Exploring Hatching in Drawings

Transcription

1 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 10.3 Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease: Pages and 16 Illustrations Exploring Hatching in Drawings Check out a few of the many shading abilities of a basic hatching technique made up of parallel straight lines This resource has three sections: Spaced Out Hatching Lines Hatching Quickly Hatching Details Hatching Lines as Solid Tones Hatching with straight lines is a versatile technique that works equally well to represent values in sketches or render highly detailed shading in complex drawings. The density of the hatching lines (Figure 1) determines its suitability for loosely rendered sketches, detailed sketches, or highly detailed drawings. As an Aside Hatching emerged in Western art in the Middle Ages. During the Renaissance, it gained popularity not only in drawing but in engraving and woodcutting for prints. Creating prints in this manner lasted well into the twentieth century and is still practiced in some schools of art today. Albrecht Dürer ( ), Rembrandt ( ), and Francisco Goya ( ) were all well-known for their prints, and all were masters of the hatching technique. Figure 1 Spaced Out Hatching Lines Artists have used hatching with noticeable spaces between the lines for several centuries (Figure 2).

2 2 Figure 2 Figure 3 A delicate graphite sketch of a fl ower, based on a pen and ink drawing by Leonardo da Vinci ( ), uses very clean hatching lines of different weights (Figure 3). A close up of the fl ower illustrates how a few loose parallel lines can add depth to even a simple sketch (Figure 4). Figure 4 Figure 5 The hatching lines are bolder and more varied in a sketch of a metal spoon (Figure 5).

3 3 Figure 6 The illusion of different values is created with hatching lines of various lengths and weights (Figure 6). Figure 7 Hatching Quickly One of the biggest benefi ts of hatching is the speed with which you can sketch a full range of values. Widely spaced hatching lines help to render a contemporary sketch of a horse (Figure 7). Figure 8 Some of the hatching lines in this sketch are rendered so quickly they merge as single compound curved lines (Figure 8).

4 4 This technique for speeding up the shading process can also be found in many drawings created during the Renaissance. Figure 9 Many artists use hatching to quickly and effi ciently add shading to their sketches when working from life. Figure 10 Closely spaced hatching lines help to add depth to three gesture sketches of a busy child (Figure 9). A closer look shows how not only the forms of a child s body, but also the folds of different fabrics can be represented with a wide range of quickly-rendered hatching lines (Figure 10). Figure 11 Hatching Details From a distance, some hatching lines appear to be a solid tone. When you look closely, however, small spaces are visible between the lines (Figure 11). Leonardo da Vinci was a master of hatching lines, so it seems natural that a drawing based on Leonardo s painting of the Mona Lisa would incorporate this technique (Figure 12).

5 Figure 12 Figure 13 To help achieve the depth of the original oil painting, the drawing uses some hatching lines that are widely spaced and some hatching lines that are close together (Figure 13). Hatching Lines as Solid Tones Sometimes, hatching lines are rendered so closely together that they actually are solid tones (Figure 14). 5

6 6 Figure 14 Figure 15 Very fine hatching is used in a study of light and shadow on a crystal angel (Figure 15). The shading lines are so close together, they disappear as individual lines. Figure 16 The shapes simply become an abstract pattern of outlines and smooth values (Figure 16). Tip! Hatching is a must-have technique shading technique for all artists.