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Shading

Discussion in 'Creative Zone' started by Megarai111, Jan 6, 2017.

  1. Megarai111

    Megarai111 Elizabeth 3rd

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    Most drawings include a form of shading, be it subtle or rather rough-edged (like shading in anime and manga). Every artist has their own way of shading.

    Do you use shading in your drawings or not? Why? What kind of shading do you prefer? In what phase of creating art do you apply shading? Are there any tips you can share with the rest of LV?
     
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  2. Shadria

    Shadria Impish Illusionary Kitsune

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    I'm not the best at shading, I'm still trying to learn ways to make it better.
    With pixel art it's rather rough, while with traditional and digital it's slowly getting better/away from 'pillow shading'. I used to pillow shade a lot, and it doesn't look that good. Really smooth and somewhat subtle.
    Pixel art, I shade right on top of the base color in a single layer-right after I do the base color. Traditional I shade 1 base color at a time- shade the skin tone all at once then move on to other things. Digitally I do the base colors then shade in separate layers.
     
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  3. ClefairyKid

    ClefairyKid (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻)

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    As far as shading goes, I have been through a few different methods.

    I used to rely solely on various forms of the blur brush, or what in SAI might be the water brush. I was convinced that if I could just customise the brush well enough, that would work, but it just never really turned out that great. I was more comfortable mentally though, if that makes sense, it just seemed "right" to smush the parts together haha

    Around that I also used to do shading by clipping mask onto the base shape, this seemed to improve the quality in that it meant I could move more freely in shading without worrying about untidy edges, but also, came out starkly sharp and really not what I wanted either.

    I now have a system where I only clip to the base if it is necessary (like an earring within an overall piece, towards the end, or a border shape etc,) and I use what I can only call a kind of rapid resampling technique instead of blur/water brushing. Basically, it means I can shade the entire piece from start to finish using only the default hard round, by using the keyboard shortcut for the eyedropper tool, to pick the colour in between the two areas, lightly apply, resample again, repeat, until smooth. It's a technique I found from "pros" videos etc, and at first I totally admit it sounded silly and difficult and like it would come out streaky, but once I finally got comfortable with it, it's second nature and always comes out right, never has a plastic look or anything. I can't recommend it enough. Although it is nice to have a good custom brush, I find that most people have no idea how it can actually all be achieved with the default brush and the right kind of resampling and pressure sensitivity.

    Also, as far as edges go, I try not to do the clipping mask edge too much, and just paint back any edges that need cleaning, since it seems to be better to have a natural edge and the way paintings develop over time they can move outside the original clipping area anyway (as in, you might feel pressured not to fix large layout sized issues because it would ruin the clipping mask border, when you shouldn't feel any pressure not to make the structural changes necessary during a painting).
     
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  4. Cadbberry

    Cadbberry Dad: 76.... Or Cad: 76

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    I am really terrible with shading, I don't know why I have so many issues with it, I know how to do it but it looks like muddy trash. I like the look ok it but I have never achieved a good looking shading. It may be that I apply my shading after all my color is placed onto the drawing or that I use an awkward brush, a thin thick brush, the one that makes it thin at the start/end and thick in the middle.
     
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  5. ✯Ho-OhLugia✯

    ✯Ho-OhLugia✯ Pokemon Masters

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    When I shade, I try not to resort to using black until the artwork needs it (either due to dark lighting or shading a dark colour). For me, shading works best when I use colours like blue or purple, especially on skin tones. I find it rather difficult to shade clothes, but I'm getting the hang of it.

    I usually go with different shading styles based on the drawing. If the drawing needs it, I'll go with a soft, blended style, whereas if I'm just drawing a character on a solid white drawing, I may use block shading (with some frequent blends as well).
     
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  6. Butternut

    Butternut The Coolest Spider

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    I'm still fairly new to drawing XD But in my last couple of drawings I tried shading because it looks nice. Can't say I've gotten the hang of it yet, but it's something. I did it by using different pencils and by varying the pressure I put on them. You can check it out on my Silvally drawing in my portfolio
     
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  7. Eclipse

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    Shading is really difficult for me, honestly. It's one of the last things I do (after outlining), if I ever choose to do it at all. Most of my drawings have tended to be head-on anyway, so there wasn't much need - I would just sketch in light grey streaks around the edges all in the same pattern (either all the right edges, or all the left ones). It's something I'd like to be better at, but so would being able to draw anything that isn't at a head-on pose, either. One thing at a time, I suppose.
     
  8. GiratinaMissingNo

    GiratinaMissingNo ~Renegade Glitch~

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    I shade all the time. It's a rough anime/manga style for me, I just can't click with the softer, subtler type. Crazy and blunt for me :3 I will use my sleeves and cuffs to smear my work if cloths aren't handy, so I always have graphite stains all over my jeans and face :D I look like I've been sleeping in pencil shavings.
    #MissingNo
     
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  9. Nyanja

    Nyanja › The fairy king ›

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    I have a very hard time learning about shadings and highlights. I've watched so many basic tutorials to see if they could help me out as much as I can but the end result still end up turning into nothing but crappy. As of lately I've been trying a more cartoon/anime like look so my shadings and highlights have been pretty basic however, my shadings change once in awhile depending on what I'm drawing. Hopefully I'll be able to master it one day.
     
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  10. Beffie

    Beffie clear your cache

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    I used to shade a bit, but now I don't because I think smudgy shading would blend well with my ink pens. The times I have it looked okay, but they probably won't in the future because I don't shade at all now ;w;
     
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  11. AeroHail

    AeroHail No dogs on the moon

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    I tend to undershade but because of my 'cut paper'...ish style it works? Maybe?
    That said I much prefer to do soft cel shading (like the anime style but with soft subtle gradients). It works well with my method of drawing and it's pretty relaxing to do I feel =w='
    It's sometimes hard to keep track of light sources but it always helps!
     
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  12. 「✧Aɴɪᴍᴀ✧」

    「✧Aɴɪᴍᴀ✧」 Dᴇᴀᴛʜ's Dɪᴘʟᴏᴍᴀᴛ

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    I do shade in all my drawings. I like darker shades and some shine to give my skin tone a effect. I use the multiply tool in sai to make it well defined!
     
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  13. Morgaine

    Morgaine Goddess of Shinies

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    I am still working on my shading, but it is hard to get perfect with markers. I am getting the hang of it though.
     
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  14. Mandriel

    Mandriel Valor Knight

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    I usually don't colour in my drawings, so I'm still learning to shade. I'm a lot better shading on paper than on the computer, though. Shading skin is a real pain for me.
     
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  15. Vigilance

    Vigilance once here, now gone

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    Shading is a necessity in my drawings but I prefer solid line art.
     
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  16. ConfettiCat

    ConfettiCat ( ☞ゝω・)☞

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    I'm kinda sucky at shading, but am trying to get better at it. As I usually draw with a pencil, I go with cell shading because I can't blend the pencil well enough to make the soft shading look good. Also, shading frills is pretty difficult for me :sweat: (but I still adore them!)
     
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