Cross-hatching

Cross-hatching is a drawing technique in which sets of parallel lines are layered at angles to each other to build tonal values, shadow, and the illusion of volume. It extends simple hatching, in which parallel lines of varying density alone create dark and light values.

Use

Cross-hatching is used widely in drawing, etching, and engraving, often combined with stippling for added volume; its efficiency at suggesting texture and three-dimensional form with controlled linework has made it a foundational technique for illustrators and caricaturists alike, historically employed by masters such as Albrecht Dürer. Thomas Nast and other 19th-century caricaturists relied on cross-hatching and related pen techniques for the tonal detail of their engraved cartoons.

See also

• Ink wash
• Caricature