Recording with control: line, tone and proportion
A good observational drawing is not about being 'artistic' — it is about looking harder than everyone else and recording exactly what you see.
Part of your national curriculum
- Practical skills: Use drawing to record ideas and observations with control of line, tone, texture, shape and proportion
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Use drawing to record ideas and observations with control of line, tone, texture, shape and proportion
Key learning points
- • Line quality
- • Tone and light
- • Proportion checks
This lesson at a glance
- 25 minutes
- 17 parts to scroll through
- 3 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 17
Visual introductionPicture this
Recording with control: line, tone and proportion
A good observational drawing is not about being 'artistic' — it is about looking harder than everyone else and recording exactly what you see.
In a nutshell
Use drawing to record ideas and observations with control of line, tone, texture, shape and proportion
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 17
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Line quality
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 17
Learn
Line quality
Vary the pressure and speed of your pencil. A slow, continuous line captures a smooth contour; a broken, searching line suggests texture or uncertainty at an edge. Avoid a single, flat outline everywhere — it flattens the drawing.
Reset break
Part 4 of 17
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 4 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 5 of 17
Learn
Tone and light
Tone shows where light falls. Squint at your subject to simplify what you see into a few tonal blocks: lightest highlight, mid-tone, core shadow and reflected light. Build tone gradually with layers of hatching rather than one heavy scribble.
Quick check
Part 6 of 17
Quick check
Part 7 of 17
Reset break
Part 8 of 17
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 4 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 9 of 17
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Proportion checks
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 17
Learn
Proportion checks
Hold a pencil at arm's length to measure one part of your subject against another, such as head height against body height. Constantly re-check proportions as you draw rather than only at the start — this is how errors creep in.
Quick check
Part 11 of 17
Reset break
Part 12 of 17
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 4 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 13 of 17
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Challenge round
Part 14 of 17
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
A slow, continuous line captures a smooth contour; a broken, searching line suggests ____ or uncertainty at an edge.
Avoid a single, flat outline everywhere — it flattens the ____.
Challenge round
Part 15 of 17
Game · Recall cards
What does hatching do in an observational drawing?
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 16 of 17
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Recording with control: line, tone and proportion
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. What does hatching do in an observational drawing?
2. What does squinting at a subject help an artist do?
3. Why vary line pressure in a drawing?
4. How can you check proportions while drawing?
Lesson round-up
Part 17 of 17
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
Not sat
Games
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Points this lesson
0
Best run
0 in a row
Luna: 0 out of 3 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaPart 1 of 17 · Watch & discover
How this is going
- Not looked at yet
Use drawing to record ideas and observations with control of line, tone, texture, shape and proportion