This document provides guidelines for developing drawing skills in biology. It recommends that drawings be done with pencil, be large enough to show details, and be correctly proportioned. Key structures should be carefully drawn and labeled neatly without crowding the diagram. Labels should be written in pencil and not cross other lines, and the drawing should include a clear title indicating the organism, section, and magnification. Following these criteria can help produce high-quality biological drawings.

1. DEVELOPING YOUR DRAWING
SKILLS
Presenter: Allison Peart

2. INTRODUCTION
▪ A very important skill that you will need to use as a student
of Biology is that of drawing. Drawing is a very important
skill in biology and is considered a type of data collection
because drawings help to record data from specimens.
Drawings can highlight the important features of a
specimen. A drawing is the result of a long period of
observation at different depths of focus and at different
magnifications.

3. RECOMMENDED CRITERIA FOR DRAWING DIAGRAMS
DRAWING
a. The diagram should be placed in a position on the page which
will allow for neat ,clear labelling. If the diagram is included in the
written material, it should be placed just before this material and
should be referred to in your answer.
b. Drawing should be done with a pencil.The use of colour pencils
in not recommended.
c. The drawing should be large enough so that all structures can be
clearly drawn.Tiny structures often become indistinct in
diagrams that are too small.

4. RECOMMENDED CRITERIA FOR DRAWING DIAGRAMS
d. The drawing should be correctly proportioned and parts
should be accurately positioned.Too often, for example,
the aorta, which is the largest blood vessel in the body, is
drawn much smaller than the other blood vessels
associated with the heart.
e. In order to get a smooth , unbroken line when drawing an
outline in any diagram, lift the pencil from the paper as
infrequently as possible until the line is completely drawn.
This method will help to eliminate haphazard and sketchy
lines.

5. RECOMMENDED CRITERIA FOR DRAWING DIAGRAMS
e. When a large number of small structures are present in a
specimen , draw only a few of them carefully, showing
structural detail and any peculiar arrangement.
LABELLING
a. Write labels in pencil rather than ink to allow for cleaner
correction of errors.
b. Label should be neatly written away from the drawing so
as not to “crowd” it .

6. RECOMMENDED CRITERIA FOR DRAWING DIAGRAMS
c. Labels may be annotated (i.e. accompanied by short
explanatory notes) if there is enough space to write the
words legibly.
d. When writing labels on ruled paper, every word of each
label must be written on a line.
e. Label lines should be drawn boldly so that there is no
doubt as to the structure being labelled.These lines
should be drawn in pencil and should not “overpower”
the diagram.

7. RECOMMENDED CRITERIA FOR DRAWING DIAGRAMS
f. Label lines should never cross
each other and should be
horizontal where possible.The
lines to the side of the
diagram should stop at points
along an imaginary , vertical
line.
g. In diagrams where only a few
structures are being labelled,
all labels should be written to
the left of the diagram

8. RECOMMENDED CRITERIA FOR DRAWING DIAGRAMS
h. In diagrams which have many parts to be labelled , some
labels may be staggered above and below the diagram.
i. if the label line points to one of many similar structures,
the label should be written in the singular form. For
example, if a structure consists of many cells and a label
line points to one cell only , the label should read ‘cell’ and
not ‘cells’.

9. RECOMMENDED CRITERIA FOR DRAWING DIAGRAMS
j. The diagram must have a full title.This is usually written
below the diagram and underlined.The title shows :
I. The name of the structure or organism
II. The position and type of section
III. Magnification (when necessary)
k. Labels should be in script (i.e. the letters should not be
joined as in cursive writing).The words should be written
in UPPER CASE (CAPITAL LETTERS) or lower case
(common letters), not a combination of both.