Beginner-friendly colouring techniques to try: Hatching and Cross Hatching

Today I’m going to show you how to master a beginner-friendly colouring technique called hatching, and take it a step further with cross-hatching! These techniques are perfect for adding shading, depth and dimension to your art work, or simply for trying something new! Ready to level up your colouring?

Step 1: Pick your area to colour.

Choose the section you’d like to work on, then grab one of your fabric pens that comes in the colour-in kits! Start by drawing diagonal lines across the area, either from the bottom left to the top right, or top left to bottom right. This is called hatching.

In this example, I’ve used a blue pen to colour in a cloud, drawing my lines from the bottom left to the top right.

Step 2: Fill in the space.

Keep repeating this line pattern across the whole area. Your lines can be close together or spaced apart, dark or light – it is completely up to you. And don’t worry if they’re not perfect; as you can see in my example, my lines are not all exactly the same. Once the space is filled, your hatching is complete!

Step 3: Try cross-hatching for more depth

If you’re happy with the design, you can stop there. But if you want to take it further and add even more depth, try cross-hatching. To do this, simply draw another set of diagonal lines in the opposite direction.

In my example, I added lines from the top left to the bottom right, creating a criss-cross, or ‘hatch’ effect.

And there you have it… cross hatching!

In the tutorial, I used the Unicorn Kids Colour-in Tshirt, which has loads of fun designs that are perfect for experimenting with colours, techniques, and styles. And guess what? You can even personalise it to make your creation extra special!