Outline of drawing and drawings

Updated on Apr 25, 2026

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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to drawing and drawings:

Drawing – activity of making marks on a surface so as to create some images, form or shape.

A drawing – product of that activity.

What types of things are drawing and drawings?

Drawing is a type of:

Activity – something someone does

Art – an art, one of the arts, is a creative endeavor or discipline.

Visual art –

Avocation –

Vocation –

A drawing is a type of:

Art –

Work of art –

Illustration –

Story telling

Anime –

Comics –

Cartoon –

Non - story telling

Academy figure –

Caricature – pictorial representation of someone in which distinguishing features are exaggerated for comic effect.

Fashion illustration –

Figure drawing –

Gesture drawing –

Line art – images that consist of distinct straight and curved lines placed against a (usually plain) background, without gradations in shade (darkness) or hue (color).

Portrait –

Scratchboard –

Silhouette –

Silverpoint –

Sketch –

Courtroom sketch –

Croquis –

Doodle –

Multi-Sketch –

Study –

Scribble –

Stick figure –

Technical drawing/technical illustration –

Architectural drawing –

Electrical drawing –

Engineering drawing –

Plumbing drawing –

Structural drawing –

Scientific illustration (in natural sciences, also referred to biologic, zoologic, or botanical illustration)

Mechanical systems drawing–

Working drawing–

Archaeological illustration–

Drawing techniques

Automatic drawing –

Blind contour drawing –

Contour drawing –

Chiaroscuro – using strong contrasts between light and dark to achieve a sense of volume in modeling three-dimensional objects such as the human body.

Grisaille –

Hatching –

Masking –

Mass drawing –

Screentone –

Scribble –

Stippling –

Trois crayons – using three colors, typically black, white and sanguine chalks

Drybrush –

Types of draughtsman

Draughtsman or draftsman –

Cartoonist –

Drafter –

Drawing media and equipment

A medium (plural: media) is a material used by an artist to create a work.

Common drawing media

Pastel –

Oil pastel –

Charcoal –

Colored pencil –

Conté –

Crayon –

Graphite – can be pencils which are small or large sticks similar to charcoal

Marker –

Pen and Ink –

India ink –

Technical pen –

Sanguine –

Common bases for drawing

Canvas –

Paper – most common base for drawing.

Sketchbook –

Tracing paper –

Plaster –

Metal –

Walls – typically for murals.

Wood –

Other drawing equipment

Compass –

Eraser –

Kneaded eraser –

Drawing board –

Fixative –

French curve –

Protractor –

Ruler –

Rolling ruler –

Stencil –

Stump –

Principles and elements of drawing

Composition –

Elements of art – group of aspects of a work of art used in teaching and analysis, in combination with the principles of art. They are texture, form, line, color, value, and shape.

Perspective –

Principles of art – set of guidelines of art to be considered concerning the impact of a piece of artwork, in combination with the elements of art. They are movement, unity,harmony, variety, balance, emphasis, contrast, proportion, and pattern.