How do I create realistic shades?

[Scourger9]

For a long time now, I've been using the old - fassioned easy-to-do shade involving two to three colors of a darker or lighter shade of the original color and applying them accordingly. That's fine for my animations. I've noticed, however, that a lot of drawings that look magnificent use shading that I have not yet come across. The colors blend into shadow smoothly. I can't really illustrate what I'm talking about, but it looks like a gradient shade. (Kinda) Can someone educate me? Suprisingly, I can't find anything useful on the internet. Please don't give me a link, give me an example.

What I've included is my attempt to simulate shading with a gradient. Though this is better than it's comparison, I still need to know how to make it follow outlines more smoothly, like the art I've seen.

[LaserKarl]

In my eyes, if you don't know how real lighting works you can't start messing around with styles. What you are asking is for us to help you skip the step of learning. I learnt shading from real life, trying to recreate what i se it on the paper/canvas. As you get better, you realise these kind of questions don't have a good answer.

Maybe this wasn't the type of tips you was looking for, but its as honest as it gets.

But, if you're sure you just want to go ahead and stay with a style and not trying to understand how lighting works, you have a better result mixing both of those techinques up there, first gradient, and after that add a blocking of shadows and som hightlights.

[ornery]

This might help you out.

[CloudEater]

A good way to shade is to use the old way and a gradient so make a gradient from the lighter colour to the normal colour but do the shadow/ shaded part the old way. I find that that works best anyway.

[Scourger9]

At 11/6/09 03:25 AM, LaserKarl wrote: In my eyes, if you don't know how real lighting works you can't start messing around with styles. What you are asking is for us to help you skip the step of learning. I learnt shading from real life, trying to recreate what i se it on the paper/canvas. As you get better, you realise these kind of questions don't have a good answer.

Maybe this wasn't the type of tips you was looking for, but its as honest as it gets.

But, if you're sure you just want to go ahead and stay with a style and not trying to understand how lighting works, you have a better result mixing both of those techinques up there, first gradient, and after that add a blocking of shadows and som hightlights.

Yeah, actually I'm in a real art class and have these skills, but I have a hard time replicating them on the cpu, that's my issue. I'm sorry, this example was made in a rush.

[Scourger9]

At 11/6/09 03:34 AM, ornery wrote: This might help you out.

In the post I didn't want a link, but I forgot to make an exception for tutorials. It was a good tutorial, but I think I'm going to have to accept that my talents are going to be mediocre (or a little better) at best until I get some hands-on experience in my college classes, which I'm looking forward to. I have 2d Animation class comming up for my Spring semester, and I am very excited. I will no doubt learn useful skills there.
God bless, and have a great day everyone!

*This post is now dead*

[ornery]

At 11/7/09 01:14 PM, Scourger9 wrote: *This post is now dead*

Dont give up so soon. I didn't realize that you were talking about strictly digital shading, which that tutorial leaves out. From a technical standpoint there is little physical difference between real shading and digital shading, both work through the idea of layers.

If you are shading in photoshop work with low opacity (transparency in flash) and layer up. This make it easier than trying to pick the next darker or lighter color each time you want to change your shade. i personally find after the layering effect is created that blending or blurring a tiny bit where any strong edges within the shade are makes for a nice touch, although many digital artists frown upon that because it can make a drawing look amateurish.

Take the principles of that tutorial I linked, 3 shades make a curve, reflected light, contrast, ect. and apply it to your digital pieces. As for physically drawing it, like i said, work in faint layers ontop of each other so that the more layers showing through the darker the area is.

[ReNaeNae]

I'm assuming you're using flash, so ...become one with the gradient transform tool... once you know how to use it, you can manipulate and customize gradients to get all kinds of effects! I can help you out if you have aim or msn.

This is an old image done in flash using gradients and alpha's.

If you want the .fla file, let me know and I'll pm the link.

[kr8to]

At 11/7/09 03:51 PM, ReNaeNae wrote: I'm assuming you're using flash, so ...become one with the gradient transform tool... once you know how to use it, you can manipulate and customize gradients to get all kinds of effects! I can help you out if you have aim or msn.

This is an old image done in flash using gradients and alpha's.

If you want the .fla file, let me know and I'll pm the link.

well another way is to learn values, sure you can use the gradient tool, but are you really learning anything? no not really. Of course there different styles but i assume you want a realistic version and unless you learn values no tool is going to bring you to that level.

[ReNaeNae]

At 11/7/09 04:10 PM, kr8to wrote: well another way is to learn values, sure you can use the gradient tool, but are you really learning anything? no not really. Of course there different styles but i assume you want a realistic version and unless you learn values no tool is going to bring you to that level.

You can learn and study all you want, but if you can't put it to practical use, what good is it? People learn different things in different ways... and in my experience, the most effective is hands-on. Learn by doing. So, yeah... really... use the gradient tool.

[kr8to]

At 11/7/09 04:27 PM, ReNaeNae wrote:

At 11/7/09 04:10 PM, kr8to wrote: well another way is to learn values, sure you can use the gradient tool, but are you really learning anything? no not really. Of course there different styles but i assume you want a realistic version and unless you learn values no tool is going to bring you to that level.

You can learn and study all you want, but if you can't put it to practical use, what good is it? People learn different things in different ways... and in my experience, the most effective is hands-on. Learn by doing. So, yeah... really... use the gradient tool.

Could you define practical use? In my experience understanding something makes the difference and yes there are different ways of learning something, but they lead down two different roads, one to success the other to failure. Now im not saying your method is a failing method but just using tools and not understanding how things works is unarguably one step closer to failure.

[ornery]

At 11/7/09 04:44 PM, kr8to wrote: Now im not saying your method is a failing method but just using tools and not understanding how things works is unarguably one step closer to failure.

Using tools or presets is not a failure, or lack of understanding, all it is is limiting. You can learn how to use various preset tools better and produce better results, but they are limited, think motion tween vs. FBF. Tweens are simple, easy and effective, and in the right hands can be down right amazing, but because they are a preset function there is really only so much they can do and wont work in every single case, even though their results can be just as good in a sense as FBF. Frame by frame animation is much more difficult and requires a different thought process and can do things tweens cannot, however at the same time this is limiting to it as well. The key to success would be knowing when to use each and what their capabilites are.

To get away from metaphors tween = gradient tool, FBF = hand shading. A gradient can be used properly to make incredibly snazzy shading, but it will always have to deal with the constant even distribution of light to dark, which can make surfaces look manufactured, where as shading by hand (or mouse or tablet) will never quite get the consistant perfection of shade transition that a gradient gives, but often will have more life in it.

See what I'm saying? The tool is rarely the problem, its the artist and their desire to try out what that tool is really capable of.

[ReNaeNae]

At 11/7/09 04:44 PM, kr8to wrote: Could you define practical use?

Those who can, do... those who can't, teach.

Based on your attitude and posting style ...you're gonna make a shitty teacher someday.

[kr8to]

At 11/7/09 05:16 PM, ReNaeNae wrote:

At 11/7/09 04:44 PM, kr8to wrote: Could you define practical use?

Those who can, do... those who can't, teach.

Based on your attitude and posting style ...you're gonna make a shitty teacher someday.

and where do people who cant do or teach fall under?

Also orney i meant that being 100% reliant on tools leads to failure, not using them for things here and there.

[ChillyCheese]

I'd say stick with doing it by hand rather than gradients, gradients look nice sometimes but thats it, in my opinion.

That said, here is a gradient ball, showing why your shading is a lil weird.

[VeeWragg]

Typically speaking, yes you do need to use reflective light to make it more realistic. But its not always the case, which is why reference photos are the best way to go about it. I still dont understand why most things are i just know a few things that work for me.

Figurative drawing usually involves reflective light and that is usually a colder colour of the skin tones. So a really low transparency/ opacity of blue will work well because its cold it means it recedes into the picture while where the main light source is would be a tad warmer in contrast tot he reflective light. Also pale greens work well int the shadows and darker areas on the skin... i dont know why but thats what ive been told/ seen etc etc. Hence you need to find the right pigments and just experiment. I work a lot with opacity and layers in PS but i still only know a portion of realistic shading. Its something you just have to play about and learn. Take risks, experiment and so on. No one can really tell you oh this is definitely wrong or right when it comes to colours, but only guide you to a better outcome.