How can I improve my shading technique?

Question

So I draw just for the fun of it but I'd really like to get to a skill level that I can make professional-level sketches. Not for a career or anything but just because I like to be good at the things I enjoy. So, my drawing is decent and I'm slowly getting better at that. But my shading is just atrocious. No matter how right I think I have it when I'm shading, it looks all wrong when I'm done or I've made it too dark in one place and too light in another, etc.

Is there any basic technique I can master first before I start doing shading that will help me out with improving it? It seems no matter what I do, I can improve everything but my shading ability. Thanks for any who help.

Answer 1

You will need to learn the Grayscale or the Grey Value Scale. These are the ten colors ranging from black to medium grey to light grey to white. Check out "The Color Wheel Company" website and search for the product called the "Gray Scale And Value Finder" chart. This chart will help you learn how to draw the ten colors that will need to be made with your graphite pencils.



In order to draw/paint something realistic you must understand how the subject is lighted:

1. Side Lighting

2. Three Quarter/Conventional Lighting

3. Frontal/Front Lighting

4. Top/Overhead Lighting

5. Back/Rear/Rim Lighting

6. Diffused Lighting

7. Stage Lighting.



As you observe how the light falls on the object, your next step is to draw/paint it. The 7 lighting arrangements mentioned above are shaded in 7 different ways on an object using 5 values. In order to make something look realistic, you must use a variety of values from light to dark.



Learn to draw/paint the 5 values on an object:

1. Shadow

2. Halftone

3. Light

4. Highlight

5. Reflected Light

(The above 5 terms are found in Darren Rousar book)



Lee Hammond book uses these 5 terms:

1. Cast Shadow

2. Shadow Edge

3. Halftone

4. Reflected Light

5. Full Light



Learning light and shade is a very detailed subject. These three books will help you understand the elements of shading (5 values) and the different types of lighting :

1. Cast Drawing Using The Sight-Size Approach by Darren R. Rousar

2. Light, Shade, & Shadow by E.L. Koller

3. Lifelike Drawing With Lee Hammond

Answer 2

Yea, yea, I know how frustrating a "Practice makes perfect!" answer is, so I'll give you a real answer to help. Remember: In a portrait, THERE ARE NO LINES! It may not look realistic because you're drawing a border around the entire eye, and the sides of the nose, etc., and it looks like a cartoonish outline. Make the shapes with SHADES. About the shading: I bet you're not drawing any dark shades on the face. The first step of shading a face is to shade the ENTIRE FACE one flat, light gray. Then you won't be scared to do a darker shadow where the shadows are and if you need a really bright highlight on the face (like on the pupil), you can "erase" a highlight into it with an eraser. The first thing a beginner artist needs to get over is their fear of dark shading. And you can draw lines initially when making the face, but you should never see a line (unless it's a black border like the eyelash line or the middle lip line) in the entire drawing. The lips themselves, for example, are just a slightly darker shade of the skin tone, NOT three lines for the top, middle, and bottom of them. Hope it helps. UPDATE: I just noticed the girl's answer above me. Good work. It's a hard thing to notice because we are so used to drawing dark lines when drawing.

Answer 3

use a scrap paper and go light to dark, take your finger and blend the shades, it will have an affect that will look professional and with practice you can master it in just a short time, if you wish to out a certain shade in a certain area, do the same technique and (if you use a pencil) use the graphite left on your finger and lightly shade in the area and go darker depending on the shade you wish

Answer 4

Shading can be improved by rubbing the specific shade with the pinky finger. That will make it very smooth and you can control the shading better. Painters often use the index because it gives a better uniform blend in shadings.

Answer 5

The most old school technique for shading is 'cross hatching' the act of applying tone by overlaying different tones for example. I imagine when you shade you press hard for dark & light for light however its not ideal. The way cross hatching works is you start with the lightest co lours so HB, then go to a B, 2B,4B,6B,8B,9B is the darkest tone you will get. Look it up cross hatching

Answer 6

Practice

Answer 7

Draw from observation.



Take a basic drawing class at a local junior college.

Answer 8

Get some scrap paper and then go darker to lighter, then lighter to darker. Try in shapes etc

Answer 9

For pencil art have a look at http://www.peter-clements-art.com/