Art...sort of

[MishkaL1138]

Illy, start working on them yourself now. I'm sick of GIMP.

[Mariana Xiechai]

Ello Fellow Doodlers. On the topic of shading, I was wondering if any of you had any hints? As to how to make it look smoother and more blended as it were. I suck at shadery, and I'm trying to apply it to this drawing:



With not as much success as I'd like.

Thanks in advance!

[Volki]

You are asking for criticism, and I am going to give it. Offending you is not my intention.

Read this (I never heard of this website before, but my views are summed up in this article): http://www.livescience.com/19878-drawing-ability.html

And then this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattern_recognition_%28psychology%29

I can't find any links further explaining these theories. However, by now you probably understand what I am trying to say.

You are drawing what your mind is recognizing when it sees objects. You are not supposed to do this. Draw what your eyes see.

Personally, I have never had this issue. When I was a child, I would "practice art" by simply observing objects. I would take in as much information as I could, then create a three-dimensional rendition in my mind. When I had finally accumulated enough objects (in my mind), I would grab a piece of paper and combine them all into a scene.

I noticed that no one else was capable of doing this. I'd always suggest, "Draw/paint what you see, not what you think." But nobody ever seemed to get the true meaning of what I said, and so I'm providing these links, hoping you might understand.

There are so many processes going on in your brain that, when you finally "see" an image, it has been distorted into a lossy concept of what it really was. First you see it with your eyes, which already have distorted it by registering distance, light, and movement. Second, your ability to remember information depends on if you're attending to it in the first place, which you are likely not, without even realizing. Then it goes through pattern recognition, at which point it is warped completely. It is stored as information, which then you try to retrieve (or more likely salvage).

Basically, if you want to draw realistically, you want to avoid losing information. Absorb as much as you can. Avoid losing as much as you can.

For shading, regard how light strikes objects and how perspective plays into this. Consider multiple light sources or, in the case of one, how a shadow is "cast" (it is actually the absence of light, remember). Never underestimate proportions and angles. Check your work in a mirror: flip it around, upside down, and correct for anything before it becomes too late.

[SpidaManz111]

The breasts are lacking shades. Unless it is supposed to be a Klyros. Then you definitly need to add more boobs than just two.

[Mariana Xiechai]

The breasts are lacking shades. Unless it is supposed to be a Klyros. Then you definitly need to add more boobs than just two.

 

@Sarras

I didn't ask for criticism, though it's much appreciated anyway. I do not ask for crit because crit tends to take a lot of effort, and my "art" is mostly just scribbled hobbying. I tend to only think you crit what is worth the time. My art professor from eons ago used to say many similar things. Thanks for the shading advice.

[Rigwyn]

Disclaimer: I am no artist. I was a student who got all pissed off at my inability to draw as I wanted to and eventually got discouraged and gave up. ( As much as I loved watching Bob Ross, I really wanted to light that son of a bitch on fire sometimes for making stuff look so damn easy xD )

Get a book on shading. There's a lot of material to cover.

One thing that helped me was to use a small, adjustable mannequin/figurine and to see how it was shaded when a single light was shining on it. I noticed while doing this, that if you draw a straight line from your light source through the center of your object, and then make an arc that is perpendicular to the line, the resulting arc will be right where you want to shade. Making this region thinner will make it look like the light source is coming from where you are while making it thicker will make it look more like its coming from the side. If you take a ball, peanut, doughnut or doll head and a flashlight in a dark room, you can see more clearly how the shadows form.  The trick for me, was in trying to see both the shape of the object in question and how it was being shaded.

[Mariana Xiechai]

@ Rigwyn

Thanks, riggystiggy! I do have some books that include sparse shading advice, but perhaps I'll invest in one that deals with that topic strictly. I have often contemplated investing in a mannequin to help with proportions.

[Jilata]

Hmm... not sure if it helps. But I try to imagine the subject I want to shade in my mind 3 dimensional and then think where the light comes from and where the shadow should be. I am probably not completely right this way, but it works pretty well. And for drawing I pretty often examine things very closely  like where is the shadow, the proportions, the texture, the tucking? of clothes, the hair, etc.  It can creep out people if you aren't careful 

[Dannae]

There are so many different methods of shading and the one chosen can drastically change the feeling of the artwork. You asked about making shading blend well, so I believe, like many beginning artists, you are looking for that ultra smooth airbrushed look. Quality and texture of the paper you are working on will significantly effect the results.

Without using a real airbrush, choose a high quality (thicker) drawing paper with soft even texture, or even illustration board if you want something very specialized. Once you decide where to put the shading in, use a very soft art pencil (2B). These can go from very black to very light with pressure. For airbrushed look, once you rough in with the pencil, rub and blend where you've shaded with a soft cloth or tissue or artists blending tool (basically a tightly rolled soft paper stick) going from the light areas to darker. Be careful to use clean parts of the cloth or tool when you go to the next light area so that you don't get a dark smudge from the tool.

If your paper is good and thick, you have a better chance to cover up or erase mistakes. Also, learn to use your eraser to draw with as well. They work great for drawing lighter details into dark areas you've already made.

Personally, I love pencil drawing techniques where the blending is done with textures instead. It can give a drawing much more character. Still, it's good to experiment with all techniques.

Happy blending!

[Phage]

Sorry, Volki, re-read and re-rephrase your last message again. Doesnt make much sense as it is now.

[Volki]

My post will not make sense to most people. It was intended for Mariana's eyes.

Personally, I love pencil drawing techniques where the blending is done with textures instead. It can give a drawing much more character. Still, it's good to experiment with all techniques.

Could you clarify what you mean by this?

[MishkaL1138]

Now we'll add a tiny happy tree in here, and we'll surround it with some friends so it doesn't feel so lonely. And here we have this happy accident, but we'll just turn it into a little bird, because it's our painting.

Now seriously, if you want to go on about shading, don't pay attention to people saying "Oh you should use charcoal and 2B pencils!" About any pencil is good for shading. What's the catch, however? You need to apply the right pressure and understand how compact is the graphite. A sharp H pencil will create the faintest shadow, if done right, almost as if hovering over the paper with the tip.

It's all about practice and screwing around with pencils of all kinds all the time.

[Dannae]

Mishka, no matter how hard you press on an H pencil you are not going to make black or anything near black come out of it. A soft B pencil has a very wide value range as well as the softer graphite being more responsive to pressure which is why I recommend them as being a great choice for blending. Also, they smudge much nicer with a blending tool. If you want a drawing with little dynamic range, then an H would be a better choice.

I have to admit cringing when I see the paintings that Bob Ross guy made for TV. 

[Dannae]

Could you clarify what you mean by this?

I mean using any kind of mark that will make areas appear to be dark, light, or mid tones. Random scribbling, parallel lines, stippling with dots, crosshatching, varied directional lines, controlled splattering ink from a toothbrush, pretty much any kind of marks that can be built up to change the perceived value from lights to darks. Varying the thicknesses, size, and densities of the marks for any of these techniques also can change the overall look and effect any emotional response to the art.

[Volki]

That's what I thought you meant.

Mariana, I think you should try a few of the techniques Dannae just described. Personally, my favorite is crosshatching. I think it would be easier for a beginner to start out using these techniques, rather than blending, because they are more controlled.

On the topic of shading, I was wondering if any of you had any hints? As to how to make it look smoother and more blended as it were. I suck at shadery, and I'm trying to apply it to this drawing:

I think this might help. Listen to the part about edges, especially "losing an edge." Maybe it sounds counter-intuitive, like "But then how will the viewer be able to see something that isn't there?" The answer is here.

There needs to be a hint of light in your drawing. White space. With drawing, you're manipulating the darkness of the paper. In some places, the paper needs to be uncovered or it will look flat. I really can't tell where the light source is coming from in your drawing. You should also consider adding reflective light.

It might be a good idea to practice drawing figures, like faces and simple objects, without thinking of color. Only light and dark.