This is the first part of the second section of my WIP (did that make sense?)
I had some free time and finaly began some shading. I have no real starting point when I shade but I usualy pick a material to start with and stick with it. For example here i've begun with the skin and will not move on to any other items until all of the skin showing is shaded. If I had started with say the leather belts and straps then I would finish all leather items until moving on to metals and such.
Top left; I began the shading by putting shadows in the under part of the figure such as the armpits, under the chin and the arm that he's leaning on. I had decided that the lightsource would be coming from the front and above him. This being the case I tried not to shade his chest too much and since the setting is a wooded brook/stream the light would be a bit defused which makes it somewhat easier as I can play with the shadows.
Top right; I then just lightly shaded here and there on the rock as I was unsure as to how to go about shading them. Because of the uncertainty of my lightsource I am winging it for now until I see what works.
Bottom left; Frustrated I just decided to shade the entire rock and hope for the best. The risk paid off and I began to have an idea of how to go about it. My pencil strokes look somewhat sloppy as the lines are obvious but this will eventualy fade out as I shade further. I do not want an even shading here as the uneveness will look like highlights and shadow which helps me create depth.
Bottom right; I began to refine the shaded areas on the rock (smoothing it out) by filling in where my pencil left gaps between strokes. It's a tedious process but it works for me. After discovering it worked okay I now had the courage to go at the other rocks.
Yes, I really think it's easier to start with one category of a shape or item, and keep working on it until it's finished, otherwise, if you stop, you may begin the sahding again, but may be doing it in the style that you were trying to attempt to do on other item, much easier to categorize when shading yes. But man, I gotta ask, how DO you get your characters you create to look so darn real >_< utterly mind boggling lol.
I was going to explain why I shade one material or texture at a time but you hit it on the nose. Very perceptive or we might just have the same technique perhaps?
Any ways thank you for commenting. As for the realism of my characters? Well I tend to block out and concetrate on how light hits certain items. The shadows and reflections but mostly the shadows, I try to commit these things to memory as best I can. And recall them when I draw things. That's the best I can explain it, I hope this helps.
Yes, thankyou, your input really does help, especially coming from a very experienced artist as yourself, your artwork is all very real and quite believable to look at. And I pretty much shade the way I described how it helps. I just found that, when I was trying to shade in colored pencil, stopped and went to another item then later came back to it, I was shading either too light or too hard from before and got utterly annoyed, so I just made myself work one certain thing at a time.
Thanks Robin! I posted it here also as a few people have mentioned an interest in how I go about drawing one of my pics and Y! is sometimes difficult to find. Still I am happy you like seeing it here also. *smiles*
You can't even SEE mature submissions at Y! unless you're a member. That's why it's so nice to have Red Curtain - I can show my online friends my mature work even if they aren't Y! members.
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Any ways thank you for commenting. As for the realism of my characters? Well I tend to block out and concetrate on how light hits certain items. The shadows and reflections but mostly the shadows, I try to commit these things to memory as best I can. And recall them when I draw things. That's the best I can explain it, I hope this helps.