Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 9.

7
Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease: 60.8
Drawspace Curriculum 3.1.R13 - 2 Pages and 1 Illustration

Rendering Contour
Hatching Naturally
How to find and use your most natural drawing
motions for shading with contour hatching

Resource: 3.1.R15 Checking out Contour Hatching

Getting to know yourself as an artist is as important to drawing as techniques and tools.

Surprisingly, very few artists are aware of which hand motions can create the best lines
when they draw. Thankfully, it’s very easy to find out!

All you need for this little exercise is a calm mind, a relaxed body,
a pencil, and a piece of paper.

Use a pencil and paper to discover your natural hand Tip!

movements for drawing sets of curved hatching lines
(Figure 1). Contour hatching
is a must-have
Draw several sets of slightly curved lines. As you draw, take technique for
note of how you make these lines, how smooth the lines look, rendering realistic
and how comfortable you feel while drawing them. drawings.
To achieve
Try many different ways of moving your pencil, rotating your smooth shading
paper, or changing the directions of your lines until you find the with contour
motions that are the most natural for you. hatching, you
need to be aware
For example, one possibility consists of lines that curve of and in control
of your own
upward from the lower right toward the upper right (marked 1 natural hand
in Figure 1). Another is from the upper right curving downward movements.
toward the lower right (marked 2).
One or more of the stroking movements in Figure 1 may be
perfect for you, but you should experiment with others that are
not illustrated.

ISBN: 978-1-927365-77-9
Copyright © 2013 Drawspace Publishing and Brenda Hoddinott. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transferred, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
electronic, digital, mechanical, recording, photographing, photocopying, or otherwise, without the purchase of a licence from drawspace.com or the prior written consent of Brenda Hoddinott and Drawspace Publishing.
2 Drawspace Curriculum 3.1.R13

Figure 1

To take advantage of your natural hand movement, you

need to continuously rotate your drawing paper as you
draw. To know in which direction you should rotate your
paper, take some extra time to practice drawing contour As an Aside
lines.
The motions indicated in sets
For example, imagine for a moment that your natural 1 and 2 are the ones that work
hand motions are similar to the motions demonstrated best for me.
in samples 1 and 2. When you need to curve your As you can tell by the
contour hatching lines in the opposite direction, you can awkwardness of the lines in
simply turn your paper upside-down. numbers 3 to 8, these sets of
lines are very unnatural to me.
When your contour lines need to change direction
again, rotate your paper accordingly until you can use
your natural hand motion again.

ISBN: 978-1-927365-77-9
Copyright © 2013 Drawspace Publishing and Brenda Hoddinott. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transferred, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
electronic, digital, mechanical, recording, photographing, photocopying, or otherwise, without the purchase of a licence from drawspace.com or the prior written consent of Brenda Hoddinott and Drawspace Publishing.