How can i get cleaner line work with cross-hatching in figure drawing?

[Anthony.C]

I’ve been trying to improve my line quality when sketching figures, but my cross-hatching always ends up looking muddy instead of building clean form. I think my issue is with the consistency of my pen pressure and the angle of my strokes.

[Brian81]

I used to fight the muddy look too. My lines would collapse when I got excited about shading. I started trying to keep a lighter baseline and letting the hatch grow, which helped a bit but it wasn't a cure.

[Emily64]

I kept a tiny notebook for a week, noting angle and pressure for each hatch I drew. It was messy at first, but I saw patterns in how I drifted from the intended angle.

[AvaL]

I’m not sure if I’m using the same pressure across all strokes, but the page ends up looking like a smear more often than not.

[Aurora.M]

Maybe the problem isn’t the pressure or the angle. Sometimes I feel like I’m chasing form too early and the gesture is off.

[JackYL]

I swapped pens a couple times and found that a softer nib or brush pen gives me more control over the line weight, but then I lose precision.

[EvelynT]

I did a tiny test strip with one line at a time and tried to hold the pen at a fixed angle with a very light touch. It felt almost robotic and I stopped there.