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Today's lesson
Today's Drawing Exercise
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Subject
Leather Wallet
What you'll practice
A leather wallet provides a great opportunity to practice rendering texture due to its distinctive grain and surface irregularities. This exercise will help you capture the smooth yet varied texture patterns of leather using cross-hatching.
Step-by-step guide
- 1Begin by sketching the basic outline of the wallet, focusing on its shape and proportions.
- 2Identify the light source and lightly shade areas where the leather surface will have shadows.
- 3Use cross-hatching to start adding texture to the wallet, focusing on the natural grain and small imperfections.
- 4Increase the density of cross-hatching in darker areas to enhance the perception of depth and texture.
- 5Review your work and add final touches to ensure the texture looks cohesive and natural across the entire wallet surface.
Pro tips
- —Observe the leather closely to notice subtle variations in texture that can be emphasized with cross-hatching.
- —Vary the direction of your hatching lines to follow the contours of the wallet for a more realistic effect.
- —Keep your pencil pressure light initially, as this allows you to build up texture gradually without overworking the paper.
Self-evaluation
Check if the wallet's texture is convincingly represented through varied line work and depth, ensuring it captures the characteristic surface of leather.