Sketches and Drawings

Most of us, adults and children, associate sketching with making a pretty picture. This association can limit us, especially if we feel we are not good at drawing. A scientist sketches to record and communicate information, not to make art. Along with a drawing, a scientific sketch often includes labels and diagrams, questions and explanations. You don’t have to be an artist to create a successful scientific sketch. You simply have to take time, observe closely, and record what you see.

Recording what you see is different from drawing the picture you have in your head. Many of us have cartoon-like images in our head of trees, flowers, houses, apples, rabbits, etc. When you set out to sketch a real thing, it’s important to focus on the individual specimen in front of you, rather than the generalized image you carry in your head. You can help students understand this by focusing on particularities of an example object – like a leaf with holes in it, or an irregular rock. These particularities are often very important for scientists to record.

One way to help students feel successful is to give them a few practical suggestions for how to sketch a given object. At the very least, give them a first step (this will vary depending upon the object), so that they know how to get started. [See the Scientific Sketching PowerPoint or PDF for an example of a step-by-step process for drawing a redwood leaf.] If you provide enough scaffolding, even those students who feel they are “bad at drawing” will have an entry point. It’s very likely those students will come away surprised at their own abilities.

The pneumonic ABCDE gives students a clear idea of what makes a good scientific sketch. It also enables you, as a teacher, to give meaningful feedback to students. Rather than praising a drawing as “pretty,” you can say, “Great job making your sketch big; it really helps me see the details,” or “I’m glad you included explanations in your sketch; they will help another scientist understand what’s important.” For constructive feedback, try: “What could you do to make this sketch more accurate?” or “I bet adding color would help another scientist understand what the object really looks like.” This kind of feedback is concrete enough for students to understand why they’ve done a good job, and what steps they can take to improve their work. Posters with this mnemonic are listed below in 11x17 format or 8.5x11 format.