LESSON: LINE DRAWING TECHNIQUES (HATCHING,

CROSS HATCING, CONTOUR HATCHING)

EXPECTATIONS
At the end of the lesson, learners should be able to:
1. Identify the different line drawing techniques to create shading and texture in an
artwork;
2. Explain how each line drawing technique add tones and value to an artwork;
3. Create artwork using line drawing techniques as shadings or a texture Illusion.
4. Analyze an artwork and identify how the artist used lines and marks in his drawing.

LESSON
LINE DRAWING TECHNIQUES
(Hatching, Cross Hatching, Contour Hatching)

Aside from the mentioned line variation techniques, you can also experiment with line length
and textures by simply changing your drawing medium.
Although graphite pencils are convenient for added line texture, it only induces line
carelessness, because you can erase mistakes every time you make them which is a hard
habit to overcome.
Line Drawing
Line drawings or line art are artworks that can be a
sketch, or can look like a sketch but can stand on its own. It
doesn’t require color or shading and still can be classified as
a finished illustration. The main goal of every line drawing
artwork is to let the viewer’s eyes focus on the strokes and how
the artist manipulates them to create an illusion of light,
volume, and texture. Since we will be using the pen and
ink illustration style, let us first discuss the tools you can
consider before drawing in this technique.

Tools and materials:

a. India ink - this is a waterproof type of ink when dry. It is
sold in bottles with different sizes and colors. Inks can be
categorized as pigment-based and dyebased. Pigment-based
inks coat the drawing surface applied, while dye-based inks
are absorbed into the paper, smudging the line texture. This is
why it is best to use pigment-based inks on drawing and dye-
based inks for ink wash (soft smudge variation of graphite but
with ink).

b. Nib pens – traditionally pen and ink illustrations

make use of dipping tools into ink to mark drawing
or writing surface. Although there are available
fountain pens with loaded ink cartridge avoiding
the hassle of dipping the pen continuously to draw,
many artists still consider this traditional tool. Ink
cartridges tend to get clogged with ink over time, a
nib pen can be cleaned after use. Nib pens usually
come in two parts – the nib and the handle. Today
dip pens are used for calligraphy purposes, but can still be used for line drawings.

c. Technical pens- for those who don’t want to hassle in ink

dipping, technical pens are the right tools. Like the nib pen, it is
available in different point sizes for stroke and line variations. These
pens come with refillable ink cartridges or pre-filled cartridges. If you
are planning to use pen and ink as a medium of drawing, go for the
refillable type technical pens.

c. Paper - For precise line works, artists prefer using a smooth

paper surface. Smooth paper, like Bristol, is smooth enough not
to damage the paper from pen nibs and avoid ink bleed or absorption. Marks are
consistent in this type of paper. For ink wash technique, the watercolor paper is the right
type to use.

When shading an artwork, the artist's main goal is to produce an illusion of depth or three-
dimensional effect on a two-dimensional illustration, through the use of tones and texture. By
using different line shading techniques, you can achieve the same effect of a soft pencil on a
textured drawing surface. There are five common line drawing techniques that you can try in
your next artworks.

Line Drawing Techniques

1. Hatching
This is an artistic technique used to create tonal
effects by drawing closely spaced parallel lines. Hatching is
the most common line shading technique that allows you to
cover more areas in a short time. It consists of lines that go
in one direction. When hatching, angle your pen or pencil
and vary the distance of each line to show volume. Be very
careful when using this line drawing technique, since it is
primarily a straight line drawn closely or loosely together, it
can make spherical objects look flat. The tonal value of
hatched lines depends on its distance. The closer the lines,
the darker the tone. Lines in this technique can be
horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. Just remember to use a
onedirectional line for a specific subject.
2. Cross Hatching
This line drawing method creates tones by
drawing alternating sets of lines that intersect each other
forming a crisscross pattern. Like in hatching the closer
the lines the darker the line volume. You can use two
intersecting lines with varied spacing or just use multiple
lines to produce darker lines and tones. Cross hatching
is great for drawing textures like fabrics or skin.

3. Contour Hatching
Contour hatching is the same with hatching
and cross-hatching. Although you use this
technique
with or without intersecting lines. The only
difference
of contour hatching is that the lines are curved and
follows the contour of the subject. In this technique,
you have to try and draw implied lines into real
lines, just like the cross-contour exercise we had in
our past lesson. It gives three-dimensional form to
a two-dimensional drawing.
Like the other line techniques, tones can vary
depending on the distance of the lines used.
Contour hatching, like cross contour lines, follows
the law of perspective; the further the subject to the
viewer's eye, the smaller the distance of each line.

LINE DRAWING TECHNIQUES

(Random Hatching, Scumbling, Stippling)

This is the second part of our lesson in line drawing techniques. In this module, we will
further discuss the remaining line techniques to create an illusion of depth and texture. Like
the previous module, we will be using the pen and ink illustration style to complete the
provided activity after the lesson.

We will also observe line drawing artworks from well-known visual artists and how they make
use of drawing techniques in their art piece. Ready your technical pens, and let’s begin…

Line Techniques:

2. Random Hatching – Random hatching, like its other

hatching counterparts, uses

directional lines to create values. This technique uses

layers of short straight marks.
 It’s like stippling done hurriedly
thus creating short linear
smudges. Random hatching is

best used when creating textures in an artwork.

2. Scumbling – Often called the ‘brillo pad’ line technique because it

resembles the soap pad’s wool texture. This technique uses layers of
scribbles or multi-directional strokes to build up and create value. A
scumbling technique
https://bit.ly/3ke23yG
is best used to create texture. This texture depends on line weight and
pressure.

3. Stippling – Often called pointillism. This line technique uses dots to create depth in painting
and drawing. The process of stippling is making repetitive dots on a
drawing surface. It is only then that you can get a desirable value
effect. Stippling can be done using a brush, pen, or pencil. But the
most common illustration style with this technique is pen and ink
illustrations. You can easily achieve the desired dot sizes by shifting
nib points.

Overall, we have discussed six-line drawing techniques

to visually express value and texture. From the mentioned line
techniques, a lot of other line drawing variations can be used
to create line art. Among these variations are as follows:

All line techniques can be done in freehand with

carefully drawn lines. It may also be done mechanically with a
ruler or you may combine both approaches in one technique.
Whatever method you wish to adopt, always remember to

choose appropriate line texture and value to make an artwork expressive and flowing. When it
comes to line drawing, both Albrecht Durer and Vincent Van Gogh
are well-known artists to express art using lines.

Albrecht Durer

We’ve already mentioned Durer as part of our illustration

history lesson. He was one of the best-recognized craftsmen amid
the Renaissance. He is one of the artists who took advantage of
woodcut illustrations to promote art in printed materials. His
primary works, like the artists in his time is concentrated on
religious themes. Though his line art style focuses on
printmaking in wood, the precision of each line work for
something to be stamped on paper

was in par with Raphael and Leonardo’s works.

Study the following works of Albrecht

Durer and observe how he utilized lines to create texture

and depth in his artwork.

(a)Praying hands, 1508. Brush, gray and white ink, gray

wash on blue prepared paper.

(b)The Revelation of St. John:4. The Four Riders of

Apocalypse, 1497-1498. Woodcut
1.Rhinoceros, 1515. Woodcut

Vincent Van Gogh

Who wouldn’t recognize the name Vincent Van Gogh, the

artist behind the famous art piece - Starry Night? He is a post-
impressionist artist whose line works are filled with energy and
emotion. His line works and contour forms influenced the current
expressionism in modern art. In his line drawings, you will observe
how he uses each line technique to convey subject interactions and
create texture, depth, and illusion of movement. His drawings are
never dull, lines gain life and movements in Van Gogh’s hand. We’ve
already discussed that line weights in

an artwork bring excitement and movement to a static

illustration. In his drawings, you may notice how he make
use of that detail. He would also use multiple pens when
drawing. Reed pens, quill or fountain pens are among his
mediums to create line varieties.

Let’s observe some of his works and study how he

selects and use lines to create an illusion of texture, depth,
and movement.

• View of Arles with Irises in the Foreground, early May

1888. Reed pen, pen, ink, and wash over graphite on wove
paper

2. Wheatfield with Cypresses, Saint-Remy, June

1889. Black chalk and pen.
3. The Harvest (for Emile Bernard), Arles-August 1888.
Reed pen and brown Indian ink over graphite pencil on wove
paper.

4. The Starry Night, June 1889. Ink and paper

 ACTIVITIES #1
Activity A. Use hatching to add depth and illusion of volume to the drawing
outline below. Try to complete all the elements of shading using the hatching
line technique only. You are allowed to use different sign pen points sizes to
vary line thickness .

Activity C. On your sketch pad, compose a line drawing artwork and use the
contour line drawing technique to add depth and volume to your art piece. You
can use different sign pen points to add variety to the line thickness.

Horizontal Receding line

measurement infinity