Introduction
I really like the look of crosshatching. I think it can be very beautiful when done well, and that’s why I’ve pursued attempting to master it.
However, in the beginning when I began to practice it, I just made messes.
Now, I had a limited introduction to crosshatching. It was on a website. The artist gave a basic rundown of how it all worked, but she also had some very beautiful looking crosshatched drawings. They were intricate and complex, and unfortunately, they didn’t exactly have a step by step walkthrough. I couldn’t exactly figure out how she made her decisions in patterning her crosshatching.
I would practice making hatches, then crossing them, but then, I’d overdo it. I made a mess. I didn’t leave spaces between my lines, clogging everything up. It was more like continuous shading than crosshatching with no spaces between hatching and crosshatching.
It took me a while, but I was able to suss out a patterning method that I found pleasing and satisfying.
Basic Crosshatching
Let’s start with my favorite patterns of crosshatching. Or at the very least, they give me a good foundation to start from.
First we have hatches that cross at 90°.
Next we have hatches that cross at an angle in an X shape.
Now, these are both pretty simple, but for me, I need some organization to keep my work from getting messy and muddy. So, I use these basic patterns of 90 and X-shaped crosshatching as a basis for keeping my hatching organized. I’ve learned to discipline myself not to overdo the crosshatching like I did starting out. The hatching should be clean and stand out visually.
Other Crosshatching Patterns
You don’t have to limit yourself to these patters of 90 and X-shapes, but I would recommend that however you use crosshatching, you make sure everything is clean and organized.
Other Tips
Go slowly at first. Draw each line as if they were as important as the contour of a main shape in your drawing. As you get more proficient with crosshatching, speed up but only as much as you can handle.
And of course, practice makes perfect.
Crosshatching can indeed be stunning when executed skillfully. It’s inspiring to hear about your journey to master it despite the initial challenges. Starting with simple patterns like 90-degree and X-shaped hatches seems like a smart way to build consistency. Your advice on keeping the work clean and organized is invaluable for anyone trying to learn this technique. How do you decide when to stop adding lines to avoid overdoing the crosshatching?
I think I finally started overdoing the crosshatching when I just finally had the right discipline. That came from practicing and taking example from other artists.
I saw some beautiful crosshatching from a book I had looked at in my local library, and I decided to take example from that. From there, I developed my discipline in keeping my individual layers of hatching organized so that I don’t make them messy and clogged up. I had to really think about what I was doing.