If you’re starting an architecture, interior design, technical drawing or fashion course — or simply upgrading your home studio setup — choosing the right drawing board is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for your workspace. Get it right and it becomes the foundation of years of productive drawing. Get it wrong and you’re working at the wrong scale, at an awkward angle, or with equipment that doesn’t match your course requirements.
This guide explains everything you need to know to make the right choice.
Do you actually need a drawing board?
In an age of CAD software and tablets, the parallel motion drawing board remains essential for a surprising number of courses and professionals. Most UK architecture and landscape architecture programmes specifically require students to submit hand-drawn technical drawings at A1 scale for at least the first two years. Fashion design students use A2 and A3 boards for pattern cutting layouts and proportion work. Interior design students use them for scaled floor plans and elevation drawings.
Even for professionals who do the majority of their work digitally, a drawing board remains invaluable for concept sketching, client presentation work, and the kind of freehand ideation that a screen simply doesn’t replicate.
Understanding parallel motion
All GraphicPro drawing boards feature a parallel motion straightedge — an aluminium & acrylic ruler attached to the board by a wire and pulley system that allows it to slide up and down the board while remaining perfectly horizontal at all times. This is the feature that distinguishes a proper drawing board from a simple tilting table. Parallel motion allows you to:
- Draw accurate horizontal lines at any position on the board
- Use a set square against the straightedge to produce perfect verticals and 30°, 45°, and 60° angles
- Work at any board angle without the straightedge moving
Once you’ve used a parallel motion board you will not want to work without one.
Choosing the right size
A1 Drawing Board (65cm × 89cm) — the professional standard
The GraphicPro A1 Drawing Board is the size recommended by the majority of UK university architecture, landscape architecture and engineering programmes. It accommodates A1 sheets with room to spare, which is important for technical drawings where you need margins, title blocks, and notation space around the drawing itself.
The A1 board weighs 9kg and has a backstand footprint of 63.5cm × 53.5cm — it takes up meaningful desk space. Most architecture students use their A1 board on a dedicated desk rather than sharing it with a laptop and other equipment. If your studio or bedroom desk is larger than 100cm wide, an A1 board will sit on it comfortably.
Choose A1 if: your course specification requires A1, you’re studying architecture, landscape architecture, urban design or engineering at university level, or you regularly produce technical drawings at full scale.
A2 Drawing Board (48cm × 65cm) — the compact professional board
The GraphicPro A2 Drawing Board has the same parallel motion mechanism and adjustable backstand as the A1 but in a significantly more compact footprint. At 6kg and with a backstand footprint of just 50.5cm × 39cm, it fits comfortably on a standard student desk alongside a laptop.
The A2 board is the most popular size for students who need a professional parallel motion board but have limited desk space — particularly fashion design, interior design, and textile students who typically work at A2 scale rather than A1. It’s also widely used by architecture students in second and third year who want a home board without committing full desk space to an A1.
Choose A2 if: you’re a fashion, interior, or textile design student, you need a parallel motion board at home in addition to your university studio A1 baord, you have limited desk space, or your course works primarily at A2 size.
A3 Drawing Board (35cm × 50cm) — compact and portable
The GraphicPro A3 Drawing Board is the most compact option in the range, designed for students who need a portable parallel motion board they can take between home, lectures, and tutorials. Lightweight and easy to carry, it’s ideal for illustration students, fashion students doing proportion work, and anyone who needs a board they can set up quickly on a small desk or dining table.
Choose A3 if: you need a board primarily for A3 work, you want something lightweight and portable, you’re an illustration or fashion student, or you need a compact board for occasional home use alongside a studio A1 or A2.
The size comparison at a glance
| A1 | A2 | A3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board surface | 65cm × 89cm | 48cm × 65cm | 35cm × 50cm |
| Weight | 9kg | 6kg | 4kg |
| Backstand footprint | 63.5cm × 53.5cm | 50.5cm × 39cm | 41cm × 31cm |
| Backstand angles | 25°–70° (6 positions) | 15°–60° (5 positions) | 15°–60° (5 positions) |
| Best for | Architecture, landscape, engineering | Fashion, interior, home use | Illustration, portable use |
| Typical course requirement | Most architecture degrees | Fashion, interior, textile | Illustration, A-level |
What else do I need alongside a drawing board?
A drawing board is the starting point, not the complete setup. For architecture and technical drawing students, you’ll typically also need:
- A set of set squares (30/60° and 45°)
- A scale rule (1:1, 1:5, 1:10, 1:20, 1:50, 1:100 and 1:1250 are the most commonly used in architecture)
- A clutch pencil or mechanical pencil in 0.5mm or 0.7mm
- A technical pen set for inked drawings (Rotring Isograph is the professional standard)
- A layout pad or cartridge paper in the appropriate size
- A portfolio case for transporting work
Graphics Direct stocks all of these alongside the full range of drawing boards. If you’re not sure what your course specifically requires, give us a call on 01423 359 730 — we work with dozens of architecture and design schools across the UK and can usually tell you exactly what your course is likely to need.
Shop GraphicPro drawing boards
Browse the full range at graphicsdirect.co.uk/collections/drawing-boards. The A1 board is in stock now for immediate despatch. The A2 and A3 boards are available to order with stock arriving shortly — order now to secure yours and we’ll despatch the moment stock lands. All orders are fully refundable if plans change.
Questions about which board is right for your course? Call us on 01423 359 730 or email sales@graphicsdirect.co.uk. We’re always happy to advise.
Graphics Direct (GDL Supplies Ltd) — specialist art and design supplies for UK students and professionals since 1998.