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How do you shade......??

EloquentElixir

EloquentElixir

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Sorry if this is the wrong forum, I don't know where to post this at

But I am on the verge of self destruction. I have no idea how to shade properly and ive been trying to shade a picture for the last hour and im ' ' this close to crying out of frustration.

Im trying to get my shading to look like this but i dont know which tool to use for one, and they don't really explain how to shade secondly....

Please help me ;-;​
 
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what program do you use? If you use SAI I can share with you my brush settings if you'd like, or you can probably find some brush settings on deviantart by searching for them.
 
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elo-chan said:
what program do you use? If you use SAI I can share with you my brush settings if you'd like, or you can probably find some brush settings on deviantart by searching for them.
Click to expand...

I use Sai
I typically try to shade with marker tool and paint tool I edited but it doesnt really work well​
 
EloquentElixir said:
I use Sai
I typically try to shade with marker tool and paint tool I edited but it doesnt really work well​
Click to expand...

here's a tutorial I think you'll benefit from! I typically use pen to shade and then soften out the edges with the oil water tool.

also, the person in the image you linked uses cell shading, where they don't blend out the edges. it's a faster way to shade and still have the drawing look nice, but lessens depth and dimension. example tutorial
 
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elo-chan said:
here's a tutorial I think you'll benefit from! I typically use pen to shade and then soften out the edges with the oil water tool.

also, the person in the image you linked uses cell shading, where they don't blend out the edges. it's a faster way to shade and still have the drawing look nice, but lessens depth and dimension. example tutorial
Click to expand...

Thanks for the ref, do you have anything for hair?​
 
EloquentElixir said:
Thanks for the ref, do you have anything for hair?​
Click to expand...

I typically use the same technique for hair with colors adjusted depending on the hair color you want to use, but again you can search dA for "sai hair coloring tutorial" and tons will pop up haha
 

I'm using CSP but things are more or less the same in SAI 6v6


basically you're using the pen tool for the initial cell shading, then you lock the layer and use the airbrush tool (first brush shape on SAI) and brush over the initial shading!
Whether you want to set the layer on multiply or not is your personal preference, but I like to do that so... 8"D
here's the file I worked with in the video for your reference (.psd but SAI should be able to open it!) : http://sta.sh/01ddnmx7cx4d
​
 
looks like they used a very hard brush, if you use SAI you can achieve this look by placing down these shadings on the sides of hairlines on a new layer, click that layers "preserve opacity" and pick your 2nd color on the bottom of the shading and use your blur tool.
 
uhh its hard to explain but for me i usually pick the direction the light is in (usally front and round one side, so only one side has dark shadows) and then i put my shades on that side of my lines. never shade the entirety of the outside, then it becomes pillow shading and not very effective. for me, i use two shading colours - one light and one dark. i start by using the light colour to block in shades, and then i use the darker colour to kind of outline it?? you can see it p clearly on this drawing but ofc techniques will be different since i generally use traditional mediums :') hope i could help!

edit: fringe layers on sai can be used to get this effect easily!!! just place your shade lines in, and then go on layer effect > fringe/watery fringe and edit to your liking!
 
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You can use the initial brush tool in SAI and achieve the same consistency. Create a new layer, lay down your base colors. Then create a layer directly on top of that, and select the "Clipping Group" option. Use the brush tool to paint on hair..shadows with a darker color. (The guide says simply using a darker color is a mistake which I disagree with lmao) I think the best advice I can give you is to study how other artists via speedpaints.
 
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