© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only 1 Freehand Sketching
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
1
Freehand Sketching
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
2
Freehand Sketching
• Freehand sketching is a method of
making a drawing without the use of
instruments.
– Most designers use sketches to “think
through” an idea before making the final
drawing.
– Freehand sketching requires only a pencil
and plain or grid paper.
(continued)
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
3
Freehand Sketching
• Cross-section
paper may be
used for freehand
sketching.
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
4
Sketching Technique
• When sketching, hold the pencil with a
grip firm enough to control the strokes.
• Your arm and hand should have a free
and easy movement.
• It is helpful to use a soft lead type.
• As you sketch, rotate the pencil slightly
between the strokes to retain the point
longer.
• Initial lines should be sharp and light.
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
5
Sketching Technique
• Apply light pressure to avoid making
grooves in the paper.
• Keep your eye on the point where the
line will end; use a series of short
strokes to reach that point.
• When all the lines are sketched, go
back and darken the lines.
• Strive for neatness and good technique.
(continued)
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
6
Sketching Technique
• When sketching, grip your the pencil
farther back than you normally would.
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
7
Sketching Horizontal Lines
• There are four basic steps.
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
8
Sketching Vertical Lines
• There are four
basic steps.
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
9
Sketching Inclined Lines
• Locate the end points
of the line.
• Position arm for trial
movement.
• Sketch several short,
light lines.
• Focus on end point.
• Darken the line.
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
10
Sketching an Angle
• First, sketch a right
angle (90°).
• Subdivide the right
angle to get the
angle you desire.
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
11
Sketching Circles and Arcs
• There are several methods of sketching
circles and arcs:
– Centerline method.
– Enclosing square method.
– Hand-pivot method.
– Free-circle method.
• All are sufficiently accurate, so use the
best method for a particular situation.
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
12
Centerline Method
• Locate centerlines.
• Mark off radius.
• Position arm.
• Sketch the circle in short sweeps.
• Darken the circle.
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
13
Enclosing Square Method
• Locate centerlines.
• Sketch a box equal to the diameter.
• Sketch arcs where the centerlines cross the box line.
• Sketch the circle.
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
14
Hand-Pivot Method
• First, position the pencil and small
finger. Then, rotate the paper to sketch
the circle.
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
15
Hand Sketching Arcs
• Control the shape of arcs by first
sketching squares.
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
16
Sketching Ellipses
• The rectangular method for sketching
ellipses is similar to the enclosing
square method for circles.
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
17
Sketching Irregular Curves
• Sketch an irregular curve by connecting
a series of points at intervals of 1/4" to
1/2" along its path.
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
18
Proportion in Sketching
• Proportion is the size relationship of one
part to another or to the whole object.
• Keep the same width, height, and depth
in proportion.
– Unit method.
– Pencil-sight method.
(continued)
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
19
Proportion in Sketching
• Unit Method
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
20
Proportion in Sketching
• Gauge proportions using the pencil-
sight method.
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
21
Sketching Practice: Below are four images, each with increasing
difficulty. Use the techniques learned, to draw your most accurate
representation of each image. Turn your sketch into the inbox when
complete including your NAME and DATE. Courtesy of http://rapidfireart.com/2017/05/17/lesson-4-how-to-draw-with-accurate-proportions/