normally associated with drawing, such as chalk, may be used in pastel painting. Drawing may be done with liquid media applied with brushes or pens. Similar supports likewise can serve both: painting generally involves the application of liquid paint onto prepared canvas or panels, but sometimes an underdrawing is drawn first on that same support. Drawing is generally concerned with the marking of lines and areas of tone onto paper, but watercolor painting uses a paper support. Traditional drawings were monochrome, or at least had little colour,^[1] while modern coloured-pencil drawings may approach or cross the boundary (if there is one) between drawing and painting.

The term drawing suggests a process and intent that is distinct from the traditional act of painting. While there are drawings that are finished artworks, drawing is often exploratory, with considerable emphasis on observation, problem solving and composition, often as a means of preparation for a painting. In contrast, traditional painting is often a means of execution or finishing an artwork. It is fair to note that modern painters often incorporate methods of drawing in their painting process, particularly in the early stages of a painting.

History

André Masson. Automatic Drawing. 1924. Ink on paper, 23.5 x 20.6 cm. Museum of Modern Art, New York.

People have made rock and cave drawings since prehistoric times. By the 12th-13th centuries AD, monks preparing illuminated manuscripts on vellum or parchment in monasteries throughout Europe were using lead styli to draw lines for their writings and for the outlines for their illuminations. Soon artists generally were using silver to make drawings and underdrawings. Initially they used and re-used wooden tablets with prepared ground for these drawings. When paper became generally available from the 14th century onwards, artists' drawings, both preparatory studies and finished works, became increasingly common.

Masters of drawing

Since the 14th century, each century has produced artists who have created great drawings.

• Masters of drawing in the 1300s to 1500s included Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello.
• During the 1600s, Claude, Nicolas Poussin, Rembrandt, Guercino, and Peter Paul Rubens created important drawings.
• In the 1700s, great drawings were produced by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Francisco Goya, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and Antoine Watteau.
• The masters of drawing during the 1800s included Paul Cézanne, Jacques Louis David, Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, Edgar Degas, Theodore Gericault, Jean Ingres, Odilon Redon, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Honore Daumier, and Vincent van Gogh.
• Great drawings in the 1900s have been created by Käthe Kollwitz, Max Beckmann, Jean Dubuffet, Egon Schiele, Arshile Gorky, Paul Klee, Oscar Kokoschka, M. C. Escher, André Masson, Jules Pascin, and Pablo Picasso.

Drawing topics

Subject matter

Drawings may be representational, depicting objects, living beings, clouds or scenes which the artist views, remembers, or imagines. They may be realistic to the point of lifelike resemblance (e.g. traditional portraits), architectural drawing or looser approximations of reality (e.g. sketches), and highly stylized (e.g. cartoons, caricatures, manga), or abstract (e.g. automatic drawing, entoptic graphomania). Drawing may also be a form of heraldic art, with a range of formality from finished works of heraldic art to tricking.

Media

Joseph Nechvatal 4x7' drawing "Fini" 1980

The medium is the means by which ink, pigment, or color are delivered onto the drawing surface. Most drawing media are either dry (e.g. graphite, charcoal, pastels, Conté, silverpoint), or water-based (marker, pen and ink).^[2] Watercolor pencils can be used dry like ordinary pencil, then moistened with a wet brush to get various painterly effects. Very rarely, artists have drawn with (usually decoded) invisible ink.

Materials

Paper comes in a variety of different sizes and qualities, ranging from newspaper grade for practice up to high quality and relatively expensive paper sometimes sold as individual sheets.^[3] Papers can vary in texture, hue, acidity, and strength when wet. Smooth paper is good for rendering fine detail, but a more "toothy" paper will hold the drawing material better. Thus a more coarse material is useful for producing deeper contrast. Bristol board and even heavier acid-free boards, frequently with smooth finishes, can also be used for drawings. Acid-free, archival quality paper keeps its color and texture far longer than wood pulp based paper such as newsprint, which will turn yellow and become brittle much sooner.

For pen and ink work, typing paper is often used for practice drawings, but heavier paper holds up better. Bristol board makes a hard surface that is especially good for ink or fine detailed graphite drawing. Coldpressed watercolor paper is sometimes favored for ink drawing due to its texture. Tracing vellum is often used for experimenting on top of a pencil drawing, prior to committing a technique to the final page. True vellum produces very finely-detailed painting or drawing.

Various tools are routinely used in the process of drawing. These include a pencil sharpener, sandpaper, kneaded eraser, blending stumps, and chamois. Other tools that sometimes prove useful are tracing paper, a circle compass, ruler, frisket, fixative, and drafting tape. The use of an easel or slanted table reduces the distorting effects of perspective. Metalpointing can include silver, platinum, copper, bronze, and even gold. Some of these metals can change color over time through oxidization and produce interesting results.

One new tool for drawing is the computer's 'drawing option'. Contemporary artists have broadened the sphere of associations the term 'drawing' encompasses to a number of unconventional drawing media, including performance and multimedia work, employing the branches of trees as drawing instruments, and fashioning images with carbon deposit from smoke.^{[citation needed]}

Tone

Line drawing in sanguine by Leonardo da Vinci

Gustave Doré's drawing ofOrlando Furioso defeating a sea monster

Shading is the technique of varying the tonal values on the paper to represent the shade of the material as well as the placement of the shadows. Careful attention to reflected light, shadows, and highlights can result in a very realistic rendition of the image.

Blending uses an implement to soften or spread the original drawing strokes. Blending is most easily done with a medium that does not immediately fix itself, such as graphite, chalk, or charcoal, although freshly applied ink can be smudged, wet or dry, for some effects. For shading and blending, the artist can use a blending stump, tissue, a kneaded eraser, a fingertip, or any combination of them. A piece of chamois is useful for creating smooth textures, and for removing material to lighten the tone. Continuous tone can be achieved with graphite on a smooth surface without blending, but the technique is laborious, involving small circular or oval strokes with a somewhat blunt point.

Shading techniques that also introduce texture to the drawing include hatching and stippling. There are a number of other methods for producing texture in the picture: in addition to choosing a suitable paper, the type of drawing material and the drawing technique will result in different textures. Texture can be made to appear more realistic when it is drawn next to a contrasting texture; a coarse texture will be more obvious when placed next to a smoothly blended area. A similar effect can be achieved by drawing different tones in close proximity; a light edge next to a dark background will stand out to the eye, and almost appear to float above the surface.

Layout

Measuring the dimensions of a subject while blocking in the drawing is an important step in producing a realistic rendition of the aertically can be used to measure the angles of different sides. These angles can be reproduced on the drawing surface and then rechecked to make sure they are accurate. Another form of measurement is to compare the relative sizes of different parts of the subject with each other. A finger placed at a point along the drawing implement can be used to compare that dimension with other parts of the image.

When attempting to draw a complicated shape such as a human figure, it is helpful at first to represent the form with a set of primitive shapes. Almost any form can be represented by some combination of the cube, sphere, cylinder, and cone. Once these basic shapes have been assembled into a likeness, then the drawing can be refined into a more accurate and polished form. The lines of the primitive shapes are removed and replaced by the final likeness.

A more refined art of figure drawing relies upon the artist possessing a deep understanding of anatomy and the human proportions. A trained artist is familiar with the skeleton structure, joint location, muscle placement, tendon movement, and how the different parts work together during movement. This allows the artist to render more natural poses that do not appear artificially stiff. The artist is also familiar with how the proportions vary depending on the age of the subject, particularly when drawing a portrait.

Perspective

Linear perspective is a method of portraying objects on a flat surface so that the dimensions shrink with distance. The parallel, straight edges of any object, whether a building or a table, will follow lines that eventually converge at infinity. Typically this point of convergence will be along the horizon, as buildings are built level with the flat surface. When multiple structures are aligned with each other, such as buildings along a street, the horizontal tops and bottoms of the structures will all typically converge at a vanishing point.

Two point perspective drawing.

When both the fronts and sides of a building are drawn, then the parallel lines forming a side converge at a second point along the horizon (which may be off the drawing paper.) This is a "two-point perspective". Converging the vertical lines to a point in the sky then produces a "three-point perspective".

Depth can also be portrayed by several techniques in addition to the perspective approach above. Objects of similar size should appear ever smaller the further they are from the viewer. Thus the back wheel of a cart will appear slightly smaller than the front wheel. Depth can be portrayed through the use of texture. As the texture of an object gets further away it becomes more compressed and busy, taking on an entirely different character than if it was close. Depth can also be portrayed by reducing the amount of contrast of more distant objects, and also by making the colors more pale. This will reproduce the effect of atmospheric haze, and cause the eye to focus primarily on objects drawn in the foreground.

Artistry

Chiaroscuro study drawing by Bouguereau

The composition of the image is an important element in producing an interesting work of artistic merit. The artist plans the placement of elements in the art in order to communicate ideas and feelings with the viewer. The composition can determine the focus of the art, and result in a harmonious whole that is aesthetically appealing and stimulating.

The illumination of the subject is also a key element in creating an artistic piece, and the interplay of light and shadow is a valuable method in the artist's toolbox. The placement of the light sources can make a considerable difference in the type of message that is being presented. Multiple light sources can wash out any wrinkles in a person's face, for instance, and give a more youthful appearance. In contrast, a single light source, such as harsh daylight, can serve to highlight any texture or interesting features.

When drawing an object or figure, the skilled artist pays attention to both the area within the silhouette and what lies outside. The exterior is termed the negative space, and can be as important in the representation as the figure. Objects placed in the background of the figure should appear properly placed wherever they can be viewed.

A study is a draft drawing that is made in preparation for a planned final image. Studies can be used to determine the appearances of specific parts of the completed image, or for experimenting with the best approach for accomplishing the end goal. However a well-crafted study can be a piece of art in its own right, and many hours of careful work can go into completing a study.

Applying media

Almost all draughtsmen use their hands and fingers to apply the media, with the exception of some handicapped individuals who draw with their mouths or feet.

Prior to working on an image, the artist will likely want to gain an understanding of how the various media will work. The different drawing implements can be tried on practice sheets in order to determine value and texture, and how to apply the implement in order to produce various effects.

The stroke of the drawing implement can be used to control the appearance of the image. Ink drawings typically use hatching, which consists of groups of parallel lines. ^[4] Cross-hatching uses hatching in two or more different directions to create a darker tone. Broken hatching, or lines with intermittent breaks, is used to form lighter tones, and by controlling the density of the breaks a graduation of tone can be achieved. Stippling, uses dots to produce tone, texture or shade.

Sketch drawings use similar techniques, although with pencils and drawing sticks continuous variations in tone can be achieved. For best results the lines in a sketch are typically drawn to follow the contour curves of the surface, thus producing a depth effect. When drawing hair, the lines of the sketch follow the direction of the hair growth.

Typically a drawing will be filled in based on which hand the artist favors. A right-handed artist will want to draw from left to right in order to avoid smearing the image. Sometimes the artist will want to leave a section of the image blank while filling in the remainder of the picture. A frisket can be used for this purpose. The shape of the area to be preserved is cut out of the frisket, and the resulting shape is then applied to the drawing surface. This will protect the surface from receiving any stray marks before it is ready to be filled in.

Another method to preserve a section of the image is to apply a spray-on fixative to the surface. This will hold loose material more firmly to the sheet and prevent it from smearing. However the fixative spray typically uses chemicals that can negatively affect the respiratory system, so it should be employed in a well-ventilated area such as outdoors.

Digital illustration

Picture produced by Drawing Machine 2

Main articles: digital illustration and digital art

Drawing may also be done as computer art. Computer illustration or digital art is the use of digital tools to produce images under the direct manipulation of the artist, usually through a pointing device such as a tablet or a mouse. It is distinguished from computer-generated art, which is produced by a computer using mathematical models created by the artist. It is also distinct from digital manipulation of photographs, in that it is an original construction "from scratch". (Photographic elements may be incorporated into such works, but they are not the primary basis or source for them.)

See also

• List of basic drawing topics
• Category:Cartoonists
• Color theory
• Composition
• Computer-aided design
• Diagramming
• Engineering drawing
• Figure drawing
• GPS drawing
• Illustration
• Multi-Sketch
• Pen
• Plans (drawings)
• Sketch (drawing)
• Sketchbook
• Traditional animation
• Technical drawing
• Box drawing characters
• Back of a napkin

References

1. ^ See grisaille and chiaroscuro
2. ^ Mayer, Ralph. The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques. Viking. ISBN 0-670-83701-6. 
3. ^ Mayer, Ralph. The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques. Viking. ISBN 0-670-83701-6. 
4. ^ This use of hatching is to be distinguished from the use of a hatching system in heraldry to indicate tincture (i.e. what "color", in layman's language, the arms are) in a monochromatic context.)

Further reading

• J. D. Hillberry, Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil, North Light Books, 1999, ISBN 0-89134-868-9.
• Frank Lohan, Pen & Ink Techniques, Contemporary Books, 1978, ISBN 0-8092-7438-8.
• World Book, Inc. The World Book Encyclopedia Volume 5, 1988, ISBN 0-7166-0089-7.
• Bodley Gallery, New York, N.Y., Modern master drawings, 1971, OCLC 37498294.
• Betty Edwards, The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; 3Rev Ed edition, 2001, ISBN 978-0007116454

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Drawing

Look up drawing in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Timeline of Drawing Development in Children

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - tegning

idioms:

• back to the drawing board    tilbage til tegnebrættet
• drawing board    tegnebræt
• drawing card    trækplaster
• drawing office    tegnestue
• drawing pin    tegnestift
• drawing room    dagligstue, salon-, salonvogn, kur

Nederlands (Dutch)
tekenkunst, tekening

Français (French)
n. - dessin, ébauche, esquisse, croquis, étirage (des métaux)

idioms:

• back to the drawing board    (fig) retour à la case départ
• drawing board    planche à dessin
• drawing card    valeur sûre, (US) atout
• drawing pin    (GB) punaise (à papier)
• drawing room    salon, salle de réception
• on the drawing board    (être) à l'étude

Deutsch (German)
n. - Zeichnen, Zeichenkunst, Zeichnung

idioms:

• back to the drawing board    von vorne beginnen
• drawing board    Zeichenbrett
• drawing card    (ugs.) Zugnummer
• drawing pin    Reißzwecke
• drawing room    Salon
• on the drawing board    wieder von vorne beginnen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σχέδιο, σκίτσο, σχεδίαση

idioms:

• back to the drawing board    φτου κι από την αρχή
• drawing board    σχεδιαστήριο, τράπεζα σχεδίασης
• drawing card    κράχτης, κάποιος ή κάτι που τραβάει πολύ κόσμο
• drawing office    αίθουσα σχεδιαστηρίου, σχεδιαστήριο
• drawing pin    πινέζα
• drawing room    σαλόνι, σάλα

Italiano (Italian)
disegno, bozza

idioms:

• drawing board    tavolo da disegno
• drawing card    attrazione
• drawing office    officina di grafica
• drawing pin    puntina da disegno
• drawing room    salotto

Português (Portuguese)
n. - desenho (m), recepção (f)

idioms:

• back to the drawing board    reiniciar um projeto
• drawing board    prancheta (f)
• drawing card    grande espetáculo (m)
• drawing office    estúdio (m) de desenho
• drawing pin    marcador (m), percevejo (m)
• drawing room    sala (f) de visitas (Ant.)

Русский (Russian)
рисование, рисунок

idioms:

• back to the drawing board    пора начинать сначала
• drawing board    чертежная доска
• drawing card    звезда эстрады
• drawing office    чертежный отдел
• drawing pin    кнопка
• drawing room    гостиная

Español (Spanish)
n. - dibujo, esbozo, boceto

idioms:

• back to the drawing board    ¡volvamos a empezar!
• drawing board    tablero/mesa de dibujo
• drawing card    atracción
• drawing pin    chinche, chincheta
• drawing room    sala de estar, salón
• on the drawing board    en etapas de planificación

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - dragande, ritning

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
图画, 拉, 制图

idioms:

• back to the drawing board    回到原点, 从头开始
• drawing board    制图板
• drawing card    能吸引观众的表演
• drawing office    制图室
• drawing pin    图钉
• drawing room    客厅, 休息室

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 圖畫, 拉, 製圖

idioms:

• back to the drawing board    回到原點, 從頭開始
• drawing board    製圖板
• drawing card    能吸引觀眾的表演
• drawing office    製圖室
• drawing pin    圖釘
• drawing room    客廳, 休息室

한국어 (Korean)
n. - (어음의) 발행, 스케치, 복권, 뽑기

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 描くこと, 製図, 絵, 図形, くじ引き, 抽選, 図面, 抜刀, 引き延ばし

idioms:

• drawing board    製図板, 画板
• drawing card    人気のある芸能人, 人気役者, 人気番組
• drawing office    製図室
• drawing pin    画鋲
• drawing room    居間, 個室

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) رسم, صورة, مبلغ يسحوب من حساب, مخطط استخدم فيه القلم وليس دهان‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮ציור, שרטוט, רישום‬

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