“Hatching and Crosshatching”

Hatching is a drawing technique that consists of “swiftly drawn parallel lines to create an impression of tone” and crosshatching is also a drawing technique that branches off hatching which is “hatching that overlaps,” (page 42). These techniques are used to create variations in light, shape, and texture in a drawing.

To begin the process of hatching and crosshatching, you must first create a sketch of whatever you are planning on drawing. The sketch does not have to look amazing and it should not be detailed as you will add much more throughout the process.

Next you will begin the “initial hatching” which is where you draw swift, diagonal lines to create light tones. Although you should vary the density and weight of your lines depending on the areas that are going to be darker or lighter. As you are hatching you should also not worry too much about hatching over solid lines as you can clean up these areas with an eraser later. You should not worry about hatching over lines because by doing so, it may create a slight halo around the lines that you are trying to avoid.

As you can see in the first picture, I began my initial hatching as I drew in different tones according to the areas I planned to make darker or lighter. In the second picture you can see where I hatched over the lines and where I began to clean up the overlapping with an eraser.

As you continue to hatch, you should then begin to increase the density of your hatching by adding more and more lines to the areas that you want to darken. This is still considered only hatching because you are adding parallel lines just so that you increase the density of certain areas

This picture here includes the areas where I have increased the density of some areas.

Next you should begin to build layers, which is when crosshatching comes into play. The areas that you decide need darkening, you create layers by drawing perpendicular lines in the areas that you are darkening

Finally, the lines that are the darkest, you should draw in darker than the rest of the drawing so that people can clearly see the dark edge that you have drawn in.