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:
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| 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.
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| 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
