The single biggest leap in coloring skill is learning to shade. It transforms flat, cartoon-like coloring into something that looks three-dimensional and professional.
Understanding Light Source
Before you shade anything, decide where your imaginary light is coming from. Top-left is the most common and natural-looking choice. Once you pick a direction, stay consistent across the entire page.
- Light side: Lighter values, sometimes left white for highlights
- Shadow side: Darker values of the same color
- Cast shadow: The dark shape an object casts on the surface behind or beneath it
The Three-Value Method
For each colored area, use three values of the same color:
- Light: Light pressure or a lighter shade for areas facing the light
- Medium: Your main color at normal pressure for most of the area
- Dark: Heavy pressure or a darker shade for areas away from the light and in crevices
Just using these three values consistently makes an enormous difference.
Where Shadows Fall
- Under edges: Where one form overlaps another (under a chin, where leaves overlap)
- In crevices: Deep folds, between petals, inside curls
- Away from light: The side of any rounded form facing away from your light source
- Cast shadows: On the ground or surface directly behind/below the subject
Blending Your Shadows
The key to natural-looking shadows is smooth transitions between values. Never have a hard line between your light and dark areas. Use medium pressure in a transition zone between them, or use a colorless blender pencil to smooth the boundary.
Practice Exercise
Color a sphere - yes, just a circle. Use your three values to make it look like a ball. Once you can shade a sphere convincingly, you can shade anything. An apple is a sphere. A head is a sphere. A flower bud is a sphere.
Our animal pages are great for practicing shading - rounded animal bodies give you natural forms to practice your light and shadow skills.