Basic Drafting Standards - Interior Design - University of Minnesota

Technical Sketch
Like an artist may use sketches to develop ideas for a painting or sculpture, technical sketches are used during the
development of ideas for initial or preliminary plans. The ability to make quick and accurate sketches is a valuable advantage that
helps you convey design ideas to others. A sketch may be of an object, an idea of something you are thinking about, or a
combination of both. Most of us think of a sketch as a freehand drawing, which is not always the case. You may sketch on graph paper
to take advantage of the lined squares, or you may sketch on plain paper with or without the help of drawing instruments. Technical
sketches are drawn without mechanical aid, like a t-square, compass, or straight edge, but, like other forms of architectural drafting,
are drawn to scale and contain a variety of line weights and line styles (Figure 1). The pencil or pen is guided by the hand of the
drafter alone and this is usually done on trace paper over a 1/4" grid paper. The grid paper becomes the guide helping to keep lines
straight.
A technical sketch gives an idea that the design is still being developed while a mechanically drafted or CAD drawing implies an
advanced state of planning and gives the impression the design has been finalized.
Figure 1. Examples of technical sketch showing ideas and scale of design
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