A drawing technique where two or more sets of parallel lines intersect at angles to create areas of tone, shadow, and texture. The density and angle of intersection determine the darkness and visual effect.
Compound of 'cross' and 'hatching,' where 'hatching' comes from 'hatch' meaning to draw parallel lines, possibly from the resemblance to the parallel marks made by a hatchet. The 'cross' element describes how these line sets intersect or cross each other.
Leonardo da Vinci was the master of crosshatching, using it not just for shading but to suggest the very structure of what he was drawing - muscles, hair, water flow, even emotions! His notebooks show how he could make crosshatched lines follow the form they were describing, turning a simple shading technique into sculptural modeling.
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