Drawing during the Renaissance was used as a multipurpose tool that assisted the creative process and individuality of artists. Before the Renaissance period, drawings were used to tell stories or other primitive examples of art. As history progressed into the 15th century, artists began to use drawing methods to spontaneously express their creativity. What made the drawings unique in Renaissance history is that they were never commissioned pieces; rather, they were used for personal collections and private investigations rather than being seen by the public. These collections often included observations of the natural world and studies of how nature works. Leonardo da Vinci is a great example of using drawing to develop his understanding of nature. Once he was able to understand these concepts of drawing and nature, he was able to apply them to subsequent works in other mediums. Drawing served as a springboard for the creation of artwork later in the artists' careers. But like any artist, they had to start somewhere, what better place than the fundamentals. Painting, sculpture and architecture all branch out from the fundamental skill of drawing. Ranging from many different mediums and materials, drawing became spontaneous and allowed for creativity for oneself rather than for a patron. It became a two-dimensional window into a three-dimensional world that the artist had imagined (Hill, 330). Being able to look at sketches made by Renaissance artists allows us to get an idea of ​​what they were thinking when trying to understand their subject. Drawing was, and still is, an economical and resourceful method of exploring different options when trying to settle on an idea. Leonardo da Vinci, as well as others...... middle of paper...... shadows. The drawing essentially creates a story, which the artist must then work with to tell it in the best possible way. By story, it could mean anything from a simple portrait like van Eyck's, or something more elaborate like Leonardo's Adoration of the Magi, which depicts multiple figures and has more than one story. Regardless, artists took the foundations learned from drawing, applied theories of how nature works to other mediums, which in turn reflected their unique styles as artists. Works CitedHill, Jonathan. “Drawing Research.” Journal of Architecture 11.3 (2006): 329-333. Premier of academic research. EBSCO. Network. February 23, 2011.Bambach, Carmen. "Renaissance Drawings: Material and Function". In Heilbrunn's chronology of art history. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/drwg/hd_drwg.htm (October 2002)