The skeleton
Draw one full diagonal, then the other crossing it at or just above mid-height. Decide which stroke passes in front. At hairline weight the crossing should look like two strokes of equal weight, not one heavy centre with four thin arms.
What happens when you inflate it
Inflation doubles the weight at the crossing, because two fat strokes overlap there. The centre of an X in a heavy style is always twice as dark as its arms unless you do something about it. Thin both strokes through the intersection, or break one of them with an outline at the crossing.
What usually goes wrong: A crossing that drifts off-centre. It looks deliberate while you are drawing it and accidental when you step back. Measure from both ends of each stroke.
Letters X sits next to
X connects with K and Y through its diagonals, and with the whole diagonal family. Two Xs are hard to manage because the letter has no flat edges and no interior — a word with two Xs needs a weight difference between them.
One thing to try
Break one stroke at the crossing with a thin outline of background colour. It is the standard way painters resolve an X on a wall, and it makes the intersection read as depth instead of as a blot.
How to draw the letter X in four steps
- Sketch the skeleton. Draw one full diagonal, then the other crossing it at or just above mid-height. Decide which stroke passes in front. At hairline weight the crossing should look like two strokes of equal weight, not one heavy centre with four thin arms.
- Inflate the strokes. Inflation doubles the weight at the crossing, because two fat strokes overlap there. The centre of an X in a heavy style is always twice as dark as its arms unless you do something about it. Thin both strokes through the intersection, or break one of them with an outline at the crossing.
- Check the neighbors. X connects with K and Y through its diagonals, and with the whole diagonal family. Two Xs are hard to manage because the letter has no flat edges and no interior — a word with two Xs needs a weight difference between them.
- Add your own twist. Break one stroke at the crossing with a thin outline of background colour. It is the standard way painters resolve an X on a wall, and it makes the intersection read as depth instead of as a blot.
Questions about the letter X
Why is the middle of my X so much heavier than the arms?
Because the two strokes overlap there and the fill doubles up. Either thin the strokes through the crossing or split one of them with a background-coloured break.
Which stroke of an X should go in front?
Either, but the choice should be consistent across the piece and should follow the direction of the shadow. If the light comes from the upper left, the stroke running that way usually reads as being on top.