HATCHING
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Hatching consists of a series of more or less parallel lines.
The strokes may be long or short, mechanically ruled or
drawn freehand, and executed with either apen or a pencil on
smooth or rough paper. When spaced close enough together,
the lines lose their individuality and merge to form a tonal
value. We therefore rely primarily on the spacing and density
of lines to control the lightness or darkness of a value. While
thickening the linear strokes can serve to deepen the
darkest values, using too thick of aline can result in an
unintentional coarseness and heaviness of texture.
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The most flexible freehand technique for hatching utilizes
relatively short diagonal strokes.
To define aprecise edge, fix the beginning of each stroke
with slight pressure.
Feather t he ends of the strokes to depict curved surfaces,
atexture gradient, or subtleties of light and shade.
When extending atonal value over a large area, avoid the
effect of banding by softening the edges and overlapping
each set of strokes in a random manner.
By applying add itional layers of diagonal strokes at only
slightly different angles to the preceding sets, we can
build up the density, and therefore the tonal value, of an
area. Maintaining the diagonal direction of the strokes in
t his manner avoids confusion w the underlying drawing
ith
and unifies the various tonal areas of a drawing
composition.
-- The direction of hatching can also follow the contours of
aform and emphasize the orientation of its surfaces.
Remember that direction alone, however, has no impact on
tonal value. With texture and contour, the series of lines
can also convey material characteristics, such as the grain
of wood, the marbling of stone, or the weave of fabric.
• Do not attempt to produce arange of values by varying
the grade of lead. Be careful not to use too dense a grade
of lead or press so hard that the pencil point embosses
the drawing surface.
• Unlike apencil line, the tonal value of an ink line remains
constant. You can only control the spacing and density o
f
the hatching.
128 /ARCHITECTURAL GRAP
HICS