Houttekening

Houttekening is a Dutch term that literally means "wood drawing." It can refer to drawings executed on a wooden support or to drawings intended for projects involving wood. In the arts, a houttekening denotes a drawing on a wooden panel—often prepared with a ground such as gesso and executed in graphite, charcoal, ink, or other media—used as an independent work or as a preparatory study for a painting, woodcarving, or decorative work. In technical contexts, it denotes plans and diagrams for wooden construction, joinery, or furniture design, detailing dimensions, grain orientation, and material requirements.

Technique and materials: For fine art drawings, smooth boards such as limewood (linde), beech, or oak are commonly primed and then drawn on with graphite, charcoal, or ink. For planning, a houttekening may include orthogonal projections, sections, and scale indications.

History: The wood panel served as a durable drawing and painting support in Europe from medieval times through the early modern period, with Dutch masters and woodcarvers frequently using limewood panels. The term houttekening continues to be used to distinguish wood-based drawings from those made on paper or canvas.

See also: houttekening is related to, but distinct from, houtsnede (woodcut), houtgravure (wood engraving), and panel painting.