A sketch (ultimately from

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

σχέδιος – ''schedios'', "done extempore") is a rapidly executed freehand drawing that is not usually intended as a finished work.Diana Davies (editor), ''Harrap's Illustrated Dictionary of Art and Artists'', Harrap Books Limited, (1990) A sketch may serve a number of purposes: it might record something that the artist sees, it might record or develop an idea for later use or it might be used as a quick way of graphically demonstrating an image, idea or principle. Sketching is the most inexpensive art medium. Sketches can be made in any drawing medium. The term is most often applied to graphic work executed in a dry medium such as

silverpoint Silverpoint (one of several types of metalpoint) is a traditional drawing technique first used by medieval scribes on manuscripts. History A silverpoint drawing is made by dragging a silver rod or wire across a surface, often prepared with gesso ...

graphite Graphite () is a crystalline form of the element carbon. It consists of stacked layers of graphene. Graphite occurs naturally and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Synthetic and natural graphite are consumed on lar ...

pencil A pencil () is a writing or drawing implement with a solid pigment core in a protective casing that reduces the risk of core breakage, and keeps it from marking the user's hand. Pencils create marks by physical abrasion, leaving a trail ...

, charcoal or pastel. It may also apply to drawings executed in pen and ink, digital input such as a

digital pen A digital pen is an input device which captures the handwriting or brush strokes of a user and converts handwritten analog information created using "pen and paper" into digital data, enabling the data to be utilized in various applications. This ...

, ballpoint pen,

marker pen A marker pen, fine liner, marking pen, felt-tip pen, felt pen, flow marker, sign pen (in South Korea), vivid (in New Zealand), texta (in Australia), sketch pen (in South Asia) or koki (in South Africa), is a pen which has its own ink source ...

, water colour and

oil paint Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and va ...

. The latter two are generally referred to as "water colour sketches" and "

oil sketch An oil sketch or oil study is an artwork made primarily in oil paint in preparation for a larger, finished work. Originally these were created as preparatory studies or modelli, especially so as to gain approval for the design of a larger commissi ...

es". A sculptor might model three-dimensional sketches in

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

plasticine Plasticine is a putty-like modelling material made from calcium salts, petroleum jelly and aliphatic acids. Though originally a brand name for the British version of the product, it is now applied generically in English as a product category ...

or wax.

Methods

The two methods in sketching are line drawing and shading.

Line art

A line drawing is the most direct means of expression. This type of drawing without

shading Shading refers to the depiction of depth perception in 3D models (within the field of 3D computer graphics) or illustrations (in visual art) by varying the level of darkness. Shading tries to approximate local behavior of light on the ob ...

or lightness, is usually the first to be attempted by an artist. It may be somewhat limited in effect, yet it conveys

dimension In physics and mathematics, the dimension of a mathematical space (or object) is informally defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any point within it. Thus, a line has a dimension of one (1D) because only one coor ...

, movement, structure and mood; it can also suggest

texture Texture may refer to: Science and technology * Surface texture, the texture means smoothness, roughness, or bumpiness of the surface of an object * Texture (roads), road surface characteristics with waves shorter than road roughness * Texture ...

to some extent.

Shading

Line gives character but shading gives depth and value-it is like adding an extra dimension to the sketch.

Advanced techniques

Pencil painting

When the pencil is handled almost as if it was a brush, resulting a paintlike quality, then the technique is called Pencil Painting.

Wash and benzene

Starting with a pencil drawing first, then washing over the pencil areas with a sable haired water color brush dipping it into the benzine is called Wash and Benzene. Benzene does not itself add color, but merely modifies the shaded pencil areas.

Uses

Sketching is generally a prescribed part of the studies of art students. This generally includes making sketches (

croquis Croquis drawing is quick and sketchy drawing of a live model. Croquis drawings are usually made in a few minutes, after which the model changes pose or leaves and another croquis is drawn. The word ''croquis'' comes from French and means simply ...

) from a live model whose pose changes every few minutes. A "sketch" usually implies a quick and loosely drawn work, while related terms such as study,

modello A modello (plural modelli), from Italian, is a preparatory study or model, usually at a smaller scale, for a work of art or architecture, especially one produced for the approval of the commissioning patron. The term gained currency in art circl ...

and "preparatory drawing" usually refer to more finished and careful works to be used as a basis for a final work, often in a different medium, but the distinction is imprecise.

Underdrawing Underdrawing is a preparatory drawing done on a painting ground before paint is applied, for example, an imprimatura or an underpainting. Underdrawing was used extensively by 15th century painters like Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden. These ...

is drawing underneath the final work, which may sometimes still be visible, or can be viewed by modern scientific methods such as

X-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

s. Most visual artists use, to a greater or lesser degree, the sketch as a method of recording or working out ideas. The sketchbooks of some individual artists have become very well known, including those of

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

and Edgar Degas which have become art objects in their own right, with many pages showing finished studies as well as sketches. The term " sketchbook" refers to a book of blank paper on which an artist can draw (or has already drawn) sketches. The book might be purchased bound or might comprise loose leaves of sketches assembled or bound together. Sketching is also used as a form of communication in areas of product design such as industrial design. It can be used to communicate design intent and is most widely used in ideation. It can be used to map out floor plans of homes. The ability to quickly record impressions through sketching has found varied purposes in today's culture.

Courtroom sketch A courtroom sketch is an artistic depiction of the proceedings in a court of law. In many jurisdictions, cameras are not allowed in courtrooms in order to prevent distractions and preserve privacy. This requires news media to rely on sketch a ...

es record scenes and individuals in law courts. Sketches drawn to help authorities find or identify wanted people are called composite sketches.

Street artist A street artist is a person who makes art in public places. Street artists include portrait artists, caricaturists, graffiti artists, muralists and people making crafts. Street artists can also refer to street performers such as musicians, acrob ...

s in popular tourist areas sketch portraits within minutes.Cf. Sue Bleiweiss, ''The Sketchbook Challenge'', Potter Craft, 2012, pp. 10–13.

Gallery

File:Leonardo da vinci, Study for the trivulzio monument 02.jpg, Three draft sketches in

sepia Sepia may refer to: Biology * ''Sepia'' (genus), a genus of cuttlefish Color * Sepia (color), a reddish-brown color * Sepia tone, a photography technique Music * ''Sepia'', a 2001 album by Coco Mbassi * ''Sepia'' (album) by Yu Takahashi * " ...

for an equestrian monument,

1508–10 File:Leonardo da Vinci helicopter.jpg, Sketch in pen and ink of an idea for a flying machine with a spiral rotor, Leonardo da Vinci. File:Michelangelo Buonarroti - Codex Vallardi 2491 r.jpg, Sketch of a head in a parade helmet, Michelangelo, File:Attributed to Carel Fabritius 004.jpg, Figure sketch in ink of two women teaching a baby to walk, Carel Fabritius, File:Giovanni Antonio Canal, il Canaletto - The Piazzetta Looking towards the Torre dell'Orologio - WGA03976.jpg, Sketch in pencil and ink of the Piazetta,

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

Canaletto Giovanni Antonio Canal (18 October 1697 – 19 April 1768), commonly known as Canaletto (), was an Italian painter from the Republic of Venice, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school. Painter of city views or ...

, File:Fragonard, Pasha.jpg, ''The Pasha'', an ink sketch by

Jean-Honoré Fragonard Jean-Honoré Fragonard (; 5 April 1732 (birth/baptism certificate) – 22 August 1806) was a French painter and printmaker whose late Rococo manner was distinguished by remarkable facility, exuberance, and hedonism. One of the most prolific art ...

, late 1700s File:John Constable 030.jpg, An oil sketch of clouds by John Constable, 1821–22 File:Corot - Landschaft mit Heiligenfigur auf einer Säule.jpeg, A sketch of a landscape in pencil by Camille Corot, 1870 File:James McNeill Whistler - Nocturne- Battersea Bridge - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Nocturene-Battersea Bridge'', a pastel sketch by Whistler, 1872 File:Manet Le Bouchon DMA.jpg, ''Le Bouchon'', a brush and ink sketch by

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Bo ...

, 1878 File:Renoir Jeune Femme au Bateau.jpg, ''A girl in a rowing boat'', pencil, ink and watercolour, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1870s File:Paul Cézanne- Rooftops and Tree.jpg, A landscape sketch in brush and ink with washes,

Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically d ...

, (1888–90) File:Mary Stevenson Cassatt, Sketch of Head of a Girl in a Hat with a Black Rosette oil on canvas laid down on board, 24.8 x 32.4 cm, circa 1910, Christie's.jpg, Oil sketch ''Child in a hat with a black rosette'',

Mary Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, where she befriended Edgar De ...

, File:Tihanyi Reclining Nude 1910.jpg, Sketch of a reclining nude in brush and ink washes,

Lajos Tihanyi Lajos Tihanyi (29 October 1885 – 11 June 1938) was a Hungarian painter and lithographer who achieved international renown working outside his country, primarily in Paris, France. After emigrating in 1919, he never returned to Hungary, even on a ...

, 1910 File:Theo van Doesburg 180.jpg, ''Girl Knitting by the Sea'', pencil and watercolour by

Theo van Doesburg Theo van Doesburg (, 30 August 1883 – 7 March 1931) was a Dutch artist, who practiced painting, writing, poetry and architecture. He is best known as the founder and leader of De Stijl. He was married to artist, pianist and choreographer Nell ...

, 1918 File:Theo van Doesburg 164.jpg, Two ink sketches of ''Krishna playing the Flute'', van Doesburg, early 20th century File:Egon Schiele - Aktselbstbildnis - 1918.jpeg, Sketch of a male nude in black crayon, Egon Schiele, 1918 File:Kathe Kollwitz - Self-portrait NGA 1943.3.5217.jpg, Kathe Kollwitz, "Self Portrait", charcoal on brown laid Ingres paper, 1933 File:Watercolour sketch by John Weeks, circa 1950.jpg, Watercolour landscape sketch, John Weeks, File:Harun al-Rashid by Khalil Gibran.png, Sketch of

Harun al-Rashid Abu Ja'far Harun ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi ( ar , أبو جعفر هارون ابن محمد المهدي) or Harun ibn al-Mahdi (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Harun al-Rashid ( ar, هَارُون الرَشِيد, translit=Hārūn ...

Kahlil Gibran Gibran Khalil Gibran ( ar, جُبْرَان خَلِيل جُبْرَان, , , or , ; January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931), usually referred to in English as Kahlil Gibran (pronounced ), was a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist ...

(1883–1931) File:Oil Pastels sketch of Catherine G. Roraback and Ericka Huggins, as well as African American male Juror and African American female juror. 34.jpg, Court sketch from the

New Haven Black Panther trials In 1969-1971 there was a series of criminal prosecutions in New Haven, Connecticut, against various members and associates of the Black Panther Party. The charges ranged from criminal conspiracy to first-degree murder. All charges stemmed from t ...

, Robert Templeton, 1971

References

Sources

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sketch (Drawing) Visual arts media Drawing