♦♦[ART] Inking Terms: Hatching, What it is and What it isn't
If you’ve ever been told to “hatch the shadow,” you might have wondered: what exactly counts as hatching? Does any set of lines qualify? Let's dig deeper.
What is ‘Hatching’?
What exactly counts as hatching? Does any set of lines qualify? Do they need to cross? Do they need to follow form? Let’s get to brass tacks, defining it clearly. So the next time I say hatching in class, everyone knows what I meant.
Hatching: Building Tone with Lines
At its simplest, hatching is the use of repeated parallel or near-parallel lines to create tone, texture, or shading.
Unlike feathering, which is about transition from dark to light, hatching is about building density.
The space between lines determines how light or dark the area appears.
The orientation of the lines can add more than value—it can suggest form, texture, or directionality.
Think of hatching as a way of simulating tone without gray ink or wash.
Subtypes of Hatching
Hatching is a family of techniques. Each variation creates a different visual effect, and comic artists often mix several in the same page.
Parallel Hatching
Single-direction lines, evenly spaced.
Used for flat tones or simple gradients when spacing varies.
Classic in engraving and technical illustration.
Cross-Hatching
Layers of hatching at different angles (usually perpendicular or oblique).
Each additional layer deepens value and increases density.
Common for rendering shadows or high-contrast areas.
Contour Hatching
Lines follow the form’s surface curves instead of staying straight.
Think of wrapping lines around a cylinder or across a torso.
Useful for conveying volume and three-dimensionality.
Readers feel the roundness because the strokes echo the form.
Cross-Contour Hatching
A more deliberate version of contour hatching where you layer multiple directions along the form.
Like “mapping” a grid over a curved surface.
Often used in anatomical drawing or technical illustration to explain how a form bulges, bends, or twists.
Tick or Short-Stroke Hatching
Instead of long lines, you build tone with repeated short marks.
This creates a more “broken” texture—good for rough stone, foliage, fur, or aged surfaces.
Each mark is directional but doesn’t need to stretch across the whole area.
Stippling / Pointillist Hatching
Using dots instead of lines.
Technically not “lines,” but functionally the same: building tone by controlling density.
Perfect for delicate transitions or when you don’t want visible directionality (e.g., skin textures, atmospheric effects).
Pattern or Texture Hatching
Using repeating motifs—zigzags, scribbles, even abstract marks—instead of straight lines.
Good for surfaces where structure matters more than smooth tone: bark, gravel, water ripples.
Borderline between hatching and texturing, but worth including.
How Hatching Differs from Feathering
Feathering = transition technique, fading from black into white with tapered lines.
Hatching = tone-building technique, using repeated marks to fill space with value.
Overlap: You can taper your hatching lines (many artists do), and you can feather into a hatched zone. But the purpose is different—feathering smooths, hatching builds.
Where You’ll See It in Comics
Backgrounds: Parallel or cross-hatching to suggest tone behind figures without overwhelming them.
Anatomy: Contour or cross-contour hatching to show roundness of muscles and bone structure.
Atmosphere: Light parallel hatching in skies or large spaces, to suggest haze or distance.
Texture: Short-stroke or stipple hatching for stone, metal, or cloth.
Classic examples: Bernie Wrightson’s Frankenstein pages are dense with cross-hatching; Franklin Booth’s pen work builds tone entirely from contour hatch lines; contemporary inkers often use quick tick hatching for grit or weathering.
Why It Matters to Define This Clearly
When I say “hatch this shadow” in class, it means: use repeated strokes to build tone. Which subtype you choose depends on what you’re trying to say—flatness, form, texture, or atmosphere.
By keeping these categories clear, you’re not just making marks at random. You’re choosing the right tool from a small but powerful vocabulary of line.
I’ll add images shortly, but wanted to define this tout-quite. I’ve given October in ASL Inking for Comics and Illustration the nickname “hatch-tober,” so it felt incumbent on me to define the terms sooner rather than later.
Charles Merritt Houghton
29 September 2025