HATCHING

'Hatching' (''hachure'' in French) and 'cross-hatching' are artistic techniques used to create tonal or shading effects by drawing (or painting or scribing) closely spaced parallel lines. When lines are placed at an angle to one another, it is called '''cross-hatching'''.
Hatching is especially important in essentially linear media like drawing and many forms of printmaking, like engraving, etching and woodcut. In Western art, cross-hatching developed in the Middle Ages, and especially in the old master prints of the fifteenth century. Master ES and Martin Schongauer in engraving, and Erhard Reuwich and Michael Wolgemut in woodcut were pioneers, and Albrecht Dürer perfected the techniques in both media.
Artists use the technique, varying the length, angle, closeness and other qualities of the lines, most commonly in drawing, linear painting, engraving, and ethnic art.

Contents

Technique

Reference

Technique

The main concept is that the quantity, thickness and spacing of line will affect the brightness of the overall image. By increasing quantity, thickness and closeness, a darker area will result.
An area of shading next to another area which has lines going in another direction-is often used to create contrast.
Line work can be used to represent colours, typically by using the same type of hatch to represent particular tones. For example red might be made up of lightly spaced lines, whereas green could be made of two layers of perpendicular dense lines, resulting in a realistic image.

Reference

★ "hatching" article in ArtLex Art Dictionary
Printmaking, Hatching system (heraldry)