25 Days to Better Drawings: Shading with Line
This course features:
10 Hours of Instruction
25 Videos
24 eBooks
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
Lesson Description
Learn how to apply the concept of cross contour lines to shading using hatching and cross hatching.
Lesson Materials
Graphite drawing pencil, white drawing paper, technical drawing pens, and a kneaded eraser.
Lesson Resources
Distributing any content downloaded from this site is strictly prohibited and against the terms and conditions of use.
Download eBook
Reference Image
Course Curriculum
Lesson 1: Materials and Mindset (10:07)Lesson 2: Drawing with Lines (25:29)Lesson 3: Drawing Ellipses (18:26)Lesson 4: Drawing with Shapes (15:56)Lesson 5: Line Quality (13:10)Lesson 6: Cross Contour Lines (11:32)Lesson 7: Shading with Line (38:49)Lesson 8: Value (10:52)Lesson 9: Light and Shadow (11:58)Lesson 10: Drawing Basic Forms (17:25)Lesson 11: Drawing with Forms (21:12)Lesson 12: Texture Study #1 (28:54)Lesson 13: Texture Study #2 (49:20)Lesson 14: Texture Study #3 (17:31)Lesson 15: The Illusion of Space (16:33)Lesson 16: One Point Perspective (46:39)Lesson 17: Two Point Perspective (48:35)Lesson 18: Three Point Perspective (54:30)
Lesson 19: Sighting, Measuring, and Mapping (10:02)Lesson 20: Positive and Negative Space (8:13)Lesson 21: The Grid Technique (11:07)Lesson 22: Basic Facial Proportions (41:52)Lesson 23: Figure Drawing (1:03:53)Lesson 24: Drawing in Reverse (16:29)Lesson 25: Conclusion / Final Exercise (3:56)
The hardest part I had was drawing in the eclipse. My eclipse looked awfull. 😏
The rest of my drawing looked okay.
Hi Adam,
Ellipses are difficult. It takes a little practice, but they’ll always be challenging – perhaps the most challenging shape to capture.
I got it so happy : )it’s seemed hard at the beginning but drawing with the pens was such a pleasure it’s very precise
Agreed! Ellipses and cross-hatching ended up being much more difficult than I would have thought. What I love about this series is it doesn’t take anything it teaches for granted–the fundamentals are so clearly explained without being condescending or glossed over. I’ve heard of all these concepts before but I finally feel like they’re coming together for the first time instead of pieced together from some draw-a-picture-in-five-easy-steps manual or from the tips on the back of a colored pencil box. Thanks again!
Wauw, a bit more difficult with the inkt pen but interesting. I need to be carefull to keep looking to the example instead of Matt’s drawing, because it’s easier to replicatie from a drawing than from an object. So now and then I try to stop the video in order to only concentrate on the object. Looking forward to the next days! thanks matt!
I think this is my first successful cross hatching. Because This is the first time I actually knew what I was doing while I was drawing and not expecting some artistic intuition from nowhere. I’m really happy with my drawing!
Hello Matt – just so appreciate your emphasis on line. I enjoy the clarity and precise effect of pen drawing. Such a pleasure.
Thanks Marise!
hello again – have completed my capsicum drawing – i found the hatching for form a little challenging as I usually draw with graphite tona variation to do this. But I like the different outcome.
Great Marise!
Matt,
This was an excellent lesson. Your instructions were very clear and this lesson combined with the contours lesson really gave me a good understanding of how to place the hatching. Thank you!
Thanks Mireya!
It is so important to master the role of each line (line weight). By mastering this principle, we surely clarify the information that the object must transmit and this, on several levels. . Thank you for your work.
Enjoying everything a have learnt so far in this course, thanks for presenting the concepts in such a clear achievable way. Looking forward to the next lesson. Thanks again. Angel
Matt,
I’m Learning more on drawing . I started Plein Air and soon realized I need some more drawing help !
Thank you for all you’ve done to encourage us and teach us the correct way to learn.
Renee
Matt,
I am really enjoying this course. I am a beginner and appreciate that these are following a logical steps. I am starting to grasp value of lines for shape and shading. I am uncomfortable using pen so use graphite only for the hatching and cross hatching. Is that okay?
Thank you for creating these courses. I am looking forward to doing several Moe when I finish this one.
Pat
Matt,
This is a great course; I feel more comfortable with each exercise and my drawings actually look pretty decent – thanks to your instructions.
Yvonne
I do not “get” what determines the broken lines, for instance, in the first pen and ink application of the contour drawing. Why are broken lines used coming out of the parts of the stem? And why are broken lines used in the “divisions” of form around the pepper and the broken lines are different lengths? Could you please explain?
This is great, Matt. A real breakthrough for me, thanks to your clarity and gentle approach. I was traumatized by an art teacher in junior high school and so I’ve always been afraid of drawing. I’m 69 years old now, and finally ready to screw up my courage and give it a try. Your course is really helping me to overcome the fear and to actually enjoy the process. I can see that with the understanding you are imparting, I’ll be able to do better and better over time. Thank you so much for this life-changing experience. You rock!
Owen
Oh, and I’ll just add that if you had been my art teacher in junior high, my life would have been different.
Wow Owen!
Thanks for your wonderful comments! You’ve made my week!
Well, you made mine too, and it matters a lot. Thanks for all you do.
So far, the day I’ve struggled with the most is the curves and elipses 😅 Dear god I was struggling with my patience! This course has definitely expanded my knowledge so far. I can’t wait to get to the end and test myself. I have no doubt it’ll improve! I’m just worried I’ll stress out before then jejeje
I really enjoy this course! Thank you.
Hi Matt, when you are hatching the pepper, I see sometimes you break a line into several sections. Do you do it randomly or do you follow some rules?
Hi Luting,
No rules here. I’m just trying to break up the line is areas to allow more of the white of the paper to show through. This produces a slightly lighter appearance. A solid line would be darker.
Natt,
Thanks for this great course. I have seen a noticeable improvement in my drawing since I started the 25 Day course. I was able to get the shape, cross contour and hatching lines in place so that the drawing actually looks like a green pepper! However, I struggled a lot with the stem area. I will try that part of the drawing again just to be able show the depth and curves of that part.
Hi Matt,
What would you advice if we make mistakes when drawing with pen? For example: Start on a new paper, using white-out etc?
Hi Matt
I notice that at the bottom of the sphere where it is the darkest shading, you leave a white thin area. I did not do this and it was hard to differentiate the sphere from the cast shadow. Could you explain this process.
Thank you
Hi Matt,
love it!!!
You are doing so great in explaining each and every step over and over again while directing through the course. I wish, I would have had a teacher like you at school. Just followed the first sections so fare and can already see progress in my scetches.
Thank you so much!
Buddy
I found today’s lesson rather challenging, confident in getting the shape and contour of the pepper (capsicum here in Australia!) but once I tried to hatch, well it looked more like the surface of a kiwi fruit. Hairy! I may need to rewatch it but I’m disheartened I couldn’t really comprehend today’s lesson
This clears up so much for me when it comes to drawing (for example) rocks. I am certain that I will be more able to determine planes and use contour lines and hatching to show those planes and the change is direction of those planes. If this sounds like I know what I am doing, then I have misled you 🙂
I am rubbish but perhaps less so now.
Just love everything in these lessons, it’s great to have someone so good at what they do show us step by step, I am surprised I am able to keep up, thank you for this Jan
Thanks Jan!
I want to redo the pepper exercise, because my finished drawing is ugly. One reason is that I used a thicker pen than in the example. I have a motley assortment(Penstix, Micron, Faber Castell Pitt and Pigma). Probably my Micron .01 is the closest one. Also, I want to experiment with using the full size reference photo rather than the thumbnail formatted with the lesson. All in all, and excellent lesson!
I think mine looked pretty good just the ellipses need work
All I can say is “wow”. Your rendition is worthy of being framed. That was such an amazing exercise. I’ve never seen anything drawn using pen with hatching and the effect is absolutely amazing. The further I got, the happier I became. For some reason though, I always struggle getting the cast shadow to look realistic. It ends up looking messy. I think also because it’s at the end of the exercise, I tend to rush through it (also because I dread doing cast shadows, so I want to skip past it as quickly as possible). Overall, am pretty chuffed at my capsicum drawing though. Thanks Matt. You’re a legend!