/ic/ - Artwork/Critique

>>5180609
I think doing master studies have been extremely helpful for me. Copying old master drawings of Michelangelo or Tiepolo really gives you a good sense of how they solved/hatched different form and light scenarios. The crux is that by copying, I mean meticulously drawing every single stroke exactly the way it is, no shortcuts, trying to get as close to the original as possible.
It has been my experience that after doing a study like that for several hours, when you then go back to your own stuff, even if you haven't been exactly conscious of what characterized the hatching technique you were just copying, some of it will invariably have bled into your own technique by osmosis or something.
I guess it doesn't have to be just old masters, just anyone whose hatching style you admire and want to imitate.

I also think picking the right references to work from is important, i.e. picking ones with a single light source will give you that simple highlight->halftone->core-shadow->reflected-light pattern that once you solve the problem of how to hatch it once, you can basically apply it anywhere in whatever you are drawing.

Hope that helps :-)