
Creating
Tone and Texture with Pen and Ink
View
our completed ink drawing in its actual size
Cross
Hatching and Stippling
are the two basic techniques for the creation of tone and texture
in an ink drawing. These are traditional techniques that have
been used by artists for centuries. They can be applied in a tightly
controlled manner, as in our drawing of Whitby above, or more
freely and expressively, as in the Van Gogh drawing of a tree
below.

Vincent
Van Gogh (1853-1890)
Tree
with Ivy in the Asylum,
(ink on paper, 1889)
In
'Tree with Ivy in the Asylum', Van Gogh intuitively combines cross
hatching and stippling to create a bold expressive technique that
naturally reflects the form, texture and energy of its subject.
The spontaneity and fluidity of his pen strokes say as much about
the artist's personality as they do about the subject. It is the
skill of an artist's technique, filtered though a personal vision
of the subject, that determines the quality of an artwork.

Combining
Cross Hatching and Stippling
Whitby
Detail 1
(top left)
If
we look at a close-up detail of our Whitby drawing, it should
help to reveal how cross hatching and stippling are combined for
a tonal and textural effect. A range of cross hatching and stippling
techniques have been used to give tone and texture to the walls
and roofs. These techniques are not used independently from one
another, but are combined to increase their effectiveness. After
the brickwork and roof tile patterns had been sketched in, areas
of tone were hatched and cross hatched over these to suggest depth
and form. Stippling was then applied in various densities to both
plain and brick patterned walls in order to convey the grime and
texture of the different surfaces.

Combining
Cross Hatching and Stippling
Whitby
Detail 2
(bottom right)
In
detail 2, graduating densities of stippling have been used to
express the texture of the bushes and trees. Hatching and cross
hatching, combined with stippling, have been applied to suggest
a variety of other surface qualities ranging from metal lock-up
doors, to smooth concrete and rough brickwork.
As
a general rule, it is probably easier to apply cross hatching
first, in order to build up the tonal structure of the drawing.
Stippling tends to be used later to add subtlety and texture to
the work.