crosshatching

Crosshatching is a shading technique in drawing and printmaking that uses intersecting sets of parallel lines to create tonal value and texture. By layering lines at different angles, densities, and weights, artists build up areas of light and shadow without smooth gradients. The darkness of the area increases as lines become closer together or heavier in weight.

In practice, one or more directions of hatch are laid down, then additional directions are added at angles to the first set. Common combinations include two or three directions at varying angles, such as right angles or roughly 30 to 60 degrees between directions. The value is controlled primarily by line density and spacing, with deeper tones produced by more lines and darker ink.

Crosshatching is an extension of hatching, which uses a single direction of parallel lines. It is widely used in pen-and-ink drawing, graphite and charcoal work, engraving, etching, and woodcut illustration. In modern illustration and comics, crosshatching remains a practical method for rendering form and shading with controlled contrast, especially where smooth shading is not possible.

Techniques and considerations include maintaining consistent line quality, varying angles to suggest form, and avoiding overwork that can create a busy or rigid appearance. Crosshatching can be used to mimic texture on surfaces such as fabric, skin, stone, and organic matter. Variations include contour crosshatching, where lines follow the surface form, and tonal crosshatching, which emphasizes gradual shading through overlapping direction changes.