Make your sketches, scribbles, and drawings more realistic by learning to add shadows. Shading a design allows you to add depth, contrast, character and even movement by capturing the highlights and shadows of objects. Learning to shade will improve your drawing and your skills as an artist.
Steps
Step 1. Choose the right tools
While you can draw with a regular pencil and printer paper, more complex shading jobs need something more specific, like artist's pencils. You can find them in art and craft shops at an affordable cost. If you can, try to get strong, fine-grained drawing paper that absorbs shadows better.
- Artist pencils are categorized according to the hardness of the graphite. This characteristic is indicated by the letters "B" or "H". The "B" stands for a soft lead and the variants 8B, 6B, 4B and 2B are usually found (where the higher number implies more softness). The "H" refers to hard pencils: "8H" is the hardest and "2H" the softest.
- To get a good result, use the softest pencil you have available. This will allow you to blend better, which is quite tricky with a hard lead.
- The classic school pencil is HB, halfway between a soft and a hard lead. You can use it safely, but a softer graphite is more suitable.
- Paper that is very smooth (such as printer paper) or paper that is too rough (such as card stock) is not very suitable for gradient designs. If you can, get some good drawing paper.
Step 2. Make a linear drawing of your subject
Take a real object, or a photograph, and reproduce it. Choose an inanimate subject, so you'll have plenty of time to draw it.
- Look around for inspiration. There are many objects in the house such as flowers, plants, kitchen utensils or a clock. You can also design items you love to collect, such as figurines or hats.
- Take negative space into account to create a more accurate drawing. Negative space means the space around the object you need to draw. For example, if you want to draw a chair, the negative space is the space between the legs and the crossbars.
- If you choose to reproduce a photograph, print it in grayscale. This step helps you to be more accurate, as the image is already black and white.
Step 3. Set a shadow scale
Grade the light and dark areas of your design. This way you can determine the "depth" of the shading in the various parts of the design. A full scale ranges from white to black through various shades of gray. However, many objects can be represented well with 5 degrees of shadow.
- To create a stair, you should draw a long rectangle in one corner of your drawing pad. Or, if you prefer, you can trace it on another sheet.
- Break the rectangle into 5 squares and number them from 1 to 5. You can also draw more than 5 squares as you become more and more skilled in shading, but this is the minimum number you should start with.
- Each numbered square corresponds to an intensity of shading: number 1 should be completely white, 2 a little gray, 3 should be a moderate degree of shade, number 4 should be dark and 5 as black as possible.
- There should be no completely white (1) or completely black (2) areas in your drawing, unless the subject is in very bright direct light. The best thing is that you only work with the various shades of gray.
Step 4. Locate the light source
You should shade the parts of the drawing away from the light; the lighter and brighter areas are those close to the light source, while the darker and darker areas are far away.
- Be very careful of reflections and sparkling areas, as they are the brightest points on the subject. Remember to identify these areas on your design.
- The light creates shadows that you will need to color. Shadows make the drawing realistic, so don't forget them - they are just as important as highlights.
Step 5. Choose a method
Depending on the subject, the light source and the texture you want to give the design, you can choose between different shading techniques. The most common involves linear and circular hatching.
- Linear hatching consists of drawing many parallel lines close together to create a shadow area. This technique is great for objects that are as intangible as air.
- Cross-hatching is a method that, as the name implies, crosses lines to form many small 'Xs' and thus create dark areas in the design. It allows to make some parts darker and at the same time gives body to the surface.
- Overlapping small circles creates circular shading. This technique allows you to recreate a certain texture of the surfaces by playing with the spaces between one circle and another, by drawing more marked lines or by blurring the circles.
Step 6. Create a preliminary shade
Since you are still in the process of "processing" the design, do not draw very dark lines, so you can easily erase them in case of error and you can “reposition” the shadows and highlights. This means that he has to apply light pressure with the pencil and roughly fill in the dark areas.
- Leave brightly lit areas white. Alternatively, use an eraser to remove the pencil marks and give the idea of a reflection.
- Check the subject often to see if your drawing is realistic. Make sure you place the lights and shadows in the right places.
Step 7. Add more layers of shadows
You have to gradually darken each area that is not in full light, inserting a layer of pencil from time to time. The contrast between the light and dark areas will gradually become more and more defined.
- Use the shadow scale as a guide. This way you can maintain a certain consistency throughout the design.
- Take your time. "Shading takes a lot longer than developing a black and white photo in a dark room. Patience is the key to the job."
- As you darken the shadows, the drawing guidelines disappear. In reality, objects do not have lines, well-defined edges, but only a change in the tone of light. Your drawing should look similar: don't make the edges dark, but outline the shadows and contrasts that then delimit the object.
Step 8. Blend the shadow areas
To do this you can use a smudge that allows you to eliminate any edges that are too defined and to make the work more realistic and homogeneous. Grab the smudge like a pencil, hold light pressure and blend in the places you want. If necessary, you can go over the same area several times.
- If you don't have a blender, you can alternatively use your fingers or cotton swabs.
- Use an eraser to brighten areas that you have blackened by mistake: for example, areas in bright light or those close to shadows.
- However, remember that many, even the best and most famous artists, weren't as good when they started.
Advice
- Keep the pencil almost horizontal to the paper, using it flat instead of the tip. This way the shades will be smoother.
- Put a piece of paper between your hand and the drawing to avoid staining yourself and ruining the work.
- If you unintentionally stain the design, use a vinyl eraser. This will allow you to erase the pencil marks without damaging the paper.
- Use a bright light source. It will help you to have a more defined contrast between the light and dark areas.
