Crosshatching Continued

            In my first crosshatching post, I wasn't completely satisfied with the result, so I decided to do another post using the crosshatching technique. In the first blog, I noticed that I didn't add enough lines and cross over many lines to create a clean gradient. So in this blog I'm going to try to blend the two methods that I've done in my past two blogs. This means that I'm going use dark and light shading, along with the crosshatching technique.

  As you can see in the picture, there wasn't much shading like in my previous blogs, but in this one I just wanted to get used to the technique of crosshatching and I think I have mastered it. I said that I was using both which I did because in the collar, and how it contrasted to the shirt. But you can see in his hair that the lines are crossing, creating a soft blend of gray. Although I said this is crosshatching, I should be more specific because their are many ways. This style specifically is a mix of fine crosshatching, and tick crosshatching (Willenbrink 57). The reason why I chose crosshatching is that it has a good composition. Composition is, "the arrangement of elements in an artwork. A good composition entertains the viewer, while a weak composition may make the viewer feel indifferent toward the artwork" (Willenbrink 64). This is why I want to increase my level of crosshatching.

Bibliography: Willenbrink, Mark, and Mary Willenbrink. Drawing for the Absolute Beginner: A Clear & Easy Guide to Successful Drawing. Cincinnati, OH: North Light, 2006. Print.

Do you think I've mastered crosshatching, if not, what should I improve on?

Crosshatching Technique

         To continue off of my first blog which was adding depths to my drawing using a type of shading, there are many other ways to shade a drawing to create depth. The first way I used was regular contrast shading. In this blog, I'll be using a different way to shade which is called 'crosshatching.' This technique is basically using lines and crossing them--hence the name. In my opinion this technique was very difficult for me as a drawer, so I'll try to build this weakness by posting more blogs using this technique since I've mastered the contrast shading.


          In this blog, instead of drawing a doodled character, I'll draw a character from one of my favorite cartoons growing up. I'm also using this character because since this technique is one of my weaknesses, I want to start off with an easier drawing, and because drawing inanimate objects because when you crosshatch it doesn't really show a lot of depth, and detail because it doesn't have many shades and shadows, rather than a cartoon character. The character I'll be drawing is Aang from Avatar the Last Airbender, because it was my favorite cartoon as a kid.




The reason why crosshatching is such an important concept of shading is because it uses values to create depth. Mark Willenbrink states in his book, "values are the degrees of light and darkness in a drawing. They give additional form and depth to a basic structure" (Willenbrink 50). This is why shading to a drawing is so important because if not it's just not as amusing as a completed shaded drawing.

Question: How did my Aang look, and did you enjoy this show as a kid? Also, which drawing did you like more, the first blog or this one?

Bibliography: Willenbrink, Mark, and Mary Willenbrink. Drawing for the Absolute Beginner: A Clear & Easy Guide to Successful Drawing. Cincinnati, OH: North Light, 2006. Print.