How to Shade Cartoons
Shading cartoons is a subtle art, but is one that can be mastered with the proper steps. It isn't uncommon for beginning artists to hesitate when it comes to shading. Adding shadows to a cartoon often means using a pen, and one mistake could mean an entire drawing has gone to waste. There is, however, a method which reduces this risk. By following the techniques of cartoon and figure drawing, an artist is able to break down the shading process into manageable, easy-to-follow steps.
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Instructions
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Ink your cartoon drawing using a black pen. Trace over the outlines of your characters and objects slowly, correcting any mistakes you find before inking. Erase all your pencil markings for a clean look. Make the outlines of any objects in the foreground thicker than those in the middle and background. Use smooth, confident strokes to keep the outlines from looking jagged.
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Choose the direction of the light source in the drawing. Map how the light will fall in your picture by drawing arrows leading away from the light source with their points nearly touching the surfaces closest to the light source.These surfaces will be the areas of your highlights. Use a pencil when creating the arrows and press lightly while drawing.
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Draw the basic form of the shadows along the surface of your objects and characters. Draw evenly spaced, perpendicular lines with your black pen to develop the shadow's base. For a realistic look, keep the lines closely knit together and shade in both the middle and dark tones. For a simplistic look, space out the lines and only shade in the darkest areas of the picture. Do not shade in the areas that are closest to the light source.
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Darken the shadows of your picture. Color the shadows that are farthest away from the light source completely black with your pen, but don't blacken too many shadows, only fill in small parts of the darkest shades. Darken the rest of your shadows by applying another layer of perpendicular lines overlapping your shadow's base. Crisscross the lines to develop different grades of shadows. If you are creating a simplistic cartoon, use the least amount of shading layers as possible.
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Review your shadows and focus on the details of your drawing. For realistic shading, look over the shadows of the finer details, such as belt buckles, coat pockets and hair. Apply extra layers of shading as needed to these smaller parts. For a simple cartoon, add extra layers of shading to broader areas, like large areas of hair, pupils and open mouths. Erase the arrows used to map the light source to complete your picture.
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Tips & Warnings
Practice shading whenever possible. The more you practice, the more confident you will become.
It is important not to overwork a cartoon with too much shading. Always use the least amount of shadows possible when first starting off. You can always add more later.
Look at other artists' techniques for applying shadows to cartoons. This will give you new ideas for your own work.
References
- Photo Credit Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
