Crosshatching
Turn a photo or drawing into crosshatching: tone made only of straight parallel lines, the pen-and-ink way of shading. The picture is split into 2 to 6 tone bands from light to dark. The lightest band stays paper white; each darker band adds one more layer of lines at a new angle (for example 45°, then 135°, then 0°, then 90°), so the darkest parts carry every layer. Choose the angles, the line spacing in millimetres or inches, the line weight and the printed size. The lines are cut exactly at the edge of each tone band, and the SVG is nothing but straight lines, one group per layer, ready for a pen plotter or a laser engraver. There is also a printable hatching and cross-hatching practice worksheet: example boxes ordered from light to dark by measured ink cover, with empty boxes to copy them. Nothing is uploaded.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
The SVG is plain straight lines, one group per hatch layer, at real size, for pen plotters and laser engraving. Print the PDF at 100% (Actual size).
Picture
Hatching
Size
Worksheet
Page
Runs in your browser with our own code: your picture is read on this device and nothing is uploaded or saved. The sample pictures are drawn by our code. You may use what you make here, including commercially, with no credit needed.
How to turn a picture into crosshatching
- Add your photo or drawing, or pick one of our sample pictures.
- Choose the number of tone bands and the layer angles.
- Set the line spacing, line weight and printed width.
- Download the PDF or PNG to print, or the SVG of lines for a plotter or laser.
- For practice, switch Make to the hatching practice worksheet and print it.
What you can use it for
- Pen-and-ink studies from your own photos
- Pen plotter and laser engraving art
- Learning hatching and cross-hatching by copying
- Shading reference for comics and illustration
- Art class value and texture exercises
- Etching and engraving style prints
Tone bands and hatch layers
| Tone bands | Hatch layers | Angles, lightest layer first | Darkest band |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 45° | band 2 (darkest): 1 layer |
| 3 | 2 | 45°, 135° | band 3 (darkest): 2 layers |
| 4 | 3 | 45°, 135°, 0° | band 4 (darkest): 3 layers |
| 5 | 4 | 45°, 135°, 0°, 90° | band 5 (darkest): 4 layers |
| 6 | 5 | 45°, 135°, 0°, 90°, 22.5° | band 6 (darkest): 5 layers |
Angles shown for the 45°, 135°, 0°, 90° set. Band 1 (the lightest) is always left white.
The 5 angle sets
| Set | Layer angles |
|---|---|
| Cross-hatching | 45°, 135°, 0°, 90°, 22.5° |
| Cross-hatching | 0°, 90°, 45°, 135°, 67.5° |
| Cross-hatching | 30°, 150°, 90°, 0°, 60° |
| Hatching only | 45°, 45° (+0.5 spacing), 45° (+0.25 spacing), 45° (+0.75 spacing), 45° (+0.125 spacing) |
| Hatching only | 0°, 0° (+0.5 spacing), 0° (+0.25 spacing), 0° (+0.75 spacing), 0° (+0.125 spacing) |
Angles are measured counter-clockwise from horizontal. In the Hatching only sets, every layer has the same angle and sits part of a spacing over, so the lines get closer instead of crossing.
Ink cover by line spacing (0.3 mm lines, 20 mm box)
| Spacing | 1 layer | 2 layers | 4 layers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 mm | 7.1% | 14.3% | 26.7% |
| 3 mm | 9.8% | 19% | 34% |
| 2 mm | 14.9% | 27.5% | 47.6% |
| 1.5 mm | 19.8% | 35.9% | 59.3% |
| 1 mm | 29.8% | 50.6% | 75.8% |
| 0.75 mm | 39.9% | 64.2% | 87.1% |
| 0.5 mm | 59.6% | 83.7% | 97.4% |
Measured by the tool on a 0.05 mm sampling grid, the same way the worksheet sorts its boxes.
The practice worksheet boxes (22 mm boxes, 2 mm spacing)
| Row | Boxes from light to dark (layers × spacing = ink) |
|---|---|
| Hatching | 1 × 4 mm = 7.3% · 1 × 3 mm = 9.9% · 1 × 2.5 mm = 11.9% · 1 × 2 mm = 14.9% · 1 × 1.5 mm = 19.8% · 1 × 1 mm = 29.8% · 1 × 0.75 mm = 39.9% |
| Cross-hatching | 1 × 2 mm = 14.9% · 2 × 2 mm = 27.6% · 3 × 2 mm = 38.5% · 2 × 1.2 mm = 44.1% · 4 × 2 mm = 47.7% · 3 × 1.2 mm = 58.2% · 4 × 1.2 mm = 68.8% |
Each row is sorted by measured ink cover, so the scale always runs from light to dark.
Our 5 sample pictures
| Sample (drawn by our code) | Lines per layer (4 bands, 1.5 mm) | Total line length |
|---|---|---|
| Shaded ball on a table | 185 / 106 / 55 | 10.7 m |
| Tone ramp (light to dark) | 127 / 106 / 91 | 24.3 m |
| Hills under a low sun | 156 / 119 / 38 | 21.2 m |
| Rings and a square | 230 / 254 / 201 | 20.1 m |
| Leaf with veins | 386 / 156 / 7 | 11.9 m |
At 180 mm wide. Your own picture works the same way: it stays in your browser.
Which tool to use
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| Tone made of crossing straight lines, plotter SVG, practice sheet | Crosshatching (this page) |
| Dots or a single-angle line screen of varying width | Halftone Image |
| Dots placed by tone (stippling) | Stipple Generator |
| A cut-out stencil with bridges | Stencil Maker |
| An outline drawing to colour in | Photo to Coloring Page |
| A one-colour block print design | Linocut Design Maker |
Also handy: Halftone Image for dot and line screens, the Stipple Generator and the Linocut Design Maker to carve your picture into a block.
More free tools
Turning photos into prints and drawings?
Image tools that run privately in your browser, with no sign-up and no watermark.
Frequently asked questions
What is crosshatching?
A way of shading with lines only: one set of parallel lines (hatching) gives a light tone, and each extra set laid across it at another angle (cross-hatching) makes the tone darker. Closer lines and more layers mean more ink and a darker tone.
What is the difference between hatching and cross-hatching?
Hatching uses lines in one direction only; to go darker you draw them closer together. Cross-hatching adds layers of lines in new directions over the first. Choose a Hatching only angle set for one direction (each darker band puts new lines half-way between the old ones), or a Cross-hatching set.
How are the tone bands made?
The picture’s lightness (0 = black, 100% = white) is split into equal steps. With 4 bands: lightness above 75% stays white, 50–75% gets one layer, 25–50% two layers and below 25% three layers. Brightness, contrast and Smooth out noise change the picture before it is split.
Are the lines really cut at the band edges?
Yes. Each line is followed across the picture pixel by pixel, and it is drawn only where the pixel belongs to a band dark enough for that layer. Our tests check that every part of every line lies inside its band and that the spacing between lines is exact.
Can I use the SVG with a pen plotter or laser?
Yes. The SVG holds only straight line segments (no fills, no dots, no images), at the real size in millimetres, one group per layer so you can give each layer its own pen or pass. Neighbouring lines run in opposite directions to cut down pen travel.
How dark does each spacing print?
The table above gives the share of a box covered by 0.3 mm lines at each spacing, measured by sampling the box; one layer at 1.5 mm covers about a fifth of the paper. Real pens and paper spread a little, so treat it as a guide.
What is on the practice worksheet?
Three sections: hatching in one direction with the lines closer and closer, cross-hatching with one to four layers, and an empty seven-box value scale. The example boxes are sorted from light to dark by their measured ink cover, printed under each box, and every example has an empty box below it to copy.
Is it free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit.
Is my picture uploaded?
No. Your picture is read by your browser on your own device and drawn on a canvas there; nothing is sent anywhere and nothing is stored after you close the tab.