Grade 5 Art And Craft Picture Making Techniques – Drawing Cross Hatching Technique Notes

Picture Making Techniques

Subtopic: Drawing — Cross Hatching Technique

Cross-hatching is a way to show light and dark (shading) by drawing sets of lines that cross each other. It helps your pictures look 3D and interesting. These notes are for Kenyan learners aged 10 — simple steps and fun practice!

Materials you need

• Paper (exercise book or drawing paper)
• Pencils: HB for outlines, 2B or 4B for darker lines
• Eraser and a sharpener
• Ruler (optional) and a clean table or desk

What is cross-hatching?

- First you draw straight lines (this is called hatching).
- Then you draw another set of lines that cross the first set at an angle. The crossing lines make dark areas. The more lines that cross, the darker the area looks.

Simple visuals (look and copy)

Easy steps to draw with cross-hatching

1. Lightly draw the shape you want (example: a mango, a stone, or a simple face).
2. Decide where the light comes from (e.g., sun from the left). The side away from light will be darker.
3. Start with light, straight lines in one direction (hatching) on the darker side.
4. Add another set of lines crossing the first set to make it darker (cross-hatching).
5. To make it even darker, add more lines closer together or use a softer pencil (like 4B).
6. Erase any extra pencil marks and darken outlines if needed.

Tips for neat cross-hatching

• Keep your hand steady and move your whole arm for long lines.
• Space lines evenly for smooth shading.
• Change the angle of the second set of lines for clearer crossing.
• Use lighter pressure for light shade and stronger pressure for dark shade.
• Practice on scrap paper first before shading your picture.

Practice activities (fun & Kenyan ideas)

1. Practice boxes: Draw 4 small squares. Use light hatching in the first, cross-hatching in the second, denser cross-hatching in the third, and the darkest in the fourth.
2. Draw an acacia tree silhouette — shade the trunk and one side of the branches with cross-hatching to show shadow.
3. Draw a round stone or fruit (like a mango). Shade one side with cross-hatching to make it look round.
4. Quick scene: draw Mt. Kenya or a small hill. Use cross-hatching on the mountain slopes to show areas in shadow.
5. Creative: draw a Maasai shield shape and use different cross-hatching directions in each section for pattern.

Mini project (step-by-step): Shaded Mango

1. Draw a mango shape lightly with HB pencil.
2. Decide the light: imagine sunlight from the top right.
3. On the lower-left side of the mango, draw light hatching lines slanted downwards.
4. Add another set of lines crossing the first at about 60° to make the shadow darker.
5. Leave a small area (top-right) almost white — this is the light spot.
6. Erase stray marks and darken the mango edge slightly for a clean finish.

Questions to check learning

• What is the difference between hatching and cross-hatching?
• How can you make a darker shadow using cross-hatching?
• Where will you put cross-hatching when the sun is on the left?

Teacher / Parent notes

Give learners 10–15 minutes practice time. Encourage them to try different pencils. Show one live demo on the board: draw a circle and shade it using cross-hatching while explaining light direction.