Tutored Life Drawing Blog Week 06: Cross Hatching (Patreon)

Cross hatching is a method of creating patterns of repeated marks that overlap each other. At its simplest, this involves creating layers of lines at different angles to make the tone darker, though there are many different techniques, media and stylistic choices. This lesson will focus on using dip pens for cross hatching although the drawing techniques can translate to other media.

When drawing with dip pen, try to your marks spontaneous and loose. Imperfections disappear as layers build up, and the energy added to the drawing often outweighs uneven marks.

Main image: 'Isabel'

Materials

Bellow are the most common dip pens you'll come across; more unusual ones include glass pens, and quills. Dip pens are usually dipped in ink which then runs through a nib to create lines.

 From left to right: 1&2. Holder with reversible 'mapping' nib, 3,4&5. Nib holders with various nibs, 6. Fude nib fountain pen, 7. Drawing fountain pen, 8. Bamboo dip pen

Traditional dip pens involve two components – a replaceable nib and a nib holder. The nib is dipped into ink for drawing. Nibs are directional, and tend to only draw properly when pulled in the direction of the concave side. Sometimes the ink will dry on the nib and need wiping off with some tissue.

Fountain pens have nibs like dip pens, but they use cartridges to store ink, so they don't require dipping, and make for a convenient option. They tend to have less flexible nibs.

Bamboo and reed pens work like dip pens – they take up ink and have a nib-style tip to draw with. They make much bigger marks than metal nibs, and have a more naturalistic mark texture – this makes them more suited to larger drawings.

From left to right: 1. Coloured shellac-based inks, 2. Various brands of Indian ink, 3. Fountain pen ink

Inks come in a wide range of varieties! Dip pens will take most inks, with Indian ink being a common choice. Be careful with fountain pens – some inks (especially those with shellac, like Indian ink) will clog the pen, so select a fountain pen ink for them. Ink can be watered down a little if it is very thick, or for lighter tones, though if you use tap water or non-sterile containers, the ink might form mould, so only do a little at a time.

Creating Cross Hatching with Dip Pens

The last lesson on Hatching introduced how to create repeating hatching patterns for tone. Cross hatching involves layering these to form denser tone. These layers change the angle at which the marks are made, causing the hatching to cross over.

Straight line cross hatching layers.

At its simplest, this involves creating two or more layers of straight line hatching that are at different angles to each other. The density of the marks can vary as well, just like single-layer hatching.

Curved line cross hatching layers.

Of course, lines do not have to be straight, and sets of curved lines can be used to create hatching, or combined with straight lines. Cross hatching is created whenever these sets of parallel lines cross over one another.

Lines drawn by different pens. Left: Dip nibs, from a fine small nib, and larger drawing nib, plus a split line from pressing too hard.  Centre: Bamboo pen. Right: Fine Liners (0.5mm and 1mm), which have consistent width for comparison.

Dip pens are more pressure sensitive than fine liners. If a little more pressure is applied, they make a thicker line. Press too hard, however, and the nib will split, breaking the line in half – this isn't great for the nib or the paper either!

Bamboo pens rely on both pressure, and sometimes, the tilt of the pen, to create variable marks. They can be more challenging to control, and generally make thicker marks than metal nibs.

Descriptive Cross Hatching

When building up cross hatching, the angle the marks are placed against each other is important. It is a useful visual feature that can be used to describe form, but if it is ignored, then the surface that is being cross hatched may look flat, or even incongruous if it counters the implied cross contours of the subject.

Different angles of straight cross hatching. The first example starts with vertical lines, and forms less narrow 'diamonds', looking flatter than the other two examples. The bottom row forms a more directional hatching.

Vertical and horizontal lines can be particularly flattening. This can be handy if a layer of flat tone is wanted, and it can be worked into later. If combined, tiny squares are formed, which suggests a flat surface. Shallower angles between cross hatching create a more skewed diamond shape. This can help avoid flatness. Think about how these diamonds wrap around the forms of the figure – are they following the directions of the cross contours?

Different sets of curved hatching.

In the above image, the first example starts with straight line hatching to build flat tone, before curved marks are added. The second example shows curved lines being used exclusively – there is less difference in the angles of the lines, which creates a more consistent surface direction.

Different directional hatching layers help add detail to broader areas.

However, sets of curved lines can be combined, and when building up cross hatching, each layer can follow a different direction of cross contour. Cross contours don't have to follow one set direction; they can point in any direction on a surface as long as they follow the undulations. This can be used to sculpt out rounded forms, or add smaller details to broadly hatched forms.

 In this drawing, the lace bat wings were created by cross hatching the flat tonal areas, then adding the lace patterns.

Textures can also be created; one tips is to look for patterns of repeating shadow shapes – these can imply texture without excessive heavy marks. Consider the scale of the texture – for instance, hair strands are too small to see individually, but we can imply the texture of hair with clear directional marks.

Cross Hatching in Artwork

This illustration by Joseph Clement Coll uses minimal contour lines, and relies heavily on cross hatching for the face and hands. The direction of the marks shows undulating surface details, and they are layered to simultaneously build up tonal values. The beard has curved marks to build up the tonal values and shape it, then the more 'curly' ones start to show the hair texture.

Joseph Clement Coll - 'The Winds of the World' (Source: Internet Archive, National Library of Canada)

The image bellow is actually a drypoint print, but the use of hatching is still informative. It shows extensive layers of hatching to both build dark tones, and sculpt out the forms of the figure. The layered marks help portray the figure's dark skin, whilst capturing the subtle changes in the surface of her back.

The way the sheets are rendered provides visual contrast with less dense hatching, and heavier lines.

Rembrandt - 'Reclining Female Nude' (Source: New York Met)

This 19th century illustration is an interesting example of how cross hatching can create effects through negative shape. To create light, ink is omitted. The hatching patterns around the light beams coming through the window are carefully placed to create this illusion. The highlights in the hair are also created by the hatching that surrounds them.

Across the image is a variety of marks, with neater hatching used around the woman's head and arms, whilst the shadows are layered with more chaotic and organic marks.

John Everett Millais and Joseph Swain – 'Irené' (Source: Birmingham Museums Trust)

This drawing was created with a combination of a reed pen and a quill. It shows how switching between different pens can open up a wider variety of marks.

The reed pen is mostly used for the heavier, and darker cloth of the uniform, sculpting out the direction of the fabric as it wraps around the figure. The quill appears to be used for finer details, such as the cross-contours of the face, and tonal pattern in the background. In the original digital copy, at high resolution, it is possible to see quill pen marks under the layers of reed pen – this is particularly noticeable under the beard, where lines seem to map the rhythms of the hair.

Vincent van Gogh - 'Portrait of Joseph Roulin'  (Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program.)

Key Points to remember about Cross Hatching and Dip Pens:

• Cross hatching involves creating multiple layers of hatching at different angles to each other.
• Dip pens have flexible nibs which are dipped in ink, and come in various different types.
• Cross hatching can build tone, but also describe surfaces and textures.
• Further Reading: Week 05 Hatching in Fine Liner 

Over to You – Drawing with Dip Pens

Recommended Materials: Dip pen nibs and holder, ink. If you prefer to work larger, consider a bamboo dip pen.

Exercise 1 – Practising Textures in Dip Pen

Drawing textures is a good exercise to warm up and practise drawing with a dip pen. Experiment with different ways of building up tone and layering directional marks as well. How does the texture interact with the marks that build tone? Try to isolate individual textures and figure out what marks make them distinctive.

Here textures are added on top of flat areas of tonal hatching. From left to right these textures are from: fur, tree bark, nougat, another tree bark, and a crumpet.

Exercise 2 – Drawing Natural Subjects in Dip Pen

Subjects from the natural world are great for practising cross hatching. Try to find an interesting subject that offers some unusual textures – animals, plants or landscapes can be good for this – and work from life wherever possible. Think about how complex surfaces can be simplified into more general directions, and worked into with more tone, detail and texture.

This study of terrapins has broader areas of hatching for tone and surface directions, whilst natural textures are layered on top to add informative details.

Exercise 3 – Rendering a Scene with Figures in Dip Pen

For this exercise, you may want to work from photographic reference, a life drawing set, or from a real life scene with one or more figures in it. Scenery offers more complex challenges in tone, volumes, surfaces and textures. If it helps, do a pencil drawing to get started – some artists do this and others do not, though try not to spend too much time on it.

Step by step process of drawing a scene. Metal dip pens where used, including small mapping pen for the finer details.

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>> Read the Week 06: Cross Hatching Inspiration blog post HERE (All Tiers)
>> Watch the Week 06: Cross Hatching main lesson HERE (Student & Life Tiers)
>> Watch the Week 06: Cross Hatching demo video HERE (Student & Life Tiers) 

Find links to the whole Tutored Life Drawing Course HERE

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