Adult Class 4 of 5 - Shading

What you need:

Pencil (if you don't have a sketching pencil, a mechanical pencil works pretty well)

Good eraser, not what's on the back of your mechanical pencil. I prefer kneaded erasers which you can find in the art section of stores

Sketching Paper

You should be able to find all of these at your local walmart or the sort

Pencil sharpener

Intro:

Learning to shade your sketches is another one of the essential basics to anyone drawing or painting. It's what will make your drawing 'pop'. Without it, it will be without depth. This is what will make your drawings or paintings stand out. The better you are at shading and understanding the way that light is hitting the object of your drawing/painting, the more realistic the shading will look. During sketching you, you won't have to worry about highlighting but that is just as important when painting. So the best thing you can do when you are working on shading is to get a really strong idea of where the light is coming from and how it is hitting your subject. This will really help you.

Getting started:

Make sure to clear out a space for your work. For this class, I would use a table and somewhere with good light. I have started using a lamp to shine down on my work, too many shadows can make it very difficult to see what you are doing. Minimal shadows is the best. Have all of your tools ready. Be sure to sharpen your pencil and then you're ready to go.

Jumping In:

So for shading you first have to identify where the source of light is coming from and the direction it is hitting the subject. In this picture it is hitting from the top of the head in front of their face and bottom. So there is basically a spotlight on them from above. Ok, so this is where style comes in. With some sketches I like to start with the outline. A well defined outline gives the sketch a more cartoonish look but it's also very professional looking and really makes it pop. If there isn't a well defined outline than I start with the area which has the bright light shining on it. So that would be the top of the head. I begin defining the contours of the face and especially under the chin. Start with the largest shadows all the way down. Remember, just like with the sketching...you are drawing shapes. Focus on the the shapes being correctly proportionate with what you've already drawn. This is where your technique for drawing will change. Turn the pencil to the side and use the side to shade in the shadow. You can light rub the shaded sections with your finger to blend it. Largest shadows first from the brightest spot all the way day. Then you go back and fill in the smaller details. This you only very lightly smudge in...some of them not at all. Also, you wont have to use the side of the pencil for smaller shading details because you need a smaller tip. Using your finger to very lightly smudge the shadow will be sufficient. Again, you will use the video I've attached to really get a good walk through of shading.