Shading Issues

[Dgcakes]

Yes, I'm constantly told when I show off my art to people who know a lot about art that I need to work on my shading and such. I listen to what they say and try to do it better but I always end up screwing up. My two shading issues are mainly that my shadows aren't dark enough, my highlights not light enough, that I can't make it look like its got a specific light source, and I don't know where to shade.

I try very hard to make the shading the right colors but I still can't do it right. So could someone please tell me what to do about this.

These are some examples of the problems I have when I try to shade:
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f274/darkgirl629/Dg_TAngelCinnabun1.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f274/darkgirl629/Finished/steve1.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f274/darkgirl629/Finished/mistresswhitney.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f274/darkgirl629/Finished/dgpic.jpg

Tawney's been telling me for a while to make the shading darker and such and even helpfully linked me to a place that had toning things. But I still can't get it right.  

[aPPlehuNNy]

when i clicked on that i was like *wowmygosh thats huge*, so i looked for a smaller picture, and so im going to comment on

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f274/darkgirl629/Finished/dgpic.jpg

this one.

im pretty much guessing you use a tablet ( because of the niffty sig and image size)
when people say you need more shading it doesnt nessecarily mean more contrast, it can mean larger areas, so if the light source was to the far left and it was a strong light, the most obvious shading would be on about the whole right side of the persons face, the nose for example would obstruct the lights path and cast a shadow etc.
when you do shading, the thing you should think about is the light source; and what direction its going, thne you think of what would cause a shadow because its in the lights way. also try to stay away from the dodge tool on skin unless you want that kind of effect, a lighter colour on a opaque level (around 30 percent) can be much more effective.


hope that helped 3nodding please tell me if it did sweatdrop  

[Dgcakes]

aPPlehuNNy

when i clicked on that i was like *wowmygosh thats huge*, so i looked for a smaller picture, and so im going to comment on

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f274/darkgirl629/Finished/dgpic.jpg

this one.

im pretty much guessing you use a tablet ( because of the niffty sig and image size)
when people say you need more shading it doesnt nessecarily mean more contrast, it can mean larger areas, so if the light source was to the far left and it was a strong light, the most obvious shading would be on about the whole right side of the persons face, the nose for example would obstruct the lights path and cast a shadow etc.
when you do shading, the thing you should think about is the light source; and what direction its going, thne you think of what would cause a shadow because its in the lights way. also try to stay away from the dodge tool on skin unless you want that kind of effect, a lighter colour on a opaque level (around 30 percent) can be much more effective.


hope that helped 3nodding please tell me if it did sweatdrop

(if you want to put a link you just put the link you don't need the url tags)

its semi helpful. On the Dg pic its a different issue of shading than on the first one. And yes I do use a tablet.

As for the light source thing no matter what I do to try to remeber the light source and where it is and how it works I always forget about it.  

[Brittany Drew -a picture]

The shading isnt too bad, I think you just need to remember where exactly the light source is coming from, it helps to think there is like a sun in a certain corner or multiple lights and shade everything following the flow of light (not that great of an explaination I know but I wish I could do better sweatdrop ).For contrast it helps if the shadow color or highlight color are pretty contrasting, like if you put the two colors next to each other you can tell the difference and easily pick out which is which. Hope that helps!  

[paranoid1013]

First, decide where your lightsource is. Is it coming from above the character, or to his or her front? Once you settle on that, decide what parts of the body wouldn't get light. Look at your own arms, legs, etc. to see how they're shaped and how light hits them. Then, begin shading on your drawing. Also, don't use the dodge and burn tools. While they seem like an easy way to shade, they create dull, boring shadows and highlights. Instead, choose a color that is a higher saturation and lower brightness than the base color. This process of choosing colors for shading creates vibrant shadows instead of varying shades of black. Also, try to avoid using the (I think) smudge tool on everything. It makes your colors look kind of trashy and rushed. Take your time! I hope this helps. biggrin  

[Brittany Drew -a picture]

p1013

Also, try to avoid using the (I think) smudge tool on everything. It makes your colors look kind of trashy and rushed.

Actually the smudge tool is really good if you use it effeciantly with the blur tool, then it makes good textures! I mostly use it for clothes. 3nodding But yeah I agree if used poorly and in a hurry it will look kind of trashy. sweatdrop