Dirty Crosshatching with France

 

9/27/22 30 min. exercise. Bic ballpoint in Stillman & Birn
Epsilon sketchbook (photo reference)

Although our late-September weather would have been beautiful – temps in the 70s and mostly sunny – many of those days were ruined by smoke from two ongoing wildfires. With the doors and windows sealed up and all our air purifiers turned up high, I had to find ways to amuse myself indoors (which, sadly, I’ll be doing soon enough anyway).

A still life is always good indoor entertainment. So are online classes, and I have a few ready to go for the wet-weather months. I had intended to save France Belleville-Van Stone’s drawing courses for later in the fall or winter, but our smoky days were a different kind of bad weather, so I queued up “How I Crosshatch, Part 3.” This part of the description appealed to me: “If you thought crosshatching was a slow, meticulous, and ultra-technical affair, be ready to break some rules. We are now going to explore a messier, looser, and above all faster kind of crosshatching.”

Indeed, I always admire the work of artists who can do the kind of neat and tidy crosshatching that must be relatively slow and meticulous, but I don’t enjoy doing that kind. Years ago I took a pen and ink class at Gage in which we practiced that kind of hatching, and no matter how much I wanted it to be, it wasn’t for me. Since then, I’ve also tried hatching with a Bic ballpoint, and I enjoy the medium, but staying tidy is still not my thing. That’s why my ears perked up when I heard France refer to Part 3’s technique as “dirty” crosshatching. Now, that sounds like something I could get into! As for “breaking some rules,” I began by skipping Parts 1 and 2 and going straight to 3!

In the first lesson, France set herself and her students a time limit of 30 minutes. Using a 1.6mm Bic Cristal, she drew a portrait from a photo reference in an A5-size Moleskine sketchbook. I watched the entire demo (it’s such a pleasure just watching her work), then grabbed a Stillman & Birn Epsilon sketchbook in the same size and a black 1.6mm Bic and set my timer for 30 minutes.

Photo by @Earthsworld on Instagram

Although my “dirty” hatching and crosshatching are not nearly as finessed or nuanced as France’s, I was pleased that I got a relatively good range of tones within the time limit. The man in the photo reference probably wouldn’t be happy with the extra years I gave him, but otherwise, resemblance isn’t too bad, either. Most important, I love this kind of hatching, and if I enjoy doing it, I am much more likely to practice!

Guess what I’m doing for InkTober this year? Stay tuned for occasional updates on my progress with this annual challenge, which I have been participating in since 2015.