croquis

Rapid figure sketch

A croquis is a quick, rough sketch—especially of a human figure.

The term comes from French and appears most often in fashion design, where artists rapidly capture poses and garment ideas: She filled her sketchbook with croquis of the new collection.

In life drawing, croquis exercises train the eye and hand to work fast.

fashion

runway

Paved path for planes

hauteFrench for high
coutureCustom high-fashion design
silhouetteFilled-in outline shape

draping · garments · tailoring · collection · designer · apparel · textiles · fabrics · embellishments · figure

gesture

quick

Moving with speed

spontaneousArising without external cause
strokesGentle touches, swimming styles
gesturalRelating to body movements

fluid · movement · pose · capture · timed · warm-up · figurative · anatomy · proportion · contour

figure

anatomy

Study of organism structure

poseDeliberate bodily arrangement
modelRepresentation or paradigm
nudeUnclothed state

proportion · gesture · torso · limbs · foreshortening · stance · weight · form · human · body

technique

pencil

Graphite writing instrument

charcoalBurned wood residue
shadingDepicting light and darkness
renderingInterpretive depiction or performance

contour · sketchbook · drawing · composition · perspective · hatching · tone · value · medium · paper

Opposites

completion/refinement

croquisfair copy

Neat final draft

speed/deliberation

croquisacademic study

Formal educational research

detail level

croquisarchitectural rendering

Artistic depiction of proposed building

Family

croquette

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G