Try the cross hatching technique
Practice the cross hatching drawing technique using pencil and paper to create shading, texture, and depth while experimenting with different line directions and pressures.
Step-by-step guide to practice cross-hatching drawing with pencil and paper
Step 1
Gather all materials and put them on a flat table or desk.
Step 2
Sharpen your pencil until it has a nice point.
Step 3
Place a scrap paper and draw five light straight parallel lines about one centimeter apart to warm up.
Step 4
Draw five light curved parallel lines on the scrap paper to practice curved hatching.
Step 5
On the scrap paper, draw a second set of lines crossing the first set at a different angle to make cross-hatching.
Step 6
Make a small value scale of five boxes and fill each box with cross-hatching using progressively harder pencil pressure to make darker values.
Step 7
Lightly sketch a simple shape on your main paper like a circle or a box to be shaded.
Step 8
Shade your sketched shape using cross-hatching and change the line directions and pencil pressure to show light and shadow.
Step 9
Use the eraser to lift tiny areas for highlights and clean up any stray marks around your drawing.
Step 10
Take a photo or upload your finished cross-hatching drawing and share it on DIY.org.
Help!?
What can we use if we don't have a wooden pencil or sharpener?
Use a mechanical pencil with a fine lead or carefully sharpen a pencil with a knife, and substitute scrap paper with printer paper or a cereal-box cardboard for the warm-up lines.
My cross-hatching looks smudged or uneven—what should I do?
Practice the five light parallel and curved lines on the scrap paper, fill the five-box value scale to control pressure, hold the pencil farther back for lighter lines, and place a clean scrap paper under your hand to avoid smudging.
How can I make this activity easier for a preschooler or more challenging for a teen?
For younger children use larger simple shapes, wider spaced hatching, and thicker crayons or markers on the scrap paper, while teens can use multiple pencil grades (HB–6B), tighter cross-hatching, subtler values on the five-box scale, and more complex shapes to shade on the main paper.
How can we extend or personalize the finished cross-hatching drawing?
Combine pencil cross-hatching with ink or colored pencils for texture, expand the five-box value scale into a larger chart, add personal details to the sketched shape, then photograph and upload the finished drawing to DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to practice cross-hatching drawing with pencil and paper
How to use the cross hatching technique | Drawing for Kids | #doitwithdiy
4 Videos
How to use the cross hatching technique | Drawing for Kids | #doitwithdiy
Cross Hatching for Beginners - Art Challenge #9
Cross-Hatching Drawing Lesson
What is Crosshatching? - Pen and ink drawing for beginners
Facts about pencil shading and cross-hatching techniques
✏️ Cross-hatching can produce a full range of tones — from light gray to deep black — just by varying line density, thickness, and pressure.
🎨 Albrecht Dürer's 16th-century engravings are famous examples of masterful hatching and cross-hatching that artists study even today.
🕰️ Cross-hatching became essential in printmaking (engraving and etching) because lines transfer well to metal plates and paper prints.
🔄 Changing the angle and direction of your lines (e.g., 45° then -45°) creates smoother-looking shading and believable texture.
🧠 Tiny repeated lines blend in your viewer's eye — a visual trick called optical blending — so linework reads as continuous tone.
How do I practice the cross-hatching drawing technique with kids?
What materials do I need for a child to try cross-hatching?
What ages are suitable for learning cross-hatching?
What are the benefits of practicing cross-hatching and fun variations to try?
