B. Drama / D. Visual Arts · Drama and Visual Arts

Visual Arts: Hatching, Cross-Hatching and Gesture Lines

D1.3 D1.4 D2.2About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can use hatching, cross-hatching and curved hatching to show light and dark and make shapes look three-dimensional.
I can make quick gesture drawings that show a body in action.
I can use implied lines to lead the viewer's eye and show movement.
I can build a wire-stem sculpture of a figure in action.
I can explain how lines in an art work communicate depth and movement.

Words to know

hatching
Drawing many lines side by side, in the same direction, to make an area look darker.

cross-hatching
Layers of hatching lines that cross each other. More layers make it darker.

curved hatching
Hatching lines that curve around a rounded form, like lines wrapping around a ball.

three-dimensional (3-D)
Having height, width and depth, like a real ball, not a flat circle.

gesture drawing
A very quick drawing that captures the action and movement of a body, not the details.

implied line
A line you don't actually see, but your eye follows anyway, like the direction someone is pointing or looking.

form
A three-dimensional shape, like a sphere, cube or cylinder.

Remember from Grade 4

You used lines to show feelings, drew contour lines that follow the edges of objects, changed line weight (thick and thin), and made visual rhythm with repeated lines.

In Grade 5, lines get a new job: making flat drawings look deep and solid, and making figures look like they are moving.

Can a pencil make a ball look round?

Draw a circle. It looks flat, like a coin. Now add a set of curved lines on one side, packed close together. Suddenly the circle looks like a ball with a shadow on one side!

You didn't use paint or smudging, just lines. Artists have done this for hundreds of years. About 500 years ago, the German artist Albrecht Dürer made prints of animals, people and places using nothing but carefully placed lines.

A pencil drawing of a ball in a sketchbook, shaded with crossing lines and with a hatched shadow beside it. — This ball looks round because of hatching and cross-hatching. Notice how the lines are packed closer together on the dark side and left out where the light hits. AI-generated image

Three ways to shade with lines: hatching (parallel lines in one direction), cross-hatching (two layers of lines crossing each other), and curved hatching (lines that curve around the right side of a circle so it looks like a ball).

Hatching and cross-hatching

Hatching: lines side by side, all going the same direction. Lines close together look darker. Lines far apart look lighter.
Cross-hatching: add another layer of lines going a different direction across the first layer. Each new layer makes the area darker.
Curved hatching: let the lines curve to follow the shape of a round form (a ball, an apple, a tree trunk). The curve tells the viewer, "This is round!"

How to shade a form:

Decide where the light is coming from (for example, from the top left).
Leave the side facing the light almost white.
Add hatching on the side away from the light.
Cross-hatch the darkest part.

Gesture drawing: catch the action!

A gesture drawing is a fast drawing, often only 30 seconds to 2 minutes, that catches how a body is moving. You don't draw eyes, fingers or clothing. You draw the action.

Tips:

Start with one line for the curve of the spine: is the body bending, leaning, stretching?
Add quick lines for the arms and legs. Use an oval for the head.
Move your whole arm, not just your fingers. Keep your pencil moving.
It will look scribbly. That's the point!

Implied lines: the lines you can't see

An implied line is a path your eye follows, even though no line is drawn:

the direction a person is looking or pointing
a row of footprints in the snow, or a line of geese in the sky
the path of a thrown ball

Artists use implied lines to lead your eye across a picture, and to show movement and depth (a road of footprints getting smaller as it goes into the distance).

Left: a gesture drawing of a running figure made with a few quick lines for the head, a curved spine, arms and legs. Right: a figure pointing at a bird; the dotted implied line shows how your eye travels from the hand to the bird.

Worked example

Example: Shading a mug with hatching

Let's make a drawing of a plain mug look solid using only lines. The light comes from the left.

Draw the mug's outline: an oval for the top, two straight sides, a curved bottom, and the handle.
The left side faces the light, so leave it white.
On the middle of the mug, add a few light hatching lines, spaced far apart.
On the right side, add hatching lines closer together. Let them curve slightly to follow the round side of the mug.
On the far right edge (the darkest part), add a layer of cross-hatching.
Inside the mug, add cross-hatching along the left inside wall too: the rim blocks the light there, so it's in shadow.
Under the mug on the right, hatch a small shadow on the table.

Going from no lines (light) to hatching to cross-hatching (dark) makes the mug look round and three-dimensional.

Worked example

Example: Analysing lines in a sports photograph

Look at a newspaper or online photo of a hockey player taking a shot. Let's analyse the lines.

Gesture line: the player's body makes a strong diagonal line, leaning into the shot. Diagonal lines feel like action.
Implied line: the player's eyes and stick point toward the net. Your eye follows that path from the player to the net.
Movement: the stick is bent and the player's back leg is lifted, showing speed and force.
Explain it with art words: "The diagonal gesture line of the body and the implied line from the stick to the net make the photo feel fast and lead my eye to the goal."

Naming the type of line and the effect it has is how you explain an art work using the elements of design.

Just for fun

Funny-but-true: in 1515, Albrecht Dürer made a famous print of a rhinoceros without ever seeing one! He worked from a written description and a sketch, so his rhino looks like it is wearing a suit of armour. 🦏

Hands-on activity

Lines in action

You need: pencils (a soft pencil like 2B is great), paper, a timer, a round object (an orange or a ball), a desk lamp or flashlight, a family member who can strike action poses, and chenille stems (pipe cleaners) or soft craft wire, plus a small lump of playdough or modelling clay for a base.

Part 1: Value strip with lines. Draw a long rectangle split into five boxes. Leave box 1 empty. Box 2: hatching, far apart. Box 3: hatching, close together. Box 4: cross-hatching. Box 5: three layers of cross-hatching. Now you have a value scale made of lines!

Part 2: Shade a form. Shine the flashlight on the orange from one side. Draw it, using curved hatching on the shadow side.

Part 3: Gesture drawings. Your family member holds action poses: shooting a basketball, shovelling snow, kicking a soccer ball, dancing. Set the timer for 30 seconds per pose. Draw the spine line first! Do at least six.

Part 4: Figure sculpture. Twist chenille stems into a stick figure: a loop for the head, a body, two arms, two legs. Bend it into one of the action poses from your gesture drawings and push its feet into the playdough base. Fold over any sharp ends.

Explain: "My figure looks like it's ___ because the lines of the body ___."

Your turn

What is the difference between hatching and cross-hatching?

How do you make hatching look darker?

Why do artists use curved hatching on a ball?

How long does a gesture drawing usually take?

What should you draw first in a gesture drawing?

Give an example of an implied line.

The light comes from the right. Which side of an apple should get the most hatching?

More practice: warm-up

True or false: In hatching, lines far apart look lighter.

Does a gesture drawing show tiny details like eyelashes?

Name a 3-D form.

What can you use to make a quick figure sculpture?

Which line feels more like action: a straight up-and-down line or a diagonal line?

More practice: on your own

Describe the steps to shade a cylinder (like a can) with light from the left.

Your gesture drawings look stiff, like robots. Give two tips.

In a painting, three children on a toboggan all look toward a dog running down the hill. What implied line is there and what does it do?

Make a 5-step value scale using only lines. Describe each box.

Explain how a wire figure sculpture shows gesture in three dimensions.

Challenge

Plan a pencil drawing of a winter street at dusk using only lines. Where would you use hatching, cross-hatching and implied lines?

Why might an artist choose hatching instead of smudging to shade a drawing?

Explain how a gesture drawing, a wire sculpture and an implied line could all show movement in a single art work about a hockey game.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Lines drawn side by side in the same direction to make an area darker are called ___.

Cross-hatching looks darker than hatching because ___.

Curved hatching helps a circle look like ___.

A gesture drawing shows ___.

A person in a painting points at a bird. Your eye travels from the hand to the bird. That path is ___.

If light comes from the left, the darkest hatching on a ball goes on the ___.

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 5 line work includes hatching and cross-hatching (straight and curved) that add depth to shape and form, gesture drawings, wire or chenille-stem sculptures of figures in action, and implied lines for movement and depth. Students use these elements to communicate ideas (D1.3), solve design challenges with a variety of materials and techniques (D1.4), and explain how elements create meaning in art works (D2.2).

How to help:

Offer a soft pencil (2B or 4B) and a fine black marker; hatching works well with both.
Be a willing model for 30-second gesture poses, and keep the mood playful: gesture drawings are supposed to look scribbly.
Look at comics, sports photos and illustrations together and find hatching and implied lines.

Safety: fold or twist chenille-stem and wire ends so no sharp points stick out.

Common difficulties:

Hatching in random directions. Remind your child to keep each layer going one way, then add the next layer in a new direction.
Slow, careful gesture drawings. Use the timer and celebrate speed over neatness.
Shading on the wrong side. Place a flashlight so your child can see where the shadows fall.