Drawing Biological Diagrams

Guidelines for Biological Drawings

Biological drawings large, clear, neat and contain all the relevant structures, labels and
annotations. Here are some guidelines for drawing them.
1.Use a sharp pencil . Do not use a soft, black-marking pencil as it will smudge and
look untidy. The standard writing pencil - HB - will suffice. I highly recommend using
0.5 mm mechanical pencils. As they reduce on sharpening time and make drawing
'lines of even thickness' a breeze. Ensure you have spare leads in an exam.
2.Use a clean and soft eraser . I recommend soft vinyl erasers, as they erase more
cleanly than standard pink erasers and are non-abrasive, so will not tear the paper.
3.Use white, unlined paper for biological drawings.

4.Decide how large your diagram should be , and where you will place it on the
page, so that structures are clearly seen and there is adequate space for labeling. A
Drawing should occupy at least half the page. A4 paper is often used for drawings.
5.Move your specimen around , observing its general features from all angles. As
you draw, keep referring to your specimen to capture the detail accurately. Use a
magnifying glass to observe fine detail. Use one eye to look through a microscope and
the other to draw. Observe the specimen under different magnifications.
6.Draw continuous lines.
7.Draw structures proportionately.
8.Avoid shading and hatching, as well as excess detail. Include distinctive
features. Draw only one complete structure e.g. A cell if the neighboring cells are
similar. You may have to exaggerate the thickness of structures if they are thin. Add an
explanatory note if you do.
9.Use conventions e.g. a double line to show cut edges
10.Draw horizontal labeling lines , ensuring that they do not cross. Labeling lines in
biological drawings should be on the right. Ensure that the labeling lines touch the
structures. Do not include arrowheads or dots on the lines.
11.Print correct labels. For drawings, all the letters need to be lower case. Check for
correct spelling. Do not use the plural form of the word, if you are pointing to a single
part.

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 Drawing Biological Diagrams

12.Remember to include annotations , especially if they are required. Annotations

are brief notes next to labels which are either descriptive or state the function of the
structure. These can help you earn marks in an exam.
13.Centre the title and print it in capitals at the bottom. The title should include the
name of he specimen and the view. Scientific names are capitalized in the title. If
appearing elsewhere, convention is followed.

14.The magnification should be included at the end of the tile, to 1 decimal

place. The magnification is obtained by dividing the length of drawing, by the length of
the specimen. When using a microscope, calculate the combined magnification of the
eyepiece and objective lenses. If you continue Biology beyond secondary level, you will
have to add a scale to the drawing, by making a rough estimate of the field diameter
using a transparent ruler on the stage, or a graticule.

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