Drawing

A drawing is a picture made by hand (hence the seemingly tautological German term "Handzeichnung") with the aid of drawing instruments such as pencils, graphite, colored pencils, quill or other pens in Indian ink, ruddle (reddle), chalk or charcoal. A drawing may be a mere fleeting impression and sketchy or meticulously worked out in lavish detail. A distinction is made between a drawing intended as an autonomous work in its own right and a study, sketch, design or preparatory drawing preceding a painting, sculpture or the like. Autonomous drawings have existed since the beginnings of the Early Modern age. Unlike painting, the drawing uses colors that are not mixed before they are applied. The effect of mixed paints is achieved by smudging a drawing or juxtaposing lines in different colors. In a drawing - depending on the drawing implement used - either very thin lines or very broad ones are possible. Hatching and cross-hatching executed with drawing pencils that produce very thin lines can model surfaces to create spatial effects. Pastels are or were often classified as drawings although they tend to create a painterly impression so that the classification is dubious. Watercolors, on the other hand, are today regarded as paintings. It is often erroneously assumed that the criteria for defining drawing as such are the use of only a few colors, clarity of line or a ground only lightly covered by pgiments. Although these qualities are found in most drawings, they are equally likely to be present in many paintings.