The technique of applying continuous parallel lines close together to create a…

Drawing and shading techniques are distinguished by the specific mark-making or tonal method used to produce a light-and-dark effect, not just by the resulting visual impression. Hatching and cross-hatching use parallel or crossed lines; sfumato uses smooth blending with no visible lines; chiaroscuro describes an overall strong light-dark contrast in a composition; and etching is an acid-based printmaking process.

Here the technique is described as applying continuous lines to create a shading or light effect. This is exactly how hatching works: closely spaced parallel lines are drawn across the surface, and the spacing/density of these lines controls how dark or light an area appears — denser lines read as deeper shadow and sparser lines read as lighter tone.

• Sfumato is the soft, smoky blending of tones with edges and outlines left indistinct rather than sharply drawn.

• Chiaroscuro is the name for the overall strong light-dark contrast effect in a finished composition, not a specific line-drawing method.

• Etching is an intaglio printmaking process, where lines are bitten into a metal plate with acid and then printed onto paper — a plate-based process, not direct hand shading.

Since the description matches producing shade purely through continuous line strokes, the correct technique is Hatching.