Embossed sheet materials are disclosed. In accordance with the present disclosure, the embossing pattern includes at least one line element that has a gradually decreasing depth. The gradually decreasing depth has been found to alter the shadow characteristics of the embossing pattern thus creating a line in the embossing pattern that appears to decrease in line weight. The decrease in line weight is accomplished without having to change the width of the embossment, although the width can also be changed in conjunction with the depth. Being able to incorporate line weight variations into embossing patterns can dramatically improve the aesthetic appeal of the patterns.
