ARCHAEOLOGICALILLUSTRATION 173
- Drawings for reduction can be checked quickly for
choice of degree of reduction, and its effect, by use
of a photocopier. - Effective illustration for reduction is a skill but like
everything else it can be learned and practised.
Recording shape and dimension: An initial step in mak-
ing a drawn record of an object is to establish its outline
and general dimensions. The techniques used will vary from
object to object but the example offered below, of a tech-
nique useful for drawing the outline of a ceramic vessel,
will serve to introduce methods of working which are
applicable in a wide range of situations. Other objects may
need to be drawn from a greater number of angles to
convey the required information.
Pottery is usually drawn full-size for eventual reduction.
This allows the maximum number of measurements to
be made. Amphoras form an exception, being drawn at
a reduced size (1:2 or 1:4), or being traced from reduced
photographs. There are a number of different ways of draw-
ing pottery and methods will vary with the completeness
of the vessel.
Example: drawing complete and near-
complete ceramic vessels
Recording the outline and dimensions of a complete
or near-complete vessel can be achieved using a simple
method involving a right-angle block and an engineer’s
square (or any similar device), as follows.
Place the vessel on its side on a sheet of drawing paper
with its rim or base flat against the right-angle block as
if it were standing upright on a table. It is likely that the
vessel will have to be supported by plasticine or modelling
clay (never Blu Tackwhich will strip off surface layers and
leave behind oil marks) and should not be allowed to move.
A line drawn along the base of the block will represent
the line of the base or rim of the vessel.
Place the engineer’s square against the edge of the
vessel. Where the square touches the paper is directly
beneath that point on the vessel and this can be marked,
on the drawing paper, with a pencil (figure 18.2). By
moving the square around the edge of the vessel and
marking the points with a pencil on the paper, the out-
line of the vessel can be plotted. The more marks that are
made, the easier it will be to join them up into an accu-
rate outline. Special attention should be given to areas where
the outline changes dramatically (such as rims) and to
where handles or spouts are attached. The outline of a wide
range of objects can be recorded in this way.
An alternative method of drawing the outline of a
near-complete vessel or large object is to position it
firmly on a level surface and then establish a vertical
datum. Offset measurements can then be taken from the
datum to the object to describe the shape, as shown in
figure 18.3.Example: drawing incomplete ceramic
vessels
Drawing the outline of incomplete vessels can be much
more complicated. Sometimes only fragments of a vessel
will be available, but it is still possible to achieve a useful
record of the shape of the object by the careful applica-
tion of simple techniques.
If less than half of the rim or base of the vessel is
available, it may not be possible to use the techniques
mentioned above to draw the outline of both sides of
a vessel. Other techniques can be used which make this
possible. Clearly, it is important to find out how wide the
vessel was at the base and at the rim to allow its shape
to be reconstructed. This can be done by using radius tem-
plates (figure 18.4) or by placing a rim or base fragment
on a radius chart (a sheet onto which semi-circles of known
radius have been drawn – see figure 18.5), as follows.
Place the rim upside down on the radius chart, in its
proper plane. Its true position is then checked by look-
ing along the plane of the paper, and adjusting the angle
at which the sherd is held until the arc of the rim or base
lies flat on the paper. Rounded or abraded rims can
be difficult to orientate correctly, as can very small
fragments (figure 18.6). Move the base or rim across theFigure 18.2 A simple method for recording the shape of
an object is to place it securely on its side and trace round
it with a set-square which incorporates a pencil lead at its
apex. This is a commercially produced version, but they are
easily home-made. The base of the pot is secured to a ver-
tical plate by means of a clamp with soft rubber pads. Care
must be taken not to damage objects when drawing them.
(Photo: Edward Martin)