croquis

American  

[kroh-kee, kraw-kee] / kroʊˈki, krɔˈki /

noun

plural

croquis

1. a rough preliminary drawing; sketch.

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Etymology

Origin of croquis

1800–10; < French, equivalent to croqu ( er ) to make a quick sketch of, rough out, (earlier) know (a subject) superficially (apparently to be identified with croquer to crunch; see croquette) + -is noun suffix ( see penthouse)

Example Sentences

As they studied fashion design, Oubre worked on his croquis drawings.

From Washington Post • Mar. 27, 2017

Artists often use croquis for subjects who won’t or can’t stay still—like a feral cat or a small child, someone whose whole being cannot be captured on paper in one steady view.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

So Theo appears to us in a series of croquis.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

A croquis is made quickly, the artist drawing for just a few minutes, while the model holds one pose.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

H. immortalized the transit in what the French call un croquis, but it would hardly bear reproduction in the pages of a narrative so staid as this.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 06, No. 33, July, 1860 by Various