Session Three (1.2.3): Biological Drawings

Introduction

Biological drawings are accurate drawings of what you can see down a microscope or through a magnifying lens. Biological drawings are not ‘works of art’, they lack embellishment, shading and perspective. Ensure that the pencil lines you use to capture the image are continuous, outlining different structures within the specimen. Always label the structures you are drawing, underlining all labels using a ruler, with clear arrows/pointers to the part of the structure that the label refers to. Most importantly, make sure your biological drawing has a title/the name of the specimen being drawn, e.g., Palisade Cells placed at the top of the page and above the specimen drawing.

Biological drawings are most effective when drawn onto plain white paper using a sharpened HB pencil. Aim for quality and not quantity, e.g., draw one mesophyll cell with lots of detail rather than many cells with less detail, even though the microscope lens may be showing many cells.

Experimental Skills

Use a handheld magnifying lens, or a microscope if you have access to one, and make biological drawings of the following specimens:

• The edge of a torn piece of paper (newspaper is particularly good for this). Try to capture the arrangement of the fibres used to make the paper
• A piece of human hair (take care when extracting a piece of human hair). Try to capture any details on the ends or surface of the hair.
• A grass leaf (avoid grass flowers if you suffer from hay fever). Notice any leaf hairs or other structures on the surface of the leaf.

Review

Complete the questions about cells on pages 12-14. Check your answers. 

Try activity B1.03.