A sketch can be a basic illustration, without details.
Croquis is a word that derives from a word of French origin. It is used to refer to a basic, rustic design , lacking precision and details. It generally consists of an illustration , a diagram or graph that is made with the naked eye , without resorting to elements of geometric precision.
More specifically, we can determine that the word croquis comes from the French verb croquer . A word from the 18th century that has several meanings, although among the most important are “crunch, eat and crack.” And it was formed from the use of the onomatopoeia croc , which expresses the dry noise made when biting or eating food.
For example: “Every time I arrive in a city that I don't know, I sit on the street and make a sketch of what I see” , “A sketch that the Florentine painter made of the Ebro coast will be auctioned in London” , “ The General ordered a sketch of the terrain to be drawn up to determine the steps to follow.”
The sketch as a drawing
Despite this meaning of sketch, which is part of the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) , the notion is also used to identify the image that is developed with drawing instruments or that involves the copy of a model . In this sense, the sketch can be very exact, since it arises from an object that is intended to be reproduced.
In both cases, we can establish the differences between a drawing that tries to copy what the eye captures and a sketch. If we take the example of a street, the drawing will include the cars with their lights, windows and occupants; traffic light lights; building windows open or closed; passers-by with their clothes, etc. The sketch, on the other hand, will take all those elements, but will not include the details. This way the car will have no headlights or occupants, the windows will all be closed and the people will all look the same.
In some cases, the sketch is a representative diagram.
Uses of this type of scheme
In this sense, it is common that, for example, we use the term sketch to refer to the drawing or diagram that someone makes for us when we try to find a street or address . Thus, they will basically represent the street and some building or monument that will serve as a reference when finding our destination.
Likewise, it is common that when two people have a minor traffic accident and both present the relevant documentation to avoid having to pay for the damages caused, they make requests where they will draw the sketch that explains how the events happened.
«El Croquis» Magazine
In addition to all the above, we cannot ignore that croquis is also the word used to give the title to a periodical publication, specifically a bimonthly one, that revolves around the world of architecture.
“El Croquis” is more precisely the name of this monographic magazine on the aforementioned field, which includes highly relevant firms in the sector such as, for example, the architects Richard Levene and Fernando Márquez Cecilia .