Why is My Shading Bad? 3 Common Errors and How to Fix Them

If your shading looks flat, squishy, or dirty, this video will show you why and how to fix it!

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Thanks for watching!

[jcberriom]

Thank you Lacey for bringing back the essentials in drawing, including the appropriate terminology 👋😊

[DanIel-flvc]

I've tried figure out shading and coloring without using reference.
High value
Mid value
Shadow value

If you cover everything in the mid value, add the shadow and where you imagine the highlight should be. Blend it together using a smaller sized brush for texture. It looks fine but average. You're tempted to use a larger brush with lower opacity and add a larger shadow on top of shadowy areas. Instantly it looks better, you do the same with the highlights. But if you attempt to blend it again it loses its form and turns into muddy shading.

I got a book by the illustrator John Howe on how he does things. And it seems instead of covering the entire picture in the mid value then highlights and shadows. He uses a larger brush and roughly blocks in the highlights and shadows, and just colors in general. It might not even be flesh colors but blues and greens. Then he does another pass with the three skin color values. This might be the right approach but I've never seen anyone comment on it or had anyone confirm it.

[samanthathompson]

Very interesting, would love to hear your thoughts on why we don't like our own marks. I think age helps lol. I've come to appreciate texture more as I get older.

[pattineuman]

My spheres are looking much better. Thanks for the videos.

[uncleatelier]

Wow, it's amazing and amazing drawing skills ~~ ^^👍👍👍Please visit my room often ~~^^👍👍👍