Meaning & use
thumbnail sketches
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Meanings
nounplural
Small, rough drawings made quickly to try out ideas before a finished piece of art or design.
Grammar: Countable noun used in the plural; the singular form is 'a thumbnail sketch'.
Patterns
- make thumbnail sketches of something
- draw thumbnail sketches
- a set of thumbnail sketches
The illustrator made a dozen thumbnail sketches before choosing a layout.
Her notebook was full of thumbnail sketches of trees and rooftops.
We start every project with thumbnail sketches so we can compare compositions quickly.
nounpluralfigurative
Brief, general descriptions that give only the main points of a person, plan, or situation.
Grammar: Often used figuratively in the phrase 'thumbnail sketches of someone or something'.
Patterns
- thumbnail sketches of someone
- give thumbnail sketches of something
- a thumbnail sketch of a situation
The report offers thumbnail sketches of each candidate rather than detailed profiles.
In the first chapter, the author gives thumbnail sketches of the three families.
These are only thumbnail sketches of the plan; the full details come later.
Word forms
| singular | thumbnail sketch |
|---|
Common combinations
- make thumbnail sketches
- She likes to make thumbnail sketches before she paints.
- thumbnail sketches of a scene
- His thumbnail sketches of the harbor capture the light beautifully.
- a series of thumbnail sketches
- The museum displayed a series of thumbnail sketches by the architect.
- rough thumbnail sketches
- Rough thumbnail sketches help you decide where the main shapes go.
- thumbnail sketches in a notebook
- He keeps thumbnail sketches in a notebook beside his bed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- roughs
- Informal design term for early rough drawings; it is broader and does not always suggest something as small as a thumbnail sketch.
- drafts
- General word for any early version of a piece of work, including writing; a thumbnail sketch is specifically a small quick drawing.
- outlines
- Focuses on the main lines or structure rather than a pictorial trial drawing.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: thumbnail sketches or thumbnail? thumbnail sketches or doodle?
thumbnail sketches vs thumbnail
A thumbnail is a single small image, often on a screen; thumbnail sketches are several quick trial drawings made while planning a picture.
thumbnail sketches vs doodle
A doodle is a drawing made absent-mindedly while you are thinking of something else, not a planned step in designing a picture.
Practice
The designer began the poster by making ______ to test several layouts.
Choose one answer.
The plural 'thumbnail sketches' fits because several quick trial drawings are meant, and 'making' takes a plural or uncountable object here. 'A thumbnail sketches' is ungrammatical, and 'thumbnail sketching' would describe the activity rather than the individual drawings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “thumbnail sketches”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.