GRAPHIC ARCHAEOLOGY

OCCASIONAL PAPERS:

An Introduction to

Drawitg
Archaeological
T.l

roffery

Lesley Collett

SSOCIATION OfARCHAEOL

lr-lusrnnroRs

& SunvevoRs

An lntroducton to Drawing Archaeological Pottery

Lesley Collett

Graphic Archaeology Occasional Paper No.

Contents

4. Preparing Pottery Drarvings for Publication

....................

.............15

Pottery illustration using computer

Scanning pots for

software images...........

......................17 ..,.,........................20

pge-up

Converting scanned images to vector

..........20

Handles, Spouts

List of Figares
Fig.

1: 3: 5:

Examples

of

the most usual method

of illustrating

archaeological

potterl'........
of

............5

Fig.2:
Fig.

Small pie charts incorporated into the drawing indicate the proportion Some tools which might be used for pottery

the vessel present............5

.......................6

drarving..........

Fig.

The same rim sherd drawn at different angles can suggest rvidely diffssnt pot forms.........................8

7: Fig. 8: Fig. 9:
Fig.

Technique for finding the radius Measuring the height

of

large fragmentary vessels using compasses....................................9

.....,...........,.10

of

sherd squre............

Drawing pot profile by offsetting from a set

......................10

Fig. 10: n altcrnativc mcthocl <f clras'ing Fig. 11: Using a profile gauge to procluce ccurate profilc Fig. 1,2: Stages in thc preparation
cr.rrve

..........................11 ..................12 ......,.....,,,..12

drat,ing Fig. 13: Transfcrring thc profile rcl rcn'x)ving'lriclclcn'portions.........

of a pottcrv
Fig. 14: Transferrirrg cletails arourrcl the circurnfercncc

of

the pot onto the e1er,ation.......................................13

Fig. 15: I-lanclmadc pot s'ith scction rcconstructccl fi'om frvo or,crlapping shercls Fig. 16: Base ancl uppe r portons of a vessel survive; reconstructecl profile Fig. 17: Pot rcconstructccl from non-joining shercls Fig. 18: Inking in the clras,ing u'ith a technical Fig. 19: Pots pagecl
Fig.

...........,

....,....13

of

the pot shou'n as clashec line. . 14

.,.............,.........14 .............15

of thc

sanrc vcsscl

.........,,..

pcn.............

20: Drau'ing potterv in clobe Illustatot: using lavers...

o\rer the scan usirlg the Pen tool

.........17 ............17 ..........17

Fig.21: Tracing

Fig.22: The pr<l6lc

................. is clras'n ancl flippccl onto the opposite side.................

cletails

Fig,23: Example iu u'hich Fig.24:

of a bocll'shercl

lrave leer' tenclerecl in per,cil aucl scarrnecl; the

............................18 ...,.........18

section ancl other information is then aclded in r\dobe

Scanned ink dras'ing

Illustrtor...... incorporatecl into vector-clras'n image...., drarving

Fig. 25: Jug drawn in \clobe Illustrator u'ith color.rr effects aclclecl in \dobe Photoshop..................................19

Ftg.26: Ts'o-handlecl iug: cornposite illustration of photograph and

...........................19

Fig.27: Pottery from

Fig.

the Bedern, York; clrarvn in ink, scanned and converted to vector images ....................20 scannecl (raster) ncl vector images

28: Comparison of

of pottery dtarvings........

..............21

Fig.29: Stipple
Fig. Fig.

ncl line used

to indicate various types of surface

treatment......

........................22

30: Coil-built pots; rvhere coils can be clistinguished, 31: Various

methocls

they can be indicatecl in the section .......................23 ........24

of depicting

hanclles
of thc pot and in clo'ation of
and plan in

Fig.32: Perforatcd lug shorvn in

the centre
Fig.

scctior on thc lcft-hancl siclc

of

the drarving to minimise

distortion

..............24
handles ...............25

33:

Case study - Torksey rvare pitcher; tr\o approaches to a complex rrangement

Fig.34: 'Green

Nluseum) .........26 ..............................27 Fig. 36: Rim decoration can be clrau'n in plan vies' above the pot.................. ........................27 Fig. 37: Slipnare dish and Chinese porcelain plate shos'n in plan vier,'............... ........................28 Fig. 38: Decoration around the circumference of vessel shown rolled out......
Fig.

35: Zoomorphic

vessel from Jordan (r\nn Searight/British

Fig.

41:
42:

Conventions suggestecl by English Heritage for the depiction

of colour

glazes, ancl tin-glazecl

earthenwre drug jar shorvn using colour con\ntions for monochrome printing......... .....................29
Frg.

Stamps on Saxon pottery and on a mortarium rim shorvn unrolled ancl at double scale..................,.29 Samian borvl: the decoration is shor'n flattenecl onto pln view......................................30 Smin vessels dtawn at nvice actual size fot reproducdon at 1:1 ........................30

Fig.43: Decorated

Fig.44: Nfakers'stamps on

lntroduction
This paper is intended
as an

introductory guide to the basic techniques of drawing pottery for archaeo-

logical purposes. Despite advances in photographic and scanning techniques, the main reasons wh1' pottery is depicted using Line illustration are still valid. Verl' few pots recovered from archaeological contexts are complete enough for a photograph to pror.'ide useful information; a drawing can also supply far more

information in

a much more immediate manner than a

written description.

It is essential to show the form of the pot, its cross-section, construction techniques and any decoration, using recognised conventions which allow different vessels to be compared and readill' understoocl by different vorkers.
Traditional methods of illustration are now increasingll' being supplemented by computer-aided graphic and photographic techniques which may make it easier to depict fabric q'pes and enhance the presenta-

tion

of

the information.

Although a number

guides to drawing pottery have been published over the years, it is some time In the intervening years, digital and computer technology have revolutionised the production of reports and the graphics they contain. This introduction sets out to demonstrate current practice in the preparation of potter)/ illustrations and describes how traditional methods of producing pottery drawings can be integrated with and enhanced by digital technologl'.

of

since anything new has appeared in print.

1. Drawing Pottery
Archaeological potter) drawings are highly conventionalised; vessels are shown in cutaway side view (orthographic projection being the technical term), so that both the exterior form and the section of a three-dimensional vessel are
presented on the same two-dimensional drawing.

z:'\

'!,-

l t* oa z

The section/prole is shown on the left-hand side of a centre line, together with any i.rot detail, and the exterior is shown on the right.
Some Eastern European and other countries reverse this and show the section on the right, but the principle is the same.

o.-------?o
Fig.

tt

l:

Exanples of ilte nost rrutal tttetbod of ilhrctmtingarcltaeo-

logical potary, section

in

eleuation aieu

pith tbe lefflnnd

side sltng tlte

tltrctglt tln uasel, the ight-hand sltotuing tl external aieu

Pottery is generalll' drawn initialll' at full size (1:1) and reproduced at7:4 or sometimes 1:3, although there ma1' be exceptions for very large or ver) small vessels, or where very complex decoration is present (see below, Preparing pottery drawings for publication),
Some pottery specialists like additional information (eg 7o vessel present) included in the drawing as a small pie chart.
Fig. 2: Snall pie chas incotporuted io tlte drutaing indicaie
tlte

rcportion of tlte uatel prcsut.

3. Method
The techniques emplol'ecl for drawing pottery describecl belo'nv are those I have trsecl ancl developecl over the last 20 1'ears as a professional illustrator. Other illustrators use different tools or materials; personal preference plays some part in the choice, as does availabiliry of dme and equipment. I ha\e generally opted for the minimum mount of specialist equipment and the most economic meclia ancl materials, which should be generallv available to most people. As with all archaeological illustration, the golden rule is: measure twice, draw once, rhen check. Always check your measurements at e\ery stage, and check again when you've fnished. Begin b.v carefulll,looking at the sherd, and identifv rim (if present) andf or base. Nfake sure you knorv which is the inner and which the outer surface, and check for an1' decoration. If you have a drawing brief or catalogue description from the pottery specialist, rvell ancl good, although it is not unknown for them to change their minds at a later stage (bases may become lids and so forth)!
Prepare a drawing board, ancl attach the tracing paper lightly with drafting tape. (If you do not have drawing board with parallel motion, it is helpful to use a backing sheet of graph paper as a guide.)

Rirn anitude: Place the rim top-down against a flat surface and rock it back and forth until the rim 'sirs' on the surface with minimum movement; in regular wheel-thrown vessels, no light should be seen between the rim line and the surface. This will indicate the angle at which the rim sits.

It is important to judge this correcdl'; if the angle is misjudged the rvhole form of the pot can be misinterpreted.

wide jar

Fig. 4: Jndging tln angle

of

tbe

inl

jar

\TT

beaker

dish

Fig.S: Tlte satte

itt

slnrd druwn at dffercnt angles

can uggest vide!1, difercnt ot forns!

Rim diarneter.' With the rim in the correct attitude, and viewing directh'above the rim, slide the sherd across a radius chart until the outer edge coincides exacdl'with one of the concentric lines. With irregular or handmade pots this can sometimes be a matter of 'best fit'rather than an
exact match.

Rule a faint horizontal pencil line near the top

of

the clrawing paper, the length of the rim diameter. (l..lote that the diameter at the rim may be less than that further down the pot, so check the
maximum diameter of the sherd and allow plenq' of space either side of the rim line on the drawing.) Mark a point halfrvay along the rim line.

F. 6: Usinga itt dianeter

cbat'i.

A tip for finding the radius of

vessels larger than the average radius chart, particulady

if

only a small

proportion of the circumference survives: holding the rim upside down, Iighdy trace round the outer edge with a pencil onto a largeish sheet of paper (a on Fig 7). Place the point of a pair of compasses on one end of the pencil line and draw a small circle (about 3cm diameter). Draw an identical circle centred on the point where the 6rst circle intersects with the pencil line of the rim. Draw a straight line across the intersection of the circles (d). Repeat the procedure at the other end of/further along the rim line. The two lines will intersect, grving the centre point and the radius of the pot.

Fig. 7: Tecbniqrcrfnding the rudirc of laryeftagruttary

uessels rcingcottasses.

---t

Height: Holding the rim in its correc attitude, measure the height of the shercl using a set square. (fwo set squares, or set scr"rare and an engineer'.s square, will give a more accLtrate
result.)

Drarv the centre line of the pot, verticalll' from the rim line, the length being the sherd height )ou have just measurecl. If the base of the pot is
present, another horizontal line can be clrawn for this; measure the base radir"rs in the same w1, g the rim radius (Fig. 12(i)).
Itig. 8: 4eaning tlte lteigltr oJ' a

slnil.

Profle: The outcr profile of the sherd can be measured in various wavs, such as b1'positioning the pot on its side rvith its rim against a block of woocl (see Griffiths et al, 1990, p.60; Grinsell, Rahtz ancl Pdce Williams, 1974, p.46) and tracing the outline with an engineer's square. However, I fincl it more cclrrate to use a combination of set squares and profile gauges. First, holding the sherd rim-down in its corrcct ttitucle, place a vertical set square against the outer surface, as in the method used for measuring the height above. With a second square, or dividers, measure how far from this \ertical eclge various points along the profile are ick points about 1Omm part, as well as important points such as changes of angle at shoulder). Plot these points faindy onto the left-hand side of the clrawing. Then, for the cletail of the cun'e of the pot, use a profile gauge. Always look at the shercl carefullv whilst drawing the pro6le, and be sure to re-check an)'thing that doesn't look right.

---

--.

a- t c. de')
tv

-d .C -b

g'x

h-x

Fig. 9: Dmuiry

tbe pot

prcfh

@ offtettingfvnt et tlra,v.

Tip if using a profile gauge: press the teeth firmly against the curve of the pot (never use a profile gauge on fragile or soft-fired pottery!). To trace the pro6le, place the teerh of the gauge flush against the surface of the drawing board - this helps minimise inaccuracy - and rrace with a pencil onto a small piece of paper. This can then be added to the main drawing.

10

Fig. l0: ahernatiae trctltod of lapingprcfle lt, rcstit

ilte

ol holonlal11

against

a nnigltfed backltoa and

dircctl1, sig79 dottn and droppittg

onto the dmtngpaper; after

poi f'on tlte ot Ginsell, Raltqand Pice

IY/illiatn, 1974.

Fig. I

l:

Usinga prcfle garge

to

pndtrce an accnmte rofle cnrue.

The internal pro6le ma)'be drawn in by measuring the thickness of the sherd every 10mm or so, nd at particularly identifiable points (eg changes of angle, cordons, etc) with calipers or dividers, and ^ny transferring the measurements to the drawing. Again, check carefully by eye, holding the sherd against
the drawing for comparison.

Transfer the outer profile of the pot to the right-hand side. Using a scrap of tracing pper, simply trace the outer profile, mark on the top and bottom of the centre line, reverse the paper and trace back onto the right-hand side. Remove any portions of the profile tht are 'hidden'in the external view, for example by an overhanging rim (Fig, 12(i), Fig. 13).

1,1

sT21 13t99 context 1129 type 1b Drg. no 44 Drawn by LEC 27110/89

F.

2: Stages in

tbe

prepamtion 0

pottery drauing
is

i:

tbe rim dis, lteigt

ntrc linQ and base utlirc

tbe tlrauing and tbe

arc tlruun; : tlte

oer

p, ofle

of

tlte

pot is added; i: the otur prcfle

left-band side; ia: an1 extenal eletail is acldal to tbe

fped ri*band

otrto tbe opposin dde

of

intonal profk is added to tbe

side, context and otlter

infotwation is rccordetl on tbe druuin.

Fig.

i:

Transfenin

tbe prcfle

and renoaing 'hitlden' portiont

Fig. 14: Tunsfening

decorution

annnd tlte

circnttfercn of tbe pot onlo tlte eleuation.

Details of the outer surfce of the pot can be drawn onto the right-hand side of the drawing; horizontal decoration on wheel-made pots simp\' by horizontal ruled lines. Wavy lines, lattice work, rouletting etc. can be transferred accurately to the drawing by the following method: Using a compass, draw an arc of the radius of the pot at the point at which the decoration occurs. This represents 90" of the outside of the pot. Using calipers or dividers, measure distances between points in the pattern along a horizontal line, and transfer these to the arc. Place the arc above the pot drawing, and measure down vertically from the points 1'ou have measured, to the horizontal line. Mark the points, and draw in the decoration fig. 14).

Any internal details which require drawing, such as mortaria grits, internal decoration or rilling can be dra'un onto the left-hand side.
Reconstructon

Where the profile

of a pot is reconstructed

2oc. lzoS
ffi

| rbo I

(rl

from several sherds, these may be shown in oudine on the drawing fig. 15) - a technique more frequendy used for handmade vessels. Alternativelli use dashed lines to show reconstructed portions of the vessel
(Fig. 16). A pie diagram is sometimes used to show the proportion of the original pot
present.

llhere

profile has been built up from t'uo overlapping but non-joining sherds of the
a

same vessel, bracets can be used the re

to show

of

overlap ig. 10.

Fig. 15: Handnade ot tyitb ection rcconilnrctedfront

5"-L_.: ' _j.-.-J

hao ouerlEping

slill

l3

F.

16: Bae and ilper l,'tions oJ a

uessel

snrairc; ilte

rcconstnrcterl

tuf le of tl pot is slton n l,

la,led lines.

L:
--

t=
=

E
:

F=
F.
I

F=
the

7: Pot rcconsturcled

ttvn

non-joining slnrds

of

alte aesel: itn and bandk (fr, /u) and

ba

ortions enln) arc drun n

cotttposite dmn,ing

seamelt and a coltposie dmuing (,'tS/rt) indicaie tle exenl

tlen avated lU oaerlaing the

huo. Brucl<els on iln sution of the

of

tlte oualap behtn ile rpet aad lonnt'porlions.

Continuation lines, two short parllel lines projecting be1'ond the end of the existing section of the pot are used when it is not possible to reconstruct the vessel, and to indicate when a vessel is incomplete;
thel' s normally only shown on the left-hand, section side

of

the drawing.

Fnisbing

of

Next to the drawing, write any information you have about the sherd (site code, context number, type code, drawing number, etc.). This can be vitally important as pencil drawings ma) be stored for yeats before publication and a drawing with no information can be very difficult to track down later. Initials of the illustrator and the date drawn can be useful too. If I'ou are drawing a number of sheets of pots for the same site or project, number the sheets and keep them in a folder together, and also keep a record

of which

sherds are drawn,

14

4. Preparing Pottery Drawings for

Publication
Thelc arc scveral va)s that potter) drau'ings can be prcpar:ecl for incorporation into the final pr"rblication, rvhich rnight fall into thrcc br<>acl catclorics - inkccl pages, digitalll' d1" potter) or a combination <f the tu,o in rvhich hancl-inked clrawings are scanned and paged-up in a computer clrawing package.

It is rarc norvaclays for potterl' to be pagecl-up as it oncc ws as sheets of inkccl clras,ings, ancl the latter I;ig. l8: lnkitlg,in nvo methods are far more likely to be practised in professional archaeologl'. Howet'er, if access to computer graphics packages is not available, drau'ings can be prepared l)'hancl as follows.

le

lrun,itn,iil u letlnim/ en.

Draruing in Inh If you are preparing a rvhole

page or more

of potter) illustrations, it is more efficient to ink up thc pagcs

at one go rather than inking each clrarving indiviclualll' ancl then morrting tl'rem up later, providing vou knou' the image area of the pr.rblication ancl the orcler: in s,hich the drau'ings are to go. lt is also more

fficient to procluce all the illustrations f<>r one report to a single reduction, such as 50%. This s,ill mean that potterli for example, rvhich conventionallf is publishecl at 1:4, can le inkecl up at half the actual size. Handmade or highly clecorated Potter) is often reproclucecl at 1:3 or eten1,:2. N'Iake sure )'ou and t'our pottery specialist are aware o( and agree on, the final reproduction size beforc inking vour dras'ings.
e

Begin b1' calculating thc image area of I'our publcation at the size recuirecl for reduction. (NIost journals publish 'Notes for Contributors'which provide information on the publication size and how illustra-

tions should be suppled.) If 'et have chosen 5070 reduction, )ou rvill need a clrag'ing area trvice that of the final publication, and 'er pencil pot drarvings rvill have to be reduced to 50% before inking in. If you reduce these on a photocopier, be aware that clistortion can occur, often m<>re in <ne cirection than another. Bar scales drarvn both horizontall' verticalll' can be used to check clistortion.

Mount the reduced pencil clrarvings within the image area, making sure the rim lines are level and the centre lines vertical. (It helps if your drawing boarcl has parallel motion.) Pages of potterl, look a lot neater if the centre lines and rim lines are aligned, although this is not always possible when vessels are different sizes. In most cases the layout can be iuggled so that it appears ticly ancl maximises the use of space available. A higglecly-pigglecly rIangement can look verl'sloppy and be confusing. Once the page is arranged to your satisfaction, place a sheet of drafting film over it. This should be large enough to allow a 5-1Ocm handling margin all the way around the page. Mark the corners of the available image area with crop marks which do not intrude into the image area.
your drawing board has parallel motion, you may ncl it quick and efficient to draw all the centre lines of a page of pottery at one go, then all the rim ancl base lines, etc. If working for 50o/o reduction, rim, base and profile can be drawn in 0.35mm thickness, the centre line in either 0.35 or 0.25. Any clecoration and shading can then be added with finer lines.

If

15

\-@.

m,
\-R,,
sla l:4

caption area

I
oJ' tln

crop marks

maximum available lext area

Fig. 19:Popage@rpttblicalioninajorrnaln'itbalextawaof

1j5xl90nlt. Cropuatksindicatetletmxiltttuextent
tlte

pinted paga The dmuing arca berc redtction

vale

as 270

x 380 tn4

pott uere dmun at

500/o actnal siTg

io be rcdtced

15,

afitlter 50% to tln f nal piltlication

of l:4

(25%).

16

The top rim [ne shoulcl not ioin the section - leave a small gap, so that the form of the section is clear ancl not obscured by the rim line. This also detaches the section from anf internal detail or shading. Final\', add numbers, usually to the bottom right or bottom centre of each pot. It is useful to add a drawn scale bar to the drarving, even if the scale is to be stated in the caption - caption writers and printers have been known to make mistakes.

This section covers the preparation

Pottery illusnation using cornputer sortwre of pottery illustration to traditional print

format. The soft'ware referred to here is Adobe Illustrator, although similar design packages may be used to produce illustrations using broadly similar methods.
Generally the basic clrawing 50% using
a

lla: lGItr

of the pot is produced in pencil as described in part 3; this is then reduced to photocopier (usually adding ruo 50mm bar scales to the drawing in order to check scale) and then the reduced cop1, i5 scanned. This does not need to be a very high-resolution scan,

To(

conr:ln-l
Tefipte F L:rK V'rr+t f Pri:f
17

m
17

csrel

a 200dpi greyscale lpeg will be adequate,

as

the scan is discarded after tracing. Remember

that this drawing is now at 7:2, and still neecls

to be reduced to

1:4.

F Prr:.s',4
I I

Dlnln+sto: 15Open a new drawing and place the scanned pencil drawing on a layer - make sure centre and rim lines are vertical ancl horizontal respectively. Turn the scan layer into a template layer (ie turn off print options, dim and lock
the layer).

F. 20:
I

nua

layrfor

tlte scanned pencil druuing ltas lteeu crated

and ttade into a tenQlate (non-itttittg, dinnted) la,en

Begin drawing on new layer; using the Pcn tool, draw the horizontal rirn line ancl centrc

line, and trace the left-hand profile. (l,inc

I generally use 0.75pt for extcrior outline, 0.6pt for centre linc. llcar in nrirrl that nes less than 0.57pt (0.2mrn) in thickness ma)' not print adequatell). \)hclr c()trlplete, transfer to the right-hand si<lc using tlrc Reflect horizontal and Copy utilitics t() crcatc a mirror image; align the t'wo proflcs.
thicknesses

Fig.
oo/.

2l:

On another netu /Eter, t,ace

oue,'

tlte scan usitry tlte Pen

[Elrt-4w{.tr:l"1
c cr: E-. ,o9.fr - : F:. F,:.'

M aewlql 6hHf

@oy

Decoration and rilling can be clrawn using a selection of brushes, although tlris rrra1, be more time-consuming than crarving by hand in ink, and the results can bc lathcr
mechanical and arti6cial-looking. I-lorvevcr,
a

-*---

Fig. 22: Top and centrc lines dmun;

onto tlte opposite

prcfle i druun and fped ide rcing Reft Wrtical 90o' and 'Cop1'.
tlte

more flexible approach to pottery illustration is possible, and a number of alternativc approaches may be explored, such as: inscrting

t7

hand-drawn detail (either pencil or ink) into the Illustrator drawing (Figs 23-24); exporting the Illustrator drawing into Photoshop and adcling shading or colour detail (Fig. 25); inserting photographic or photomicrographic details of fabric and texture into the drawing (Fig. 26).
scans

of

4
,,
Fig.

2i: Exarple

n ubiclt detaik of a bo slnrd baae been rcndevd in pencil and scanned; the section and otlter ittrntatioa is tlten

added in

Adobe Ilhtstraiot:

0
I

100 mm
rrrrll
it-hand side of ot) iilco,po,ated into uector-druun (left-hand sidQ
intage.

Fig. 24: Scanned

hk

drutuing

the drawing may be grouped together of pottery drawings can be saved as a pdf file to send to the pottery specialist, or s n eps or ff file which can be inserted into the final report in a desktop publishing package.
as one object, making page layout much more strahtforward. The completed page

Once each individual pot dra\/ing is completed, the elements

of

I';i.g. 25:

Jry dmw

it

Adole lllrctntor )ilil) lloilr

elfed ade(t as le1afttle lEers; druntg ex'pzred lo

Adole Plooslo; glaqe sanpledfrcu scanaed sltetd ail ilsed t0 bnild @ arca
oJ glaqe on

dnuin;q.

0 lrlrrlrr,l

10cm

Fig. 26: Tuo-ltandled

jtg

cotttpoite

illttmtion

hotogaphed exterior (ighf) uitlt section (/eft) dmuu in

of

Adole I//rshaton

t9

Abernatiue methods Scanning pots r page-up Inked pot clrau'ings ma1' bc scanncd individual\' and importecl into a computer graphics packagc such as Illustrator for lal'out ancl final publication; they should be scannecl at quite high rcsolution (at least 300clpi) and the scanned images mal'need some cleaning-up before paging up. Numbers, scales and other cletails can then be aclded. This form of lalout is of course much more flexible than the olcl method

of

paging up, but as the clrawings themseh,es re rster images thel' 2s less easy to edit and usuall)' take

up much more file space than they rvoulcl

if

drawn

as

vector files.

Conaerting scanned irnages to aector images It is also possible to scan inkecl pot clrawings and convert them clirecdf into vector drawings; the drawings belou' (Fig.27) represent a tinl' 5np1e of a verv large number of drawings of medieval pots from
various sites in York,which hacl been clrarvn in the micl-l980s in ink on CS10 (a hearl'opaque paper). In order to prepare them for incorporation in a digital publication, the drawings wete scanned ancl converted to vector graphics using ,clobe Streamline, and page layouts were then rnade up in Adobe Illustrator. Nlore recent releases of Adobe Illustrator incorporate a Live Trace utility which replaces the

function of Streamline (Fig.2B).

8201

50mm

8209 Fig, 27: Potleryfrottt tlte lledern, York; otiginals drutvn in ink ot paper uerc canued and conaeed to aector inages berc being
aged-up in Adobe

llhrctuor. (York Arcbaeological Tnut)

20

=:

a) Inked dmwing scauned at 400 dpi: grg,scale (l .tL'Ib)

b) Tbe pruiorrs vanned irnge conaerled lo a l200dpi

bituap (.5lvlb)

\L
. -.4

Greycale van (a) conaerted to uecor irtage

d) Bitnap scan (lt)

Adobe llhrctntor
setting

conuered

t0 ueciot'ittage utittg
'detailed illttstmtion'

nsing Adobe lllrchator Liae Tmce dmwing' seftitrg (195 Klr)

in

'inked

liue

Tmce

in

(0'l

Kb)

F. 28:

conpason

of vanned

inleed druwings

in aaions flefonruts.

21

5. Special Cases
Fabric and Textare
Shading conventions for potterl'are the same as for other artcfacts: thc light is shoq'n corning fro.r the top left. Shacling is not gcneralll' shorvn on u'hcel-throvn potter)r or ant'thing u,hich is to bc rcclucecl bt'

tnore than a half althcugh occasionalll' 'rilling' or thros'ing lines

lines, and such surface treatment as slip

be shorvn by parallcl horizontal or glaze ma)' be inclicated by stipple or soffe orher convenricrr.
n-ra),

Stipple is generallv usecl for shos'ing coarse\\/are texture but line or line ancl stipple can also be effectiye. Burnishing can be shos'n bv fine horizontal lines. Other cletails such as inclusions, cracks ancl scratches tnav also be shos,n but bcar in mincl tlt too much detail mav clutter up a clras,ing unneccessar.i\i or bc

kst or black in

<n

recuction. 1;.

29:
le

.\'/ilr/e

is gencm//1, rnd

for

coane

.fbic,

n,/ti/e

lnnitltittg
loilrl

(b) cat lte e,tul iil.g ltotilotttttl litres; loneer tbis

is resenl. I
e/Jcls

auoilul i/' ecotzttion

)ne are alo asci to

).

ruvnul kniJ'e-ltilttlitg an siuilttr

'-

-=-.:------

./ ' .,/ .. . 4:t

./

22

Tchnologt
l-thrown/ h andmade p otter! Horizontal lines on u'heel-thrown pots (eg rim and lase l-ines, collars) are general\'drawn with a rtrlct',
lVh
ee

rvhereas handmade pottery is always clrawn freehand. Some people prefer the sections

of rvheel-thrown

pots to be solid black ancl handmacle pottet) hatched.

Sections can be filled in with black, stipple or hatching ancl combinecl to show cletails of manufacture such as appliect hanclles and clecorative corclons. Thumbing ancl surface tretment can be inclicated on hanclmacle or hancl-finished pots. Different methods of showing coil manufacture are illustratecl below

(Fig.30).

.tt...-,bo

;---. r: !r&t.. z?? g E?.'

:r\i.,

Fig.

i0:

Coil-bnih pots; vhere coil can be distittgithed,

ilte1 oo be indicaled tunlions.

in tlte ection rcing

one

o/

iltese con-

l'r

lr-:

23

Handles, Spouts and Lugs

Hanclles or lugs are usuallv sho'nvn to the right, spouts to the lcft (Fig. 31). \)7hen one handlc is present, it is shorvn on the right with a cross-section and elevation if necessarl'. If there are r\\o or more handles

they can be shown in elevation on the right and in section with details of the construction on the left. Spouts and lips are shov,n either on the left in section for iugs or in elevation on the centre line in the case of mortaria (Fig. 31b, Fig.42).

.-

:r'#

Ttoo-handled aessel: leJt-hand handle

c ross-sec t

iott of h an dle :

outer profile uppermost

Fig.

)'l:

Vaiott tretltodt of

depictirtg handles.

Fig. 32: Tlte

in rojection and landle h tbis cltafry

of
tbe

dislt aw shotyn in secton on tln left-hand side and in eleuation and plan in ile cenhv

pot

of

tlte druuingto

ltiuiltie ditottion.

Tbe intention is to ltop tbe

uaxi-

naor inrrtation, mtlter tltan ittp!,ittlat there arc hvo

handles at 90 degvw to each othe altltouglt il drawing
ntalt giue

tbat elfect!

24

I';i,g.

i): It

llte casc of' iltis T'orksc

n,are

>itclte4 ilte illnslrulor ltad lo eonider lon' lo

illnlnfe
lte

ile nmterons

ltailles

(thrce

arcmd

in

and.fon on ile uetselI slnuldel.

\\

ll t\ t---

/'tr\

,/\- \ ,,\
T-lte npnblislted /otv botb rc
,t\

frst

dmJt (aboae) artuu to

of

bandles on le one eion, and

tlte

buotns ae' confrrcirtg In

f nal plislted

uu'

sion (/eft) tl illtutrutor decided ltai a lan uia

t)as ileessat), lo /ou ile land/e /ocalions.

(\'o rk

rclta eo logi ca /

T nrc t)

25

Cornplexrrns
Several vics's ma)'be necessar,r'to shos'unusual fol:ms such as

this'(rccn NIan' iug fr<>m llvnsharn

r\bbev or the z(x)morphic vessel elos).

-@

0
)4:

100 mm

ttig.

Tle dccotution

anlrnt ql' tbisjrlgrcqrc4 a.fi'onl anl al ile int ile

base

side aien';

a/tltot

ibe te.ce/ i.c cit'm/ar

lta

addedfe n,liclt n,erc lonn in a baral plan aient

(OxJil Arcltaeolog1)

50 mm

Fig. 35: Zoontotpltic

. eat| /

aesse/

ft'ont.loilan: e/etaion

and

plan ttien, atv coulined to sltou ilte contphx

ntt of tltis ollccl. (Ann

Bitislt

Insetn)

26

Plan uieuts
Plan viervs ma1, s needecl occasionally to shog'details such as handles, spouts, lips, rim decoration or internal decoration (Fig. 36).

Fig. 36:

Nn

decomtion can lte dmun as a lan uiev altoae ilte l>ot

tlis can alo be rced to sbou atg, otlter swialfeattrcs

of

tlte

titt, ttclt as location of lnndle

and onts.

F. 37: Slipua: disl and

Clinese orcelain late dmn'n in

lan aiay to allou decorution lo

be ltoun.

Decoration
Decoration arouncl the bodv of the pot ma\ be shown 'unrolled' to thc right or, simple and repetitive, clraln out on the cun'e of the pot.

if

the clecoralion is cluite

Fig.

i8:

Decotulion arctnrl ile

circtntJercnce

oJ

uesse/ slton,n

rclled onf.

Incised decoration is shown by using two lines ness ro indicate shadou, (Fig. 39).

of different thick-

Slip coating can be indicatecl b)'areas of light stipple: alternatively slip clecoration such s the Nfetropolitan slipware belorv can be shown as white on a black body.

Fig.

i9:

Incised decomtion.

'

F. 40: t\[eh'opolita n iln

arc.

28

Colorr paint or glazcs can le shos'n cithcr as a colour plate or l>r'usc

of

a monochr()n-rc c()nvcrlti()r:

F=:=====Lrgnl ll,.,ijji.*"{ r-.-ht,,a r-.;...."..:.i:i..]

Yellow

:"'""
l-

tr:i.*

7"-'^"0 N
o*'"
llJllliJlllll

erown

Dark blue

Yellow

wn

ocnre

ffi
}:ig.4l:

L---.1

'l"

Grey

ffiffi oranse ffi

14,

e,,nr"

I
cout;e

aru"t

(abotu) Cont,entiott:.v4qge.rter!
-l'iil-Sla19d
/ i 49. i

l:r.glilt Ilui/ttry.fr tlx dEictittn of'

nliol

co/otr g/ales; (t'tg/)t)

.f r n o n ocl.t rorrc
n

earllrnuare rlrrlg.r .rltrtn,n niug co/orrr

Stamps

for example on hanclmade r\nglo-Saxon pottelv - in tl'rese examples the starnp impressions themseh'es are clra\\n at nvice actual size ancl shou'n t ctual size (1:1) next to the pot (here
Star-np decoration,

at 1:2).

@
(1c o ccQccc
14
c t t tt

Ff1F-u

(9t

tir

4\
\a-J7

fn \Z

f;i.g.42:.\'talltpstn'axotto//er1,antl(ln/on)nakerIrtdi/()lalllorainntinllon,lllnro//ulandl

N*
s.'::ji

,ynyl>

Sarnan

Undecorated Samian vessels are not usualll' drawn as the forms are so well knorvn. Decorated sherds may be drawn by means of taking rubbings using fine tissue paper and graphite, or tracing with a technical pen onto clear film, Small detailed decoration or potter's stmps are often drawn at 2:7 f.or reproduction at actual size, or even larger if the detail is very small.

Fig.4i:
inuolaetl

Decomted Samian botl: tle decorution is sbotun faitened onto

plan aieu. Tlterc is of cot,:te a certain auornt of ditortion

(Yotk Arltaeological Tntst)

in dEicting decomtion on

tle

tbru-dinensional curae of

the

px fauoned in this uEt.

Sanian

F.44: Makers' stanps

fiuice

on

aessels
.

druun at

acttl tiqe.fonercdrrction

at l:l

The cltaucteistic 'ouolo' border desigrt ight) sltold

C6-L \ ilt-)

be

druun vith care a sntall uaiations can

be diagnos-

tMltulM
lMlullv{l

tic of articlar !p.

Acknowledgernents
I am grateful for additional material based on an archaeological illustration course taught to undergradutes at Reacling Universig' by Margaret Mathews and Steve Allen. I would also like to thank the staff of Essex Counry Council Archaeology Section, Oxford Archaeology Unit, Northamptonshire Archaeology and York Archaeological Trust for their assistance in the past and for permission to reproduce pottery
drawings.

I would like to thank Margaret Mathews and Laura Templeton who read and commented on this paper
in eadier drafts, Frances Mee for proofreading the text and Steve Allen for support and ironing.
the drawings are by the author with the exception of the following figures: Thanks to Deirdre Crone (Ulster Museum) for Fig. 29a; Ann Searight @ritish Museum) for Fig. 35; Judith Dobie @,nglish Heritage) for Figs 29b, and 29c;York Archaeological Trust for Figs. 27,28,37c, 33,36c and 43.
.A,ll

Bibliography
Drautingpottery
Adkins, L. and R,, 1989: Archaeological llhtshaion Cambridge Nfanuals in Arcl'raeology Cambriclge:
Cambridge Universiry Press, 1989

Brodribb, A.C.C.,

1.971: DruuirgArcltaeological Findsfor Pil.ilication. London:

John Baker/Ncw York:

Association Press

Goddard, S., I(night, D.

Prebistoic Po#er1r

Goddard, J., Hamilton, S. and Rouillard, 5.,1997: Asputs of lllushation: AAI&S Technical Paper 13
ancient

&

Green, C., 1 980: Druuing

pottery for pulilicatioz. ,A,AI&S Technical Paper 2

Griffiths, N,, Jenner, A. and Wilson, C., 1990: DrunittgArcbaeological Finds:

Archeq'pe Publications Grinsell, L., Rahtz, John Baker
P.

Handbook. Lonclon:

and Price \Tilliams, D.,7974: Tlte Preparution of Arcbaeological Reports. London:

Hamilton,

S., 1996: 'Reassessing archaeological illustrations: breaking the moulcl.' GruphicArchaeology

1.996,20-26

McCormick, 4.G., 1977:'A Gnide to Arcbaeological Drauin!, Notes for Students, Department
chaeology, Universiq,

of Ar-

of

Leicester

Philo, C. and Swann, A.,1992: Prepamtion of Arttuorkfor Publication. Joint AAI&S/IFA Technical
Paper 10

Piggott, S., 1965:'rchaeological draughtsmanship: Principles and practice. Part 1: Principles retrospective' Antiq aig 39, 1 65-17 6
Williams, D., 1993: 'A dilemma in brackets', 16-18
(on conuentions in oftery illtrstmtion). Gruhic Archaeology

ancl

7993,

Ponery - general
Elsdon,
S.

M., 1989: Lter Prcbistoic

Potteg, in England and ll/ales. Shire Archaeology

Gibson, A'., 1986: Neo/itbic and Ear!, fi,'6r* Age Pottery. Shire Atchaeology Haslam,J., 1978: Medieual
Pottery,.

Shire Archaeologl'

Jennings, S., 1981: Eighteen Centuries

of Pottery from Norwich.

East Anglian Arctaeology 73

McCarthl,, M. R. and Brooks, C. M., 19BB: Arledieual Pottery in Britain AD900-1600. Leicester Universig' Press
Swan, V.G., 1988: PotteS, in Roltan Bitain. Shire Archaeology

MurrayiJ.D and Thompson,

gtaph 12
dmuirg.)

P.

with Cowan, C,2002:

Settlenent in Rouan Sohtaark.

MOLAS mono-

(innouatiue ilhtshntions of pottery rcing coloar pltoiograply'

of

sherds incoomfed into conuenlional poery