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Drawing as a Recording Skill

A sketchbook is a record of seeing. Learn to record ideas and observations through drawing, photography and annotation, and to use primary sources well.

⏱️ 16 min 🎯 13 activities Teachers Not yet rated Students Not yet rated

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What you'll cover

A record of seeing 🎨

AO3 is about **recording** ideas, observations and insights. A sketchbook is not just for finished art; it is a record of what you have **seen**, **collected** and **thought**. Recording well, from real sources, is one of the most rewarded skills at GCSE.

Four ways to record 🗂️

You can record what you observe in several ways:

Match each method to what it captures best

  • Observational drawing
  • Photography
  • Annotation
  • Sampling
  • Shape, form and detail seen directly
  • A quick, accurate image of a moment
  • Your thinking, in written notes
  • Materials, textures and colours collected

What does it mean?

What does observational drawing mean?

  • Drawing what you actually see in front of you
  • Copying a photo from the internet
  • Drawing only from memory
  • Inventing an imaginary scene

Where the source comes from 📷

Sources come in two kinds. A **primary** source is something you observe or record yourself directly: a real object, a place, or your own photo. A **secondary** source is made by someone else: a book, a website, or another artist's photo. AO3 values recording from **primary** sources highly.

Primary or secondary?

Which of these is a primary source?

  • A drawing you make of a real object in front of you
  • A photo copied from a website
  • An image cut from a magazine
  • A picture printed in a textbook

Record with a purpose 💡

AO3 rewards recording that is **relevant** to your intentions, **accurate**, and shows critical **reflection**. Do not just fill pages. Record with a purpose, and note what each recording tells you and how it will shape your work.

What scores well

Select the TWO things AO3 rewards.

  • Recording accurately from primary sources
  • Reflecting critically on what you record
  • Copying images with no thought
  • Recording nothing at all

The recording process

An interactive activity.

Match each term to its meaning

  • Primary source
  • Secondary source
  • Annotation
  • Observation
  • Something you observe or record yourself
  • Something made by someone else
  • Written notes on your work
  • Looking closely at something real

Choose how to record

An interactive activity.

Recording frame

AO3 is about _____ ideas, observations and insights. Drawing what you see is called _____ drawing. A _____ source is one you record yourself, and you should _____ critically on what you find.

recording observational primary reflect ignoring imaginary secondary forget

Plan a recording

An interactive activity.