hatching

drawing technique

Also known as: cross-hatching

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Also called:: cross-hatching

Related Topics:: drawing

See all related content

hatching, technique used by draftsmen, engravers, and other artists who use mediums that do not allow blending (e.g., pen and ink) to indicate shading, modeling, and light and shade. It consists of filling in the appropriate areas with a mass of parallel lines, of varying length, the intensity of effect being achieved by the number of lines used and their proximity to one another.

When these lines are crossed by others, the process is known as cross-hatching. Contrasting threads produce this effect in textiles.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Chelsey Parrott-Sheffer.