Home-based: Introduction to Cross hatching

R. Wang

I remembered when I first learnt to cross-hatching, the take-back was, its so tiring to the hands and fingers, especially to achieve a dark rich intensity.  Understanding more lines = dark while fewer lines were easy. Yet, to apply, it's totally different. 

 Like painting at an easel, the first thing to overcome is aching arms. So, this project was broken down into two stages to get into the groove of drawing lines after lines after lines. 

The theme: fireworks. And this was also expanded upon over the two stages.  

Stage One was done on A3 approx. 2hours.

Fireworks: Student-artists could create fireworks in any form or symbol they are used to. 

Awareness was mainly where is the fireworks (to fill colours) and where is the sky (to cross-hatch).

Stage two was done on A2 within a span of 6 hours with at least 4 hour - 5 hours of cross hatching only and still, a number were not complete to reach an intense black sky.

Fireworks: Examples were provided with the aim to observe (1) the different types of fireworks as they burst, (2) the combination of colours each fireworks holds, and (3) thin lines or ovals. 

From the examples below, you could see different strategies used by the student-artists themselves, some divided the sky into sections. Some started with a flat layer of cross hatchings and slowly build up the intensity. And some just when for it in segments across the paper.