We explain what a sketch is, what it is for and the elements of this type of sketch. Also, what are its characteristics and examples.
What is a Sketch?
A sketch is a simplified sketch, design or drawing that is made with artistic or design tools and that reproduces a model coming from nature, imagination or a specific perspective of the real world. Generally, the sketch is made freehand, in versions prior to the final one, without using geometric or precision instruments.
The word croquis comes from 18th century French, whose original use was linked to the verb croquer (“to shell”, “to eat”) It gave way to the meaning of “quick drawing” or “sketch”, that is, something that is done in broad strokes and without putting too much effort into its precision or accuracy.
Currently the sketch It is widely used in technical drawinggraphic design, architecture and the arts, as a preliminary step to the final elaboration of a drawing or design.
See also: Algorithm.
What is a sketch for?
Broadly speaking, the sketch is a freer, less careful and faster drawing of what it could be if all attention or artistic potential were devoted to it. This means that it is a sketch or preliminary design, which may or may not lead to a “serious” or “correct” elaboration.
Thus, the sketch is a way to quickly capture what you seeto roughly capture what has been imagined or simply to let go of the hand to practice the drawing technique.
Types of sketches
Sketches can be classified according to their use, into:
- Topographical. They represent terrain, countries or regions imitating the point of view of maps, with the minimum necessary details.
- Panoramic. They reproduce the point of view of the artist, as a kind of mental photography, that is, trying to capture the specific perspective from which the world is seen, whatever it is seen.
- Didactics. Sketches used for educational purposes, which allow the student to finish the lines or intervene in what is represented.
- Of ideation. Those that are made from scratch, allowing the imagination to flow.
- Artistic. These are sketches of an object or model that you want to copy on paper, as occurs in painting or artistic drawing classes.
Basic features of a sketch
Any sketch usually has the following characteristics:
- Made by free hand, without precision elements.
- Done quickly, with simple lines and general details.
- It should be linear, schematic, at most shaded.
- It must be clean, clear, precise and give a complete picture of what is being sought.
- It must respect the proportions of the copied or imagined reality.
- It must obey the taste and interest of the person who does it, since it is a free drawing.
Elements of a sketch
Since a sketch always responds to a specific project, it can contain different elements. However, it is expected to include:
- A drawing with more or less details, done freely and by hand.
- Marginal notes or markings that clarify meanings or incomplete or necessary aspects. For example, the measurements of a copied chair or object (dimensions).
Importance of sketching
The sketch is a technique prior to the creation of an originalwhich allows us to explore more freely the visual representation or artistic technique. Having a sketch always makes it easier to move towards a final design.
How to make a sketch?
The steps to make a sketch are:
- Start with something simple and general: a geometric description of the space, the object, or whatever interests you. Does it look like a triangle from your point of view? A rectangle? Is it interrupted anywhere by other recognizable shapes? How do you imagine it, if it is unreal?
- Arrange the shapes that you have found in your observation, paying attention to ensuring that they respect a certain proportion and meaning, so that the result is not chaotic. Often compare the resulting drawing with your perspective (real or mental) and correct the details.
- Add the most important or largest details, without insisting on them too much. For example, add lines, shapes and marks and finally add the shadows necessary for perspective to be reproduced, if applicable. Where does the light come from? What objects give shadow?
- Define the details that you are not going to address yet, or point out the things that are not yet important, so that someone looking at the sketch can understand what each fragment is or what is in the places not yet touched upon.
Difference between sketch and plan
While The sketch is a freehand drawingthat is, not very precise, just a first impression, a plan is an outlined drawing, made with the help of precision instruments such as compasses, squares, rulers, etc.
While the sketch emphasizes perspective and freedom of the line, The plan details the proportions and measurements of an object or a place., detailing them and taking notes on each particularity. It can be said that a plan is a sketch made in more detail.
Didactic or educational sketch
The sketch is used in education as basic input for coloring or intervention by students. This is the name given to pre-designed and printed templates, which contain only the basic elements of the topic in question: a map, a representation, a graph, in such a way that students are required to complete what is blank according to what they have learned. in class.
Sketches in architecture
The sketch in architecture is a quick and imprecise way to capture impressions of a building or to capture the minimum data of an architectural problem, so that they can then be studied, replicated or repeated with greater care, precision and dedication of time.
Is about a sketch, that is, a draftwhich often serves as a guide for further elaboration or for selling the idea to a client.
Sketch examples
You can see some examples of sketches in: