Pancyprian Freehand Drawing flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Sight-size drawing

A setup in which paper and subject sit at equal distance from the eye, so drawing and subject subtend the same visual angle. Measurements transfer one-to-one without scale conversion.

Negative space

The shape of the empty area enclosed by or between forms. Because it is judged as a flat shape rather than a known object, it exposes proportion errors the eye otherwise corrects automatically.

Plumb line check

A weighted thread hung vertically in front of the subject. Any landmarks that should share a vertical in reality must fall on the same drawn line, revealing tilt and alignment errors.

Unit of measure

A single small feature, such as head height or eye width, chosen as a module. Every other length in the drawing is then expressed as a multiple or fraction of that module.

Foreshortening

The apparent shortening of a form angled toward the viewer. Its axis compresses, it overlaps forms behind it, and its near end appears disproportionately large.

Rule of thirds

A picture plane divided into a three-by-three grid. Placing focal points near grid intersections rather than at the centre or edges produces a more dynamic, less static arrangement.

Notan

A Japanese-derived design term for the light-dark pattern of a composition. Reducing an image to two values tests whether its underlying shape structure holds without any detail.

Tangent in composition

A point where a contour just touches or grazes another contour or the frame edge. The near-miss reads as accidental and flattens space, so edges are overlapped or separated decisively.

Visual weight

The apparent heaviness of a shape, increased by size, darkness, high contrast, and isolation. A large light mass near centre can be balanced by a smaller dark mass further out.

Focal hierarchy

The ranked order of attention in a drawing: one primary focal area, one or two secondary ones, and everything else subordinate. Equal contrast everywhere destroys the ranking.

Graphite grade scale

The hardness range of pencil graphite, from 9H (hardest, lightest) through HB to 9B (softest, darkest). Harder grades hold a fine point; softer grades deposit dense dark marks.

Contour versus outline

An outline traces only the silhouette of a form. A contour describes the form turning in space and can run through the interior, so it conveys volume rather than a flat boundary.

Gesture line

A rapid line recording the axis, tilt, and thrust of a pose. It is laid down before any contour and captures movement and directional energy rather than boundary.

Cross-hatching

A tonal technique of overlapping sets of parallel strokes at differing angles. Each added layer darkens the value, and stroke direction can be bent to follow the form's curvature.

Line weight convention

The rule that heavier lines denote nearer or shadowed edges and lighter lines denote receding or lit edges. Consistent weight variation encodes depth without any shading.

Ghosting a stroke

Rehearsing a line just above the paper before committing it. This lets the stroke be drawn from the shoulder in one confident pass that follows the form.

Cross-contour line

A line that wraps around a form like a ring, describing its curvature. A series of cross-contours reveals whether a volume is convincingly inflated or read as flat.

Ellipse minor axis

The short axis of an ellipse representing a circle seen at an angle. It aligns with the axis of the cylinder it caps, and the ellipse flattens as the view nears edge-on.

Parent volume

The simple box, sphere, cylinder, or cone that encloses a complex form. It is blocked in first, and secondary forms are added onto it to preserve overall mass.

Draw-through construction

Drawing hidden and rear edges of a form during the construction stage, then erasing them. It keeps the form turning correctly and prevents accidental flattening.

Centreline and axis

A line running through the middle of a symmetrical or elongated form. Establishing it first keeps paired features aligned and controls how the form turns in space.

Terminator

The boundary on a form between the lit side and the shadow side. Its shape describes the surface curvature and differs from the outer silhouette contour.

Core shadow

The darkest band on a form, lying just inside the terminator on the shadow side. It is darker than the reflected light nearer the form's outer edge.

Reflected light

Light bounced from nearby surfaces onto the shadow side of a form. It lifts the shadow near its outer edge but always remains weaker than any directly lit area.

Cast shadow behaviour

A shadow thrown by an object onto another surface. It is darkest at the point of contact and along the near edge, then softens and lightens with distance.

Squint test

Half-closing the eyes to blur detail and merge values. It reveals the large light and dark masses, showing whether the tonal structure works before detail is added.

Horizon line

The viewer's eye level projected onto the drawing. In one- and two-point perspective, all receding horizontal edges converge to vanishing points lying on this line.

Two-point perspective

A system in which a rectangular form is rotated so two face directions recede. Each direction converges to its own vanishing point, and both points sit on the horizon line.

Diminishing intervals

The rule that equal distances receding into space appear progressively smaller. A repeated halving construction toward the vanishing point generates correct spacing.

Aerial perspective

The effect of atmosphere on distant forms: reduced contrast, lighter or background-shifted value, cooler colour, and less detail. It stacks with linear perspective to signal depth.

Lost and found edges

Edges that are deliberately dissolved where form turns into shadow or background, and sharpened where the form faces the light. The contrast directs attention and creates atmosphere.

Chiaroscuro

Strong, deliberate contrast between light and dark used to isolate form from ground and to carry mood. It is a compositional choice rather than a literal record of observed values.