Professional Diploma in

Technical drawing
Lesson 3: Start with a line
 Develop skill in reading drawings

Understanding drawing standards

Identify line types

Understand line weights

Apply skills learnt in a line template

Objectives
Lesson 3
What you will need for
today’s lesson:
1. Sketchbook
2. Pencil and pens
3. Eraser
4. Ruler
5. Large work surface
 Quote
It is only by drawing often, drawing
everything, drawing incessantly,
that one fine day you discover to
your surprise that you have
rendered something in its true
character.
Camille Pissarro
Read your
drawings
Make your
drawings easy to
understand
By using familiar symbols and
drawing styles and standards.
Drawing standards
Drawing standards to be incorporated
into every drawing, to ensure that the
drawing language is universal.
Drawing standards
x
Similar in the way to how a chef
xwrites a recipe - there is a standard
recipe layout formula with standard
style and recipe layout.
Drawing
standards
Drawing
standards
• A title block
• Border
• Annotations
• Dimensions
• Symbols
• Lines
Drawing standards
A. What is the element?
B. How do you read the item?
C. Typical information
D. Typical placement
The title block
What is the title block?
Title block has the highest
concentration of information in
a sheet of any technical
drawing.
Food label

Source: https://familydoctor.org/nutrition-how-to-read-
a-nutrition-facts-label/
The title block
What is the title block?
Title block has the
highest concentration of
information in a sheet of
any technical drawing.
Information on the
title block
A. Name and address
B. Drawing number
C. Revision number
D. Drawing detail (Material & finish)
E. Scale of drawing
F. Drawing status
G. Date issues and created
H. Specialist signature
Drawing border
It is common for neatness,
professionality and consistency
to include some sort of a border
around your drawing.
The border
What is a border?
The border is a line which follows
the outer edge of the drawing
offset from the edge of your page.
VIDEO RELATING TO
CONTENT
Drawing
annotations
What are drawing annotations?
Annotations are the notes that we
add to our drawings to aid the
reader to understand the process,
function and manufacturing
process that needs to take place.
Annotations
Create your own annotations
Coffee cup
White
With arm
5x5cm
Annotations
Drawing
dimensions
What are dimensions?
A dimension is a form of notation
indicating measurements and sizes
of elements within the project.
Dimensions
What are dimensions?
A numerical value expressed in
appropriate units of measurement
• Linear
• Aligned
• Angular
• Radius
• Reference
Dimensions
Height?
Width?
Depth?
Drawing symbols
What are drawing symbols?
Graphic symbols used to
present information on a drawing.
Symbols
Due to space limits & precision
requirements, standard symbols
are used to represent and present
information relating to
manufacture and construction of
items and materials.
Symbols
We generally need our
drawings to be concise and so
drawing symbols and text
abbreviations are used
instead of text.
Start with
the line
Line
What is line?
Line is what we use to create our
drawings.
• Line weight
• Line style
Line
Create your drawing with lines
that are crisp and bold to assist
in…
A. Visibility
B. Duplication of the drawing
Line weights
The line weight is the light or
darkness and width of a line.
Line weights
The line weight is the light or
darkness and width of a line.
How to use a line
weight?
The weight of the line is the
reference to the contrast of the line
against the background, not
necessarily the actual line size.
Types of line weights
we can use
1. Heavy lines - 0,5
0,5
Large structural elements
0,2
2. Medium - 0.3 or a 0.2 0,1
Medium detail and notes
3. Light 0.05 or 0.1
Finest detail and notes
What we use line
weights for?
• They make drawings easier to
understand
• And faster and easier to read
Rule of thumb
• Bold lines
The primary objects

• Medium lines
Secondary objects

• Light lines
Detail or action lines
Line weights
Line weight
around the
border
We use line weights for our
borders – typically a bold
line to show importance.
Line weights in
general
Create an easy to understand
document and add visual
interest.
Line
What is line?
Line is what we use to create our
drawings.
• Line weight
• Line style
Line styles
Each line style standard assists the
reader in reading the drawing.
 Line styles

Solid line Dashed line Movement line

 Line styles

Leader lines Break lines Centre lines

 Line styles

Section lines Dimension lines

Recap
• Drawing standards

• Identify types of line

• Understand line weights

• The importance and tricks to line weights

• Apply skills learnt in a line template

Challenge
• Set up your page layout with a
page border
• Present 3 line weights
• Present 6 line types

In your sketchbooks