Meaning & use
initial sketch
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Meaning
nouncountable
A first rough drawing or plan made before the final version.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'an initial sketch' or 'initial sketches'.
Patterns
- make an initial sketch of something
- an initial sketch for something
The designer made an initial sketch of the new logo on a napkin.
Before painting, she always does an initial sketch in pencil.
The architect showed us an initial sketch of the building.
Word forms
| plural | initial sketches |
|---|
Common combinations
- make an initial sketch
- Let's make an initial sketch before we start the final artwork.
- draw an initial sketch
- He drew an initial sketch of the scene in his notebook.
- rough initial sketch
- The rough initial sketch gave us a good idea of the layout.
- initial sketch of
- She showed me an initial sketch of the garden design.
Synonyms and how they differ
- draft
- A draft is usually a written version, while an initial sketch is a drawing or plan.
- outline
- An outline shows only the main shape or ideas, often less detailed than an initial sketch.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: initial sketch or etch?
initial sketch vs etch
'Etch' means to cut a design into a surface, not to draw a first plan.
Practice
The artist made an initial ______ of the portrait before starting to paint.
Choose one answer.
After 'an initial' we need the singular noun 'sketch'. 'Sketches' is plural and would need 'initial sketches'; 'sketching' and 'sketched' are verb forms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “initial sketch”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.