Sketching

Learning how to draw has its own difficulties like any other discipline, and like any other discipline it is a good idea to jot down basic ideas. These basic ideas in the drawing world are sketches. A sketch is a “rough or unfinished drawing” which serves as a preliminary blueprint for a more finished piece. (Harper, 2011)(Oxford University Press, 2011) However, making a blueprint is only one of various purposes one can utilize sketches for. Along with the jotting ideas down for later pieces, sketches can also be used for “expression of ideas, time saving expedient, [and] detail clarification.” (Dade County Public Schools,1972) Also while one sketch can be useful “a collection of sketches is more informative.” (Edwards, 2008, p.72)Since sketching is just a rougher, quick, unfinished drawing, the steps for sketching are generally the same. Those steps being: (Wang, 2002, p.39)

• See
  
• Identify
  
• Isolate
  
• Simplify
  
• Translate
  

Simply, that’s the step that sets a finished drawing from a sketch. Drawings tend to be more elaborate (a bit depending on the skill level of the artist, but generally when coming from the same artist their finished drawings are more elaborate than their sketches) —sketches are simple.

On another note, one does not always have to sketch directly from life. Sketching from memory is also acceptable. Sketching from memory presents problems that sketching from life doesn’t have. Memory sketching requires a “resourceful memory bank”. (Wang, 2002, p.85)When sketching from life something concrete can be referenced and look back to, but when doing the same from memory there are no tangible references, instead the artist has to recall imagery from past experiences and so on.

Cited Works


Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL.(1972). Orientation, Sketching, Mechanical Drawing, Drafting Basic. :[Washington, D.C.] : Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse

Edwards, Brian. (2008). Understanding Architecture Through Drawing. Taylor & Francis.

Harper, Douglas. (2011). Sketch. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/sketch

Oxford University Press. (2011). Definition of Sketch From Oxford Dictionary Online. Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/sketch

Wang, T. C. (2002). Pencil Sketching. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.