Tutorial: Shading
Shading is an essential part of drawing, whether it's with graphite, charcoal, pen, or coloured pencils. How does one shade, exactly? Here are some pointers to get you in the right direction.
Doing a good shading job lies in the
gradual change of tone. Going directly from balck to white will not result in realistic shading (for the most part, at least).
Preliminary Shading
1. Grab a pencil (not mechanical) and turn it so the side of the lead is in contact with the paper, not the point, as shown below:
2. Shade from dark to light by moving the pencil side to side. Start with heavier pressure and then ease off gradually till the pencil is light. It may take a few practice runs.
You've managed to shade!
Realistic Shading
Spheres are fun to shade. Many people shade spheres like this:
The mistake is that their shading is not flowing with the shape. The shading has to fit, like this:
1. Try it out. Make sure the shading lines curve with the sphere, like so:
2. Keep shading; remember to gradually progress from dark to light. Leave a bit of white at the corner of the ball to show the highlight:
Shading Tools
Blending stumps are very useful; when applied over the shaded area, they make the shading smoother. They can be purchased at all art stores.
You don't even have to purchase blending stumps to make the shading smoother. Your own finger works as well, or even a Q-tip or tissue paper.
Just remember that these shading tools must be used in the same direction that you used when you shaded. So if you were using a blending stump on your (correctly) shaded sphere, you would sweep it in a curving direction in synce with the curve of the ball:
I hope that this tutorial set you off on the right foot. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to post them here.
Smoochez~
Christian