developing your drawing skills

DEVELOPING YOUR DRAWING SKILLS

Presenter: Allison Peart

INTRODUCTION

▪ A very important skill that you will need to use as a student of Biology is that of drawing. Drawing is a very important skill in biology and is considered a type of data collection because drawings help to record data from specimens. Drawings can highlight the important features of a specimen. A drawing is the result of a long period of observation at different depths of focus and at different magnifications.

RECOMMENDED CRITERIA FOR DRAWING DIAGRAMS

DRAWING

a. The diagram should be placed in a position on the page which will allow for neat ,clear labelling. If the diagram is included in the written material, it should be placed just before this material and should be referred to in your answer.

b. Drawing should be done with a pencil. The use of colour pencils in not recommended.

c. The drawing should be large enough so that all structures can be clearly drawn. Tiny structures often become indistinct in diagrams that are too small.


d. The drawing should be correctly proportioned and parts should be accurately positioned. Too often, for example, the aorta, which is the largest blood vessel in the body, is drawn much smaller than the other blood vessels associated with the heart.

e. In order to get a smooth , unbroken line when drawing an outline in any diagram, lift the pencil from the paper as infrequently as possible until the line is completely drawn. This method will help to eliminate haphazard and sketchy lines.


e. When a large number of small structures are present in a specimen , draw only a few of them carefully, showing structural detail and any peculiar arrangement.

LABELLING

a. Write labels in pencil rather than ink to allow for cleaner correction of errors.

b. Label should be neatly written away from the drawing so as not to “crowd” it .


c. Labels may be annotated (i.e. accompanied by short explanatory notes) if there is enough space to write the words legibly.

d. When writing labels on ruled paper, every word of each label must be written on a line.

e. Label lines should be drawn boldly so that there is no doubt as to the structure being labelled. These lines should be drawn in pencil and should not “overpower” the diagram.


f. Label lines should never cross each other and should be horizontal where possible. The lines to the side of the diagram should stop at points along an imaginary , vertical line.

g. In diagrams where only a few structures are being labelled, all labels should be written to the left of the diagram


h. In diagrams which have many parts to be labelled , some labels may be staggered above and below the diagram.

i. if the label line points to one of many similar structures, the label should be written in the singular form. For example, if a structure consists of many cells and a label line points to one cell only , the label should read ‘cell’ and not ‘cells’.


j. The diagram must have a full title. This is usually written below the diagram and underlined. The title shows :

I. The name of the structure or organism

II. The position and type of section

III. Magnification (when necessary)

k. Labels should be in script (i.e. the letters should not be joined as in cursive writing). The words should be written in UPPER CASE (CAPITAL LETTERS) or lower case (common letters), not a combination of both.

developing your drawing skills

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