teckning

Teckning, in Swedish, denotes drawing, the practice of making marks to represent objects, scenes, or ideas. In art it is one of the oldest and most fundamental visual languages, often used as a preparatory study for painting or sculpture, but also pursued as a finished art form in its own right. The term encompasses both technical processes and expressive work, and in Swedish education teckning is a standard school subject.

Materials commonly used in teckning include dry media such as graphite pencils, charcoal, and soft pastels, as well as ink and pen. The support is typically paper, but drawing can also be done on cardboard, tracing paper, or prepared surfaces. Color teckning uses colored pencils, pastels, markers, or ink.

Techniques in teckning cover line work, contour drawing, gesture drawing, and shading. Artists employ cross-hatching, hatching, stippling, and tonal blending to create volume and depth. Perspective, proportion, and gesture are important for capturing form quickly, while more deliberate drawing emphasizes detail and realism. Drawing can be monochrome or color, finished as standalone art or as a study for other media.

Historically, teckning has served as a foundational practice across cultures, underpinning painting, sculpture, and design. In modern times, it remains essential in art education and professional studios, with digital drawing expanding techniques and tools while preserving traditional methods.

In Swedish use, teckning also appears in the broader sense of drawing as a discipline, and in the term teknisk teckning (technical drawing), which refers to precise, scaled drawings used in engineering and architecture.