Graft copolymerization of mixtures of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) with n-butyl methacrylate (BMA) onto soluble gelatin was attempted using eerie ammonium nitrate as initiator, with the aim of obtaining hydrogels based on two different components : a natural polymer and a synthetic polymer. Other hydrogels were formed by simultaneous graft copolymerization and crosslinking using ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as crosslinking agent. Per cent grafting (%G), per cent grafting efficiency (%GE) and per cent total conversion (%C-t) were calculated for various feed compositions and for various EGDMA concentrations. Equilibrium water content of the hydrogels was investigated as a function of the hydrophilicity of the polymers and the degree of crosslinking agent, and the influence of pH on the swelling behaviour of the hydrogels was determined. It was observed that the equilibrium water content increased as the percentage of hydrophilic monomer in the copolymer increased, and the swelling values increased with pH changes from the acid to the alkaline range.