Drawing Academy review by Ronnie Rayner Larter

The Appeal of Hatching

The main attraction for me about enrolling with the Drawing Academy is because of the old master techniques that are taught, which cannot be found in any mainstream art school. My drawing skills were quite good before I enrolled with the Drawing Academy and most of my shading, especially with graphite pencil, was rendered by smudging to obtain smooth tones, which was my main fall-down.

During the Drawing Academy course I had learnt one vital piece of information, not to smudge graphite, which always results in a lifeless, dull result. I noticed that in my previous drawings but didn’t consider it a problem at the time, simply because many other artists were doing the same thing, so I used it as an acceptable technique. Although I knew about hatching and cross hatching, I didn’t really consider it as part of my drawing method, simply because I didn’t like it at the time. However, the Drawing Academy change that attitude for me and now I enjoy it more than smudging, and end result is more expressive.

I have now developed the habit of using hatching and cross hatching with graphite pencils. I feel much more satisfied with the drawings and feel I am in more control of the pencil. The gradual build-up of tonal values is much more controllable and I would advise anyone who currently use smudging techniques to avoid it and use the professional technique of hatching for a more expressive result. Every artist who use smudging creates similar results, whereas hatching and cross hatching can create endless personal, individual drawing styles.

I would recommend the Drawing Academy to any beginner and the more experienced artist. It offers a good range of drawing techniques based on the skills of the old masters, which will take you to a new level of competence and expressive drawing.

To learn how to draw whatever you see or imagine,