Hello, here are a few tips that might help!
*make a cross hatched scale for yourself to carry in your sketchbook. It should have about 8-12 blocks (the more blocks, the more advanced). The first should be empty, as a "pure white." The very last one should be as dark as you can get your pencil to be (see Pro tip note below on this). Every block should be completely, smoothly, and evenly shaded in... and noticeably different from the one next to it. In other words, each block should be its own unique value/shade. In addition, the scale should be evenly distributed going from light to dark. This will take a lot of patience and practice, but it is SO worth it. It not only gives you practice, but reference when you go out to sketch.
*always create a small thumbnail of what you'd like to draw, and try to hit the main areas of the different values, using your scale as a guide (also helpful is to number each square and use that number as a note on the thumbnail). Fill it with as many helpful notes as you think you'll need. Where the transitions of value are, where are the brightest whites and the darkest darks going to be, and which numbers on your scale go where, etc. It can be covered in circles, arrows, leading lines, texture notes, anything helpful. This will be critical for larger drawings that you will have to finish later and use the thumbnail as a reference.
*to cover large areas in cross hatching, it is not necessarily huge single strokes that go from one end to the other, but rather ANY length strokes you put down all go the same direction/angle and are not bowed/curved. The goal is to find the length of strokes that you can keep consistently straight and same angle over and over again. This might be different for each artist, so you can practice to find your sweet spot. If you find you start out staying pretty consistent with angles, that slowly taper the more you shade, having a ruler or thin slice of paper to act as a reminder of the angle can help. Alternatively, you could make a few lines throughout the entire space (almost like a grid) so that you never lose track of the angle.
*once you go over an area in your different angle for the "cross" part of the cross hatching, the same rules and tips apply: you want to keep them all uniform in angle and you can use a guide to keep you on track.
*Here is that Pro tip I mentioned: for pencil drawings (graphite and color)! to maximize a well blended look, never press so hard that it leaves it looking "shiny." If you tip your paper in the light and see the strokes reflect in the light, its been pressed too hard. To achieve a dark value but avoid the shine, you slowly add layer upon layer. Even for the darkest dark, it should never be shiny. It might seem tedious or impossible, but with practice you will get amazing results! Ideally, it should be completely matte when held to light.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have followup questions or if anything didn't make sense. Good luck!
