The laboratory on paper
Drawings and sketches by Leonardo da Vinci
Complete guide to the techniques, subjects, notebooks and major sheets of an artist who drew to see, design and understand.
Why are they essential?
The largest part of his work
Leonardo da Vinci's recognized paintings are few in number. His drawings, on the other hand, document almost every area he studies: human figures, draperies, animals, plants, landscapes, machines, fortifications, water, optics, anatomy and cartography.
It does not clearly separate the artistic sketch from the scientific diagram. The same sheet can accommodate a head, a gear, an expense note and a hypothesis on movement. This juxtaposition is not disorder: it shows a thought which proceeds by visual comparison.
Materials and techniques
Four ways to construct a sheet
Leonardo has a limited range of materials, but combines them with great freedom. Technical analyzes often reveal several steps invisible to the naked eye.
Metal tip
A stylus, often silver, traces on paper coated with an abrasive preparation. The fine line does not fade and requires great mastery.
Pen and ink
The quill pen allows for quick strokes, hatching and tight writing. Ferro-gallic ink, originally black, has often browned over time.
Sanguine and black stone
From the 1490s, red and black chalks allowed more flexible models, melted shadows and a sensitive study of flesh.
Washes and highlights
Diluted ink casts great shadows; white chalk illuminates tinted papers. Leonardo sometimes superimposes several mediums on the same sheet.
The big topics
From horse to whirlwind
Each subject calls for a different graphic vocabulary: construction lines for mechanics, precise contours for botany, superimposed hatching for anatomy.
Horses
Measurements, profiles, musculature and gaits prepare the Sforza and Trivulzio monuments.
Plants
The leaves rotate around the stem and become living structures rather than ornaments.
Water, waves and obstacles
Leonardo looks for repeatable shapes: swirls, swirls, bubbles and spreading circles.
The fetus
Observation, hypothesis and circular layout give this sheet exceptional strength.
Heart and vessels
The drawings combine dissections, sections, diagrams and explanations of how it works.
Flying machines
Birdwing becomes a problem of strength, articulation and control by the human body.
Map of Imola
The city is measured and reconstructed in vertical view with remarkable precision.
Faces and characters
Ideal profiles, old men and distortions explore the relationship between appearance, emotion and character.
The Flood
In eleven visionary leaves, rocks, water, wind and clouds merge into a universal catastrophe.
How to read a sheet
Text, image and correction
A page by Leonardo is not always read from left to right nor as a completed composition. It retains the stages of research.
Notebooks and codices
Scattered leaves, not finished books
The word "codex" often refers to groupings formed after Leonardo's death. The current order therefore does not always reflect its work organization.
Codex Atlanticus
Leonardo's largest collection of texts and drawings: machines, mathematics, architecture, weapons, flight, botany and personal notes over several decades.
Codex Arundel
283 folios, generally dated from 1478 to 1518. The core is a collection begun in Florence in 1508, described by Leonardo himself as collected "without order" before future classification.
Codex Forster
Five notebooks bound in three volumes, circa 1487 -1505. They deal in particular with hydraulics, mechanics, measurements and geometry, with the characteristic specular writing.
Sketch, study or finished drawing?
Five functions to distinguish
Quick rating
A few lines capture a pose, a mechanical idea or a shape seen before it disappears.
Study from nature
Plant, horse, face or dissected body are observed precisely and sometimes measured.
Preparing a work
Draperies, hands, heads and compositions test a solution intended for a painting or sculpture.
Explanatory diagram
Sections, arrows, captions and multiple views seek to expose invisible functioning.
Standalone sheet
Some studies, such as the Floods, achieve a visual intensity that goes beyond any known utilitarian project.
Life-size cardboard
A large drawing can present the composition to the sponsor or prepare for its transfer to the final medium.
Where to see the originals?
Essential collections
Works on paper are fragile: they are not permanently exhibited and often appear in rotation.
Royal Collection
Windsor retains the largest group, nearly 600 drawings covering art, anatomy, botany and engineering.
Explore the official selection →Gallerie dell'Accademia
Venice preserves Vitruvian Man, rarely exhibited for conservation reasons.
See the instructions →British Library and V&A
The Codex Arundel is digitized by the British Library; the V&A allows you to explore Codex Forsters.
Explore the Codex Forster →Biblioteca Ambrosiana
The Codex Atlanticus can be consulted sheet by sheet thanks to the Ambrosiana digital project.
Explore the Codex Atlanticus →Extend the discovery
From studies to paintings
These works allow us to observe how graphic research becomes gestures, faces, draperies and painted compositions.
Frequently asked questions
Understanding Leonardo's drawings
How many drawings by Leonardo da Vinci are preserved?
The number depends on how the double-sided sheets and assigned drawings are counted. The Royal Collection alone preserves nearly 600 drawings; other sets can be found in Paris, London, Milan, Venice, Turin and several international museums.
Why did Leonardo write from right to left?
His specular writing is probably linked to the fact that he was left-handed: writing from right to left limits hand friction on fresh ink. This is not proof of a system intended to hide all its secrets.
What is the difference between a sketch, a study and a box?
The sketch quickly captures an idea; the study delves deeper into a part or problem; cardboard is a large compositional drawing, sometimes on the scale of the final work, intended for presentation or transfer.
Is Vitruvian Man still on display in Venice?
No. The drawing is very sensitive to light and is not permanently exposed. It appears during exceptional presentations, according to the conservation requirements of the Gallerie dell'Accademia.
Were Leonardo's machines built?
Most are studies, variants or paper projects. Some mechanisms use viable principles, but a drawing does not prove that a complete machine was built or tested by Leonardo.
Can you consult your notebooks online?
Yes. The Codex Arundel is digitized by the British Library, the Codex Forster by the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Codex Atlanticus by the Biblioteca Ambrosiana and numerous drawings by the Royal Collection.
Reference sources
- Royal Collection Trust - Top 10 Leonardo Drawings
- Royal Collection Trust - Leonardo da Vinci: A Closer Look
- British Library - Codex Arundel, Arundel MS 263
- Victoria and Albert Museum - Codex Forster I
- Gallerie dell'Accademia - Uomo Vitruviano
- Metropolitan Museum - The Head of the Virgin
- Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana - Codex Atlanticus
Images of public domain sheets via Wikimedia Commons. Dating and techniques compared to the records of conservative institutions. Last checked: July 28, 2026.
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