For Cartoonists and Artists Part 1

Yesterday's EISNER related post brought back some of his teachings that have been drilled into me and which I carry through to my illustration and comic art classes today.

CROSS HATCHING:

Image from a similar blog post I made this time last year

Cross hatching is used with ink to create a sense of form and shadow.  It's harder than it looks.  It involves a pen, brush or quill being quickly drawn across your illustration board with great control of the wrist.  The ends should be smooth and tapered, creating a sense of order amidst the chaos.

FIG A                                             FIG B

Bad cross hatching (FIG A) misses the idea of the tapering and creates a series of hooks.  These are caused by the drawing implement being pulled back before it has been completely lifted off your illustration surface.  As a professor once told me-- it's lazy, messy and it makes your work look unprofessional.

An assignment we once had was to completely cross hatch a 13"x19" illo board from corner to corner going from white to complete black in cross hatch using only a #2 round brush-- as the professor studied your finished piece if he discovered ONE hook you had to do it again.  Trust me, I stopped making hooks quickly.

I also seldom use a pen to ink, instead I still use a #2 round brush.  Veronica is one of the most talented inkers I know (she's doing a class on it in the spring) but I take credit for pushing her to use a brush-- she resisted for a long time, insisting on pens, but once you master a brush you've mastered inking.

TOMORROW: Lettering