This accessible book explains the significance of relationships between the body and the mark, visual imitation, drawing and writing and visual storytelling, providing a simple guide to these key ideas. For millennia drawing has been conceived as an exploratory activity, mediating between the vision of the drafter and what they are drawing. Drawing reveals hidden relationships, directs attention, scrutinises the material world and provides plans for further action. The book unpacks the key ideas that have shaped the rich, complex and foundational activity of drawing. It presents an unexpected, engaging and authoritative range of illustrated examples of drawings made by culturally and historically diverse people for different purposes, with different media, in widely different times and situations. Educator, author and artist Simon Grennan builds together concepts to create a complete guide to ideas about drawing.

List of IllustrationsIntroduction: what is drawing?1. ImitationThe threshold of visualisation and the problem of mediaDepiction and visualisationImitating vision and imitating drawingDigital imitationAnalogue imitationImitating experience2. MarkToneLinePlanningMappingDrawing systems representing three dimensionsTypificationWritingMark making across mediaIntroducing the body3. TraceThe surfaceThe surface of the drawing as the skin of a bodyThe surface as a visualisation of an ideaThe limits of the drawingThe significance of drawing mediaTrace, media and bodyTrace and styleTrace as evidenceMovement, mind and absenceChoreographing tracesTrace and depiction4. StoryStory and point of viewThe story of the drawingStory and styleDrawing style and character5. Drawing TodayFeelingTechnology old and newSystematic drawingsIdentity and powerTextiles and the lineConjecture and hypothesisCollaborative drawingPerforming drawingMoving drawingsContemporary drawing and public cultural institutionsSelective glossaryReferencesFurther readingIndex