1. Blending

Blending is a technique in which shading is applied by smoothing out the values so they blend into each other. Blending requires layering values on top of each other and creating the illusion of a seamless transition from one value to another. Blending requires the artist to patiently and consistently shade an area. There are tools and techniques that artists can use to achieve a smooth blend such as a blending stump or a tortillon, a paper towel or even the artist's own fingers.

3. Cross-Hatching

Cross Hatching is shading with a series of lines going in two directions.

• As the name implies, cross-hatching consists of hatching lines that intersect or cross
• The more cross-hatch marks that you make, the darker the area will appear
• the less cross-hatch marks that you make, the lighter the area will appear
• distance between lines will create the illusion of shading
• cross-hatch lines can go in multiple directions
• lines can be thick, thin or a combination

4. Stippling

Stippling is when you apply value to a drawing using a series of tiny dots

• The more dots you apply to an area, the darker the area will appear
• Making some dots bigger will also make the area appear darker.
• Making some dots smaller will make the area appear lighter
• The distance between the dots also affects value. The farther apart the dots are, lighter the area appears. The closer the dots are to each other, the darker the area will appear.
• The advantage of stippling is that it allows the artist to exercise a great deal of control over the drawing that he or she is creating. The downside of stippling is that it can be really tiring and time consuming.
• Stippling is done best when applied with ink pens of various grades. For example, Micron pens of 08 grade will leave a significant black dot on the paper. The lower the grade, the smaller the dot size. Dot sizes of 005 are the lowest dot that micron pens and other such pens can go to.
• Stippling is part of a style of art called pointillism.