I've been working on this effect lately, and wanted to share
right after I started using Gimp for the first time. But the version I was using would not allow it to work.
This DVD cover of Columbo I turned it in to a crosshatch sketch without any plugins.

The Version of Gimp I used is 3.2.4, you might be thinking, will an older version work
I can't answer that. But any photo editor that can create masking, and the ability to make some
form of cloud rendering, should work. This is an advance walkthrough far as editing knowledge
goes. It took me some time to figure this out, about 3 years of trying. Back in the days of photo editors,
when it all started, creating sketches was done by applying a threshold layer above the image you
we're working with to get some form of line art. Which does not replace real sketching.
Then there is the High Pass rendering + a threshold layer for line art, which is used sharpen
your image in different way. Then all that knowledge got left behind for, WOW!

Look I can create sketches by using only a few layers along with a few different blending modes
and gaussian burr. Today, there known as "Filter Sketches" and still today there out there.
It took the Internet by storm; everybody was posting them. Like isn't this cool. It did ok for
what it did. Then there were filters created, which came alone to help with creating sketches,
but no Cross-Hatching effects. Then in 2004, the sketching effects, started appearing on the
Internet in a few Photoshop actions. Which did look better than before. But nobody was spilling
the beans, as to say, how they were doing it. Then a single group of people, made a plugin
that gave it away. I figured it out. As far as I know, I was only one of the few people out there
who knew how it could be don't, simply and easily, without a lot tweeting and on hands do this
and do that.

I know this is long, but photo editing is my hobby, and I go back to the Commadore
days. So moving forward... I did this one in about 15 minutes. And you can too.

Like most computerize general photo editing plug-ins, its kind a on the flat size.
And it not for every picture, just like other FX effects or style of camera imageries effects.
Here are some of my older cross hatchings I've done. Not only that you can do dithering
effects and a form of colored pencil sketches. I posted a very large image here for you to see,
click on the image and zoom in.

I know it not everybody's cup of tea, here is a cross hatch with a little water pixel
as it in Gimp applied with it.

In a few Days I will have it posted for everyone who is interested.