Free original lessons
Learn to capture a chickee hut's thatch and post edges in clean contour line, with practice strips, a worked example, and four self-contained exercises.
A Seminole chickee hut is a raised platform shelter with a palmetto-thatch roof supported by wooden posts. Its visual character comes from two edge families: the ragged, layered thatch boundary and the straight, vertical post lines. Contour drawing asks you to record those edges as single, deliberate lines without shading or texture fill. This lesson builds that skill in stages, using a defined line convention so your results can be checked fairly even when your hand and style differ from another artist's.
Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.
Use one continuous line per visible edge. A line may lift between separate edges, but each edge is drawn once, without going back to thicken or correct it. Overlap lines where thatch layers cross posts. Do not use hatching, stippling, or filled shading; the drawing communicates form through edge placement alone.
Thatch is drawn as a series of short, slightly irregular downward strokes along the roof boundary, with each stroke ending where the next layer begins. Posts are drawn as near-vertical lines with a slight taper, and their base meets the platform edge at a clear junction. X-height is not relevant here; instead, treat line weight as uniform unless your equipment cannot hold it, and note any variation in your check method.
Thatch reads as contour when you vary stroke length and angle slightly while keeping each stroke separate. Avoid drawing every palm frond; instead, record the silhouette of the thatch mass and a few interior layer lines where one bundle overlaps another. The goal is a believable ragged edge, not botanical accuracy.
A useful check is to trace your thatch boundary with a finger: it should rise and fall in small steps rather than a smooth curve. If your line looks like a comb, the strokes are too regular; if it looks like a cloud, the strokes are too soft. Adjust by making each stroke end at a distinct point.
Posts are the structural counterpoint to thatch. Draw each post as one line from roof junction to platform, with a slight inward taper toward the top. The platform edge is a single horizontal line that meets each post at a right angle or slight angle depending on your viewpoint.
Keep post lines straighter than thatch lines. A common error is to curve posts to match the roof's rhythm; instead, let the contrast between straight and ragged edges do the descriptive work. Check that each post line touches the platform line at exactly one point.
Because letter styles and hand pressure vary, no single correct drawing exists. Use the rubric below to check edge completeness, line discipline, and thatch readability. Measure your actual paper and pencil if you record dimensions; any numbers in this lesson are hypothetical examples, not standards.
A valid alternative is to draw the hut from a different viewpoint, provided the same edge families appear: a ragged thatch boundary and straight post lines meeting a platform. If your viewpoint hides a post, note that in your check rather than inventing it.
Draw a front-view chickee hut with two visible posts, a platform line, and a thatch roof boundary. Use the contour convention and check your drawing against the rubric.
A completed contour drawing shows one horizontal platform line, two near-vertical post lines meeting it once each, and a stepped thatch boundary above the posts with short overlapping strokes. No shading appears. The check confirms three edge families, single-pass lines, and a stepped thatch silhouette.
Draw a chickee hut from the front with two posts and a platform line. Use only contour lines and a stepped thatch boundary.
A drawing with one platform line, two post lines meeting it once each, and a stepped thatch boundary above.
Why: The front view isolates the two edge families: straight posts and ragged thatch, making the convention easy to check.
Check: Count edge families, confirm single-pass lines, and trace the thatch boundary for small steps.
Draw the same hut from a slight angle so one post is partly hidden behind another. Note the hidden post in your check.
A drawing with overlapping post lines and a thatch boundary that steps across the roof; the hidden post is noted.
Why: Overlap tests whether you can record depth with edges alone, without shading.
Check: Confirm overlap lines cross once, the hidden post is noted, and no fill strokes appear.
Draw only the thatch roof boundary as a practice strip, using ten short strokes that step downward from left to right.
A strip of ten separate strokes forming a stepped edge, with each stroke ending at a distinct point.
Why: Isolating thatch builds the stroke discipline needed before combining it with posts.
Check: Count ten strokes, confirm each ends distinctly, and check the edge steps rather than curves.
Draw a chickee hut with three visible posts and a platform line, then mark one place where a thatch stroke overlaps a post line.
A drawing with three post lines, one platform line, and a marked overlap where thatch crosses a post.
Why: Marking an overlap shows deliberate edge crossing rather than accidental shading.
Check: Verify three post junctions, one marked overlap, and no retraced lines.
No. Record the thatch silhouette and a few overlap lines; the contour convention favors edge clarity over botanical detail.
Yes, as long as the same edge families appear and you note any hidden posts in your check.
Slight variation is acceptable; the rubric checks single-pass lines and edge completeness, not machine straightness.
Trace the boundary with a finger; it should step in small increments rather than curve smoothly or look like a comb.