How to Draw 101: SHADING BASICS & Shadow Drawing Exercises

Understand Light & Shadow - Create Depth, Sense of Realism, the Illusion of 3D on Your Drawings & Sketches by Shading

What you'll learn
make your drawings more believable to the viewer by shadows
shading techniques to create the illusion of reality
how to add 3-dimensionality to your drawings
working with light & shadow
Requirements
a pencil + some office papers
no previous drawing knowledge is required
Description
In this beginner drawing course you can learn one of the most useful, rewarding and exciting drawing skills called shading or rendering. Understand how light & shadow work on different surfaces in order to create depth on you artworks. Whatever technique you prefer - sketching, drawing or painting - understanding how shadows are created is crucial for creating a believable illusion of reality (3D).

In this course I'll show you the basics, as well as some of the advanced techniques of shading which you can use to create both simplistic and realistic drawings. We will go from simple to more complex forms step by step.

What previous drawing experience do you need?

Some basic drawing skills would be useful, but not mandatory for this course. I designed the lessons in a way that you can also benefit from it with very little or zero previous drawing experience.

What drawing tools do you need?

You can start this beginner drawing course without any special drawing tool. I'll be using mostly a regular 2B graphite pencil on cheap office papers. For demonstration purposes I will also use some other drawing tools which you can purchase along the way if you like them.

What can you expect by completing this course?

You will understand how light and shadow work on simple forms. And if you know that complex objects are built from simple forms, actually you will know a lot. You will know the basic terms and concepts of shading, and you'll be able to make eye-catching, believable, well-shaded realistic drawings or sketches about simple subjects. There will be plenty of drawing exercises, so your drawing skills will get a huge boost. By the end of this course you'll also be ready to explore more advanced shading techniques without difficulties.

Course Content

Day 1 - Light & Shadow

Value change equals form change

Pencil grades

The value scale

Some shading techniques

Light & Shadow

Direction of Light

The ideal lighting setup

The "1-2-3 read" concept

How to assign values to surfaces

Day 1 Assignment (shading exercise)

Day 2 - The Cast Shadow

What is cast shadow?

The cast shadow of a stick

Quick perspective drawing overview

The cast shadow of the cube

Sunlight & local light scenario

The line of termination

Cast shadow of a complex planar form

Day 2 Assignment (cast shadow construction drawing exercise)

Day 3 - Curved Volumes

The cast shadow of the cylinder

The occlusion shadow

The cast shadow of the cone

Soft shadow edges

The cast shadow of the sphere

Different lighting setups for the sphere (top light, back light, side light)

Day 3 Assignment (cast shadow construction and realistic shading exercise)

Day 4 - The Form Shadow & the Light Side

The core shadow

How to shade the light side

Shadow cast on other objects

How to shade concave surfaces

Shading a hollow brick shape

Shading a sphere with inward curve

Realistic shading of a coffee mug

Blending values

The background value

More shading techniques

Day 4 Assignment (all kinds of shading exercises)

Day 5 - Figure Shading Studies

Putting it all together

Plan your shadow pattern

Shading with graphite pencil

Shading with charcoal pencils on colored paper

Shading with dye inks (marker)

Shading with color pencils

Day 5 Assignment (create your own figure shading)

If you'd like to take your drawing skills to the next level, enroll in this course now!

See you in the first lesson!

Who this course is for:
beginners who'd like to develop themselves at drawing