How To Shade and Render The Body - How To Draw

Summary

In this tutorial, the artist shares a step-by-step guide on digital shading techniques using Clip Studio Paint. They discuss the importance of understanding light, shadows, and color blending, and demonstrate how to use different brushes and tools for creating smooth gradients and realistic shading. The video covers the basics of light direction, reflected light, and occlusion shadows, emphasizing the need to avoid flat shadows for a more three-dimensional look. The artist also shares tips on using layer modes like 'multiply' for adding shadows and suggests practicing primitive forms to improve form painting. The tutorial concludes with a time-lapse of the shading process and a reminder of the artist's Patreon and Discord community.

Takeaways

• 🎨 The artist uses three default brushes in Clip Studio Paint: a round brush with pressure opacity for hard edges, an airbrush for soft edges, and a blur tool for smoothing color transitions.
• 🖌️ Pressure opacity is essential for blending colors effectively, allowing the artist to create gradients by adjusting the pressure applied while drawing.
• 🌞 Understanding light is crucial for shading; objects reflect their base color and absorb all other colors from the light source.
• 🔆 Reflected light plays a significant role in visibility, especially in shadow areas, where it can create visible effects like glows on objects.
• 🚫 Avoid using pure black for shading, as shadows still reflect light and retain color, except in cases of complete occlusion or the presence of materials like Vanta Black.
• 📐 Light direction affects how objects appear in 3D space, with surfaces perpendicular to the light source being the brightest.
• 🖼️ The artist demonstrates a shading process starting with mapping out shadows and highlights, choosing appropriate colors, and gradually building up layers of shading.
• 🎭 The importance of value variation within shadows is emphasized to avoid flat, unrealistic shading and to reflect the constant change in light intensity on forms.
• ⏱️ Rendering and shading are time-consuming processes that require patience and practice, even when the artist understands the principles.
• 🔄 The artist recommends practicing color blending as a separate skill, similar to drawing lines, to improve at creating smooth gradients.
• 🛠️ Using layer modes like 'multiply' can be helpful for adding shadows, but consistency in shadow darkness across the artwork is necessary for a realistic look.
• 📝 The workflow of starting with base colors, adding dark shadows, lighter shadows, and then refining within defined areas is recommended for time efficiency and maintaining light consistency.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video tutorial?

The main topic of the video tutorial is shading techniques in digital art.

What are the three brushes mentioned in the tutorial?

The three brushes mentioned are a round brush with pressure opacity turned on, an airbrush with a soft edge, and the blur tool in Clip Studio Paint.

Why is blending important in rendering forms?

Blending is important in rendering forms to create smooth gradients between colors, which helps in accurately representing the way light interacts with different surfaces.

How does the round brush differ from the airbrush in terms of edge hardness?

The round brush has a hard edge, whereas the airbrush has a soft edge, allowing for smoother transitions between colors.

What is the purpose of the blur tool in Clip Studio Paint?

The blur tool is used to blur edges, creating a gradient between two colors and smoothing out transitions.

How does the video explain the concept of light and its interaction with objects?

The video explains that light interacts with objects by being absorbed except for the color that corresponds to the object's base color, which is reflected and perceived by the viewer.

What is the significance of reflected light in the visibility of shadow areas?

Reflected light is significant in shadow areas because it allows us to see details within the shadows, as it is the light reflected from other objects or the environment.

Why should shadows not be shaded with black according to the tutorial?

Shadows should not be shaded with black because they still reflect light and have color; using black would not accurately represent the natural interaction of light with surfaces.

What is the role of the base color in determining shadow color?

The base color determines the color of the shadows, as shadows are a darker version of the base color, influenced by the light source and reflected light.

How does the tutorial suggest using layer modes like multiply for shading?

The tutorial suggests using layer modes like multiply to add shadows by darkening the existing colors on the canvas, which is useful for creating cast shadows and maintaining consistency in shadow darkness.

What is the recommended workflow for shading as outlined in the tutorial?

The recommended workflow is to start with the base color, add dark shadows, then lighter shadows, and finally paint within the defined areas, ensuring organization and preventing misplacement of light and shadow values.

Why does the artist recommend painting on a single layer instead of multiple layers?

Painting on a single layer allows for easier adjustments and painting over certain areas, which is necessary for creating smooth transitions and correcting shadows or highlights.

What is the importance of practicing primitive forms for painting more complex subjects like the human body?

Practicing primitive forms helps in understanding the basic principles of light and shadow on simple shapes, which can then be applied to more complex subjects like the human body, as the body consists of these forms in a more intricate arrangement.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Introduction to Shading Tutorial

The script begins with the artist addressing the audience, acknowledging requests for a shading tutorial. Despite not being an expert in shading, they decide to share their approach. The artist mentions the support options for the channel, including Patreon and YouTube memberships, and invites viewers to join their Discord server for community interaction. The tutorial will cover brush types, understanding light, and the shading process itself, with an option to skip to the shading section for those already familiar with preliminary concepts.

05:01

🖌️ Shading Tools and Techniques

The artist discusses the brushes used for shading, focusing on three main types: a round brush with pressure opacity for hard edges, an airbrush for softer edges, and the blur tool for creating smooth gradients between colors. They explain the importance of blending colors for rendering forms and demonstrate how to create gradients between two colors using these brushes. The choice between hard and soft edges depends on the form being painted, with softer edges suitable for rounded objects like balls and harder edges for more angular forms like rocks.

10:02

🌞 Understanding Light and Shadow

This section delves into the principles of light and how it interacts with objects. The artist explains how objects absorb all colors of light except their base color, which is reflected and perceived by the viewer. They discuss the concept of reflected light, which affects the appearance of objects in shadow areas, and the importance of not using pure black for shading, as shadows still reflect light and retain color. The tutorial also touches on occlusion shadows, which occur when light cannot reach certain areas between closely positioned objects, and the role of light direction in determining the brightness of different surfaces on a 3D object.

15:02

🎭 Applying Shading Principles

The artist starts the shading process by mapping out the light and shadow areas on the subject, using a shadow color that is a darker version of the base color. They emphasize the importance of defining hard shadows and less visible shadow areas, adjusting the darkness of these areas to reflect the light source's direction. The tutorial covers the addition of reflected light within shadows and the use of layer modes like 'multiply' for adding cast shadows. The artist also discusses the use of grayscale to check the balance of light and shadow in the artwork, and the importance of maintaining consistency in shadow darkness across the scene.

🤝 Final Thoughts on Shading and Art Techniques

In the concluding part of the script, the artist reflects on the time-consuming nature of rendering and emphasizes the importance of color blending as a fundamental skill in art. They share tips for practicing blending, adjusting brush size for detail work, and avoiding flat shadows by incorporating value variation. The artist also discusses the use of layer modes and the importance of understanding their functions for effective shading. They suggest practicing with primitive forms to improve the ability to paint more complex subjects like the human body. The script ends with advice on maintaining an organized workflow and experimenting with different layering techniques for shading.

Keywords

💡Shading Tutorial

A 'shading tutorial' is a type of educational content that teaches viewers how to add depth and dimension to their artwork through the use of shadows and highlights. In the video, the creator offers a step-by-step guide on how to achieve this, despite not considering themselves an expert in the field, showing a willingness to share knowledge and techniques for the benefit of their audience.

💡Brushes

In digital art, 'brushes' are tools that simulate the effect of traditional painting brushes, with customizable attributes like size, shape, and opacity. The script mentions three specific brushes: a round brush with pressure opacity, an airbrush, and a blur tool. Each brush has a unique role in the shading process, such as blending colors or smoothing edges, and they are essential for creating different textures and effects in the artwork.

💡Pressure Opacity

'Pressure opacity' is a feature in digital art programs that allows the darkness of a brush stroke to vary with the pressure applied by the artist. The script explains that this feature is used for blending colors and creating gradients, which is crucial for rendering forms in a realistic manner. The round brush and airbrush mentioned in the script both utilize pressure opacity to achieve different shading effects.

💡Blending

Blending in the context of the video refers to the process of smoothly transitioning between two or more colors to create a gradient. It is an important technique in shading that helps to render forms realistically by simulating the way light interacts with objects. The script demonstrates how to blend colors using different brushes and the importance of this technique in creating a natural and realistic appearance in artwork.

💡Light and Shadow

The concepts of 'light' and 'shadow' are fundamental to the video's theme, as they are the primary elements that define the appearance of objects in a three-dimensional space. The script explains how light interacts with objects, how shadows are formed, and the importance of understanding these concepts for creating realistic shading in artwork. The tutorial emphasizes that shadows are not simply black but are influenced by the color and intensity of the light source.

💡Reflected Light

'Reflected light' is the light that bounces off one object and illuminates another, affecting the appearance of both. In the video, the creator discusses how reflected light can create glow effects on the edges of objects or contribute to the visibility of objects in shadow. This concept is crucial for understanding how to shade objects in a way that accurately represents their interaction with their environment.

💡Occlusion Shadows

An 'occlusion shadow' occurs when an object blocks light from reaching another object, creating a dark area. The script mentions this as a common phenomenon that can make certain areas appear black, especially when two objects are very close together. Understanding occlusion shadows is important for artists to accurately depict the effects of light obstruction in their work.

💡3D Space

'3D space' refers to the three-dimensional environment in which we live and perceive objects. The video script discusses how objects in 3D space are affected by light from different directions, which influences how they appear in terms of brightness and shading. The tutorial uses the concept of 3D space to explain the importance of considering light direction and the orientation of objects when creating shading.

💡Primitive Forms

In the context of the video, 'primitive forms' such as spheres, cylinders, cubes, and pyramids are basic shapes used to understand and practice the fundamentals of shading and rendering in 3D. The script suggests that mastering these forms is essential for painting more complex subjects like the human body, as they are composed of these basic shapes in various orientations and combinations.

💡Layer Modes

'Layer modes' are settings in digital art programs that determine how layers interact with each other, affecting the final appearance of the artwork. The script briefly mentions 'multiply' as an example of a layer mode often used to add shadows by darkening the colors. Understanding and utilizing different layer modes can enhance the shading process and achieve various visual effects in digital art.

💡Clipping Mask

A 'clipping mask' is a feature in digital art programs that allows an artist to paint within the boundaries of a specific layer, ensuring that any changes are contained within those limits. The script mentions using a clipping mask layer for the shading process, which helps to keep the artwork organized and makes it easier to adjust and refine the shading without affecting the base layer.

Highlights

The video is a shading tutorial for digital art, focusing on the use of brushes and understanding of light.

The artist uses three default brushes in Clip Studio Paint: a round brush, an airbrush, and a blur tool.

Pressure opacity is essential for blending colors, which is crucial for rendering forms.

A gradient between colors can be created using blending with a round brush or airbrush.

Soft edges are preferable for rounded forms like balls, while hard edges are better for angular forms like rocks.

Light works by emitting color and being absorbed by objects, which then reflect their base color.

Reflected light is visible in shadow areas and contributes to the visibility of objects.

Shadows should not be shaded with black as they still reflect light and maintain color.

Occlusion shadows occur when light cannot reach certain areas between closely positioned objects.

Understanding 3D form and light direction is fundamental to realistic shading in art.

The artist demonstrates mapping out shadows and lights on a character, using a blue-toned shadow for outdoor lighting.

A grayscale layer can be used to check the balance of light and shadow in a painting.

Color blending is compared to drawing lines in importance, and practice is recommended for improvement.

The artist discusses the use of layer modes like 'multiply' for adding shadows and maintaining consistency.

Practicing primitive forms is suggested for better understanding of painting complex forms like the human body.

The artist emphasizes the importance of value variation within shadows for a realistic look.

A workflow is presented starting with base color, then shadows, and finally detailing for an organized approach.

The entire shading process is demonstrated on a single layer for ease of adjustments.

The finished drawing is showcased, and the artist encourages viewers to support the channel.

Transcripts

all right how's it going so a lot of

people have been asking me to make a

shading tutorial and while I'm not the

best when it comes to shading I uh

figured it's worth a shot and as always

if you'd like to support the channel we

have a patreon as well as a YouTube

memberships Link in the description and

we also have a Discord server which you

can join if you want to hang out with

the rest of the community but uh with

that out of the way let's get started

before we can get to the shading we have

to go over some of the other things like

the brushes I use and the way light

works so if you don't want to watch any

of that you can just skip head to where

the shading starts I use three different

brushes although they're not that

different so the first one is a round

brush with pressure opacity turned on

and a hard Edge basically the harder you

press the darker the line gets next I

use an airbrush which is essentially the

same thing as the round brush it gets

darker the harder you press but this one

has a really soft Edge compared to the

round uh brush's hard Edge and lastly I

use the blur tool in clip Studio paint

and the purpose of this is to blur edges

so if we have a red and green color you

can create a gradient between them by

blurring that edge all three of these

brushes are essentially default brushes

in clip Studio paint and I'm pretty sure

you can find these in every single

drawing program now the reason why they

all have pressure opacity turned on is

for blending colors blending is really

important when it comes to rendering

your forms so let's put down two

different colors with got a blue and an

orange there's this hard Edge separating

them now if we use our round brush all

we have to do is color pick one of the

colors then put it down in between them

and you can see that the program

automatically creates a blended version

of blue and orange if we color pick this

now and place it in between them it

creates another Blended version and then

all we have to do is rinse and repeat

this until we get a gradient between

these two different

colors if if we use the airbrush it

works in the exact same way except we

can make the gradient appear even

smoother because the edge of the uh

airbrush is a lot

softer and then the blur tool works the

exact same way as the airbrush except

it's a lot cleaner and a lot faster so

when should you use the hard edges and

when should you use the soft edges it

mostly depends on the form you're trying

to paint if you're trying to paint a

ball you would have to use a lot more

soft edges because you need to create

create gradients from light to dark

whereas if you're trying to create

something like a rock you would use

harder edges that's it for the tool so

now let's take a look at how light works

you're able to see because light is all

around you the sun emits light of every

color this light then hits an object and

that object absorbs every color of light

except for the color that corresponds to

its base color so this red chair absorbs

every color and it reflects red light

this light then hits your ey and you

interpret that as a red chair the light

that the object is reflecting can also

affect other objects around it the white

from the surrounding areas hits the ball

and creates this white glow on the edge

of it but at the same time the ball

emits red light and that light hits the

White surface and it creates this red

glow reflected light is usually only

visible in the shadow areas because

reflected light isn't very bright so in

the light areas it gets it's overpowered

by the main light source but in the

shadow areas it's strong enough to be

visible so we know that light and

reflected light are the reasons why

we're able to see things and from this

we can infer that Shadows have to

reflect light as well in this photo we

can see that the light is coming from

the right and everything on the left is

in Shadow but somehow we can still see

all the tiny details on the left side

including the details on the shirt

that's only possible because it reflects

light but what if it didn't reflect

light everything in Shadow would appear

pitch black and that's why you shouldn't

shade with black because Shadow still

reflect light and they still have color

the only time something will appear

black is if it either doesn't reflect

any light or there isn't enough light to

illuminate the object as for something

that doesn't reflect light there aren't

many things like that but there is this

material called vanta black which looks

super weird the second way for something

to appear black is if it doesn't have

enough light to illuminate it and this

is actually very common and we call this

occlusion Shadows it usually happens

when two objects are so close to each

other that light can't reach them and

the area appears black the only other

thing we need to go over to understand

shading is form we live in 3D space and

objects in 3D space are affected by

light in different ways for the most

part this comes down to light Direction

let's say we have a light source and a

flat plane that's reing receiving light

objects appear brighter when they're

positioned perpendicularly to the

direction that the light is coming from

this plane is at its brightest now but

if we rotate it down it's facing away

from the light source so we have to draw

it in Shadow with a curved plane it

works the same way the side that's

facing the light will be the brightest

and as it turns away these surfaces

become less and less bright until the

surface is parallel to the light

Direction so this would be where the

shadow starts in 3D it would look like

this the brightest part of the object

would be here and then as it slowly

turns away there's a gradual reduction

in brightness so we have to create a

gradient from light to dark with all of

that out of the way we can finally start

the actual shading now first I'm going

to map out where the Shadows are and

where the lights are and to do that I

need a shadow color Shadows are a darker

color of the base color so technically I

could also shade it with this but the

character standing outside so the

Shadows are affected by light in this

case reflected light is coming from the

sky so Shadows are going to be kind of

blue and I could shade it with this as

well but I mean that's kind of uh it's

kind of based on art style I don't want

to do that so instead I'm first going to

shade it with this darker color and now

look what happens when I add some blue

to

this I'll color pick this and the color

went over here it went from here to down

there so if I want a proper Shadow color

it needs to be somewhere in this range

and uh I guess we'll go with uh

[Music]

this I roughly marked where all of the

hard Shadows are basically where the

planes turn away from the light source

or they're parallel to the light

Direction next I'll grab a colar that's

kind of in between both of these to Mark

the shadow areas that aren't as visible

as the darker Shadows so for example the

side of the stomach here I'm pretty sure

you'd see some here as well this side of

the arm the neck

[Music]

now we can still see some areas that

have the same color like up here here

and here these areas all have the same

color but they're not all facing the

light source the leg here as well as the

entire area up here is facing the light

source the light is coming from above

but this leg as well as the stomach

these are kind of facing away from the

light so we have to make sure that

they're darker than these areas and to

do

that I'm just going to uh brush in some

darker color like that now I color

picked this and I'm going to lighten up

these areas a bit more then from here

I'll choose a slightly lighter color and

I'll paint the areas that are directly

facing the light source which would be

all of these areas now my original

Shadows have kind of disappeared in

areas like here and uh they've started

to blend in so I'm going to bring these

back and I'll make them a little darker

as

well to do that we just grab a color

that's darker remember you can use black

if you want in the uh occlusion areas

like for

example you'd probably find one like

right there but occlusion is something

that we usually add towards the end so I

wouldn't

really wouldn't really be too worried

about it right now another thing that I

actually forgot to mention are uh cast

Shadows when one object is in front of

another object it's casting a shadow so

in this case we'd have to draw one under

the chest and probably one under the

neck as well or on the neck now I'll

create another layer on top of the uh

original one and I'll paint it

completely

black then I'll go to layer modes and

I'll set that the color and that gives

you a grayscale version of the uh

painting I haven't gone over grayscale

in this video but the benefits of using

grayscale is that it shows you where the

light areas are and it shows you where

the shadow areas are so using this you

can check to see if your lights and

shadows are done properly in this case I

think this area actually looks a little

too flat because it's just a flat gray

and then a flat light gray so I'll have

to change that as we go along and I'll

have to add some more colors there and

now I'm going to time-lapse the rest of

it and just do Post commentary for it

because this did take quite a while to

paint I think around 30 to 40 minutes

and that's kind of the thing about

rendering it's one of the most timec

consuming things in art and even if you

know what to do you can't really speed

up the process it just takes a lot of

time but right now I'm just trying to

blend a lot of the colors that I put

down previously using the blur tool as

well as the round brush I'm pretty sure

I'm not using the airbrush cuz I usually

only use that when I'm trying to change

the or change how light or how dark a

color is or if I'm trying to add a

different Hue to uh the colors color

blending is a very important skill and I

would equate it to drawing lines when

you're drawing so this is something that

you have to practice separately an easy

way to do that would be to just have two

colors two different colors basically

what I showed at the start of the video

just having two different colors and and

then color picking placing the color

over the other color and then just color

picking trying to create a gradient I

would suggest doing that with the round

brush instead of a instead of an

airbrush cuz the airbrush makes it a

little easier I use the blur tool a lot

as well when I'm trying to blend colors

but the reason I'm doing that is because

it creates a smoother gradient than what

you can do with the round brush and it's

also faster if I were to try to blend

everything uh manually this would

probably take me upwards of an hour

instead of the 30 minutes it took me now

by the way I'm using pressure opacity on

my brushes so the harder I press the

darker the brush gets and the lighter I

press the lighter it gets I'm not using

any uh pressure sensitivity for the size

because that would conflict with the

pressure opacity but then you may be

wondering if your brush doesn't have any

uh pressure sensitivity for the size how

do you paint the smaller details or how

do you make sure you paint an area

without over painting on a different

area and for that you would have to um

set a shortcut that lets you quickly

change the size of your brush in clip

Studio paint you can hold control and

ALT and then drag across the screen to

change the size of the brush and that's

a very useful shortcut so I would

recommend getting used to that so what

I'm doing right now is I'm adding some

reflected light into the shadow area as

well as making some parts of the Shadows

darker and some parts of the Shadows

lighter I I think a mistake that people

very often make when they're shading is

they keep their Shadows extremely flat

and that could work for certain Styles

like if you have more of a cell-shaded

look then having that flat shading could

make it look better but if you're trying

to go for more of a realistic look forms

are constantly twisting and turning and

they're being hit by light from

different directions they're being hit

by light with different intensities so

you're never going to have a color that

looks the exact same for a very long

period of time colors are constantly

changing even within the shadow areas

they're getting lighter and darker uh

you can see the area near the armpit is

a lot lighter than the area near the

edge of the body and if you think your

shadows look flat that's probably why

they literally are flat they don't have

any value variation or contrast within

them right now I'm painting the neck and

this actually reminds me of uh layer

modes because there are a bunch of

different layer modes you can use in

digital programs stuff like multiply

darken screen glow Dodge they all have

different functions and uh I looked into

those functions a bit they're actually

they're extremely complicated it's

really hard to explain and understand

how they work and of course you can use

them without really understanding what

they do but it would help if you

understood what they did before you

tried to use them but the reason why I

brought that up is because I wanted to

talk about multiply people very often

use multiply when they're trying to add

shading to their drawings I'm pretty

sure multiply takes the value of the

color you uh you've currently got

selected and it adds that value to the

color that's already applied on your

canvas so you always end up with a

darker value which makes it so good for

adding shadows and people very commonly

use it to add cast Shadows like the one

on the neck if you're going to do that

make sure that the darkness of that

shadow that you added with multiply

stays consistent with the darkness of

other shadows in your scene you can't

for example have a super dark shadow

under the neck and then all of the other

Shadows are brighter than that that

stands out and uh it's I'm pretty sure

it's not physically possible so right

now I'm just painting a lot of the extra

forms as well as making some of the

Shadows darker and uh if you want to get

better at painting forms I would suggest

practicing the Primitive forms stuff

like spheres cylinders cubes pyramids

the better you get at that the better

you'll be at painting the body cuz the

body is just those forms except they're

all mixed together it's slightly more

complicated but the uh General ideas

still exist if you want to paint the

collar bones for example you have to

know how to paint cylinders you have to

know where the Shadows are on cylinders

you have to know where the highlights

are and then once you can do that you

can paint the collar bones properly

right now I'm working on a lot of the

smaller details and uh now you might

actually notice that the difference in

brightness between a lot of the colors

that I'm using is a lot smaller than it

was at the start like uh in the section

that I'm painting right now for example

a lot of the colors look very similar

and that sort of stuff is necessary if

you want to make things look

three-dimensional because you have very

gradual

changes in value so when you're painting

Shadows it isn't always about using two

colors that are extremely different as

long as the colors are different enough

to the point where they can create

visible contrast that's good enough for

uh a lot of Shadows another thing that I

want to go over is the workflow so in

this case I started with the base color

and then I added the really dark shadows

then I added the lighter shadows and

then from there I just started painting

within those areas that I defined

keeping everything organized like that

is probably one of the most time

efficient ways to work

but I think more importantly it also

prevents you from uh losing track of

where the shadows and where the lights

are cuz the way light works is areas

that are in the light are always going

to be brighter than areas that are in

the shadows if you define where those

light and Shadow areas are right at the

start you'll never place the right or

you'll never place the wrong values in

the wrong areas I think when I first

started I was just placing Shadows

wherever and then you end up with the uh

with those art pieces where you can't

tell where the light is coming from and

one more thing I want to go over this

whole thing was painted on one layer or

I had the base layer and then I made a

clipping mask layer above it and

everything was painted on that one

clipping mask layer I know people like

to make new layers for every single

change they make and um there isn't

really anything wrong with that but if

you want to do a shading style like this

there's a lot of painting over certain

areas like sometimes your shadows are

too dark so you have to make them look

lighter sometimes they're too uh bright

so you have to make them look darker and

especially what I'm doing right now I'm

painting over the Shadows that already

exist it's really hard to paint over

areas if every single area is painted on

a different layer so if you're somebody

who likes to paint with a lot of

different layers try to paint with one

layer next time just to uh experiment

with it and see how it goes of course

different uh items can be placed on

different layers like the clothing can

be put on a different

[Music]

[Music]

layer and here's the finished drawing

once again if you'd like to support the

channel we have a patreon as well as a

YouTube memberships Link in the

description as well as the Discord link

so uh be sure to check those out and uh

hopefully this was helpful and I guess I

will catch you on the next video