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Shading Basics
Dazed and Confused... mostly Confused
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Really don't know how to start this one up. But I have questions about shading. More specifically about smear shading. It's something that has always eluded me. And my reason for turning to hatchmark shading.

With the hatchmark shading I started out without any knowledge and after much trial and error, not to mention Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio as examples to learn from, I got better. Only recently have I begun to understand what it is that I'm doing right.

Smear shading has always eluded me. I tried and being heavy handed caused me to completely screw the objective beyond any hope of recovery. Some have told me to put a piece of paper under my hand. I tried that and still screwed the pieces beyond recovery.

So. Where do I start? How do I start? And besides a basic circle and square, What tools or techniques do I start with?

Posted on: 18 05 07 06:36 am
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Re: Shading Basics
Kling on HM (WebMaster!)
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Sounds to me that your first step is to learn not to be so heavy handed. If you put a tissue or paper under your hand and you are still screwing up drawings then you need to lighten the touch.

Go get you a Smear stick or what ever the correct name is for those and a kneaded eraser. Those are must haves for doing shaded drawing. I know you don't like kneaded erasers... but you are going to have to get over it and gussy up and buy one.

Then... you just start shading and smudging... it really is pretty simple once you get the hang of it. I normally spot shade my images with a lighter shade of grey and then start making my images more dark and have more contrast. But that is just me. I have met artists that gone balls to the wall right out of the gate... I don't. I build my images up. And yes, I know none of this makes sense... but just wait... someone like Bio will explain this better.

Posted on: 18 05 07 10:17 am
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Re: Shading Basics
Dazed and Confused... mostly Confused
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I've already got a kneaded eraser, remember? And it's doing the job.

I've just heard lots over the years like draw a line and then smudge it with your finger. I've even heard smudge it with tissue paper instead of your finger. And one of my problems has always been having the ability to go from dark to light in a gradual manner. I seem to do sudden shifts. And I know someone's gonna say the word practice, but you'd figure after 28 years something would give. And nope. It's still sudden shifts from dark to light.

Posted on: 18 05 07 10:23 am
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Re: Shading Basics
thug
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Only thing I can think to add is to use the edge of your pencil instead of the tip for more of a gradual shading effect and then use the smudge stick on that. Those sticks are just paper rolled up really tight. You can get 'em at any art store. They aren't very expensive.

Also, do simple objects first until you feel you have the hang of it. Try doing a single sphere or cone. Something like that.

And if none of this helps....blame it on the fact that I'm not any good at it either. I just know how its SUPPOSED to work.

Posted on: 18 05 07 02:34 pm
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Re: Shading Basics
Guardian of the Great White North (Webmaster)
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you can also do some reverse shading with an eraser.

Also paper type and quality also plays a role into shading.

Posted on: 18 05 07 03:11 pm
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Re: Shading Basics
deluded narcissist guru (Whateverator)
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Alright, I'm putting up the basic shading exercises.

White on one side, black on the other fill in the rest of the squares with the transitional shades.



Next use an unlined rectangle and start at the black end and just shade in progressively lighter all the way to the white end. Be as subtle in your transitions as you can. Also, be sure to use a soft pencil.



After that, then just maybe you will be ready for a sphere...



btw Jr, they are called tortillions or blending stumps.

Posted on: 18 05 07 04:16 pm
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Re: Shading Basics
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Going with what Jr said, blending stumps work awesome, and they give you really smooth looking pieces (google-up Deacon Black's work). If you want that smooth, crisp look, blending stumps/tortillons are the way to go.

Hawk's idea is also great. By using an eraser, you can make brighter higlights if you need to, making your darks darker and widening the value scale of the picture (see below).

Bio's exercises are exactly the kind of thing we do at the Academy of Art in SF, where I took an "Analysis of Form" class, which I got an A in. The main purpose of each exercise is to recognize value, the lightness and or darkness of that part of the drawing; shadows have darker values, highlights have lighter values. The divided box exercise works really well, and it works even better if the box lines are light, thin, and in pencil, so that all you have is value against value, without the harsh black lines. What I would do is make one with boxes (the first one) and do the entire smooth gradient (the second one), and if they looked the same when I squinted my eyes, I'm there. It also helps to have a greyscale printed from a computer or something, as a guide so you can match up 0% value(white), 25% value grey, 50% value grey, 100% value (black) etc.

Speaking in terms of values, the best way to make something look round and three dimensional is to have a full scale of value, from really dark darks to really bright whites. Not necessarily just stark black and white like Frank Miller's stuff, but in that you've got smooth transitions from one end of the value scale to the other. The wider the scale, the better: a 1-10 value picture will have more contrast and more impact than a 3-7 value picture.

Hope all that helps.

Posted on: 20 05 07 10:08 pm
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Re: Shading Basics
Kling on HM (WebMaster!)
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Quote:

Bio wrote:
btw Jr, they are called tortillions or blending stumps.


Tortillions are what you eat at Mexican food restaurants.

Look at you getting all geeky and technical. If I walked into my local art shop or drafting shop and asked for a 'smudge stick'... they would know exactly what I meant. Besides, although it is for blending... I look at it as smudging the pencil around. Oh well.. to each his own. :detailnerd:

Bio, I do like your exercises... we had to do that in college as well... except we had to do it with paint. Gave you a whole new respect for how easy pencil is compared to paint.

good words.

Posted on: 22 05 07 07:46 am
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