Art School

I have a few questions.
How to do make drawings more 3D like?
What are some tips about shading? (I've seen so many YouTube tutorials, but none make any sense)
How do you draw more realistic?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm working on a project & I need help. If there are any things you could tell me (preferably not videos, I can never sit through those) I'd really appreciate it
 
I have a few questions.
How to do make drawings more 3D like?
What are some tips about shading? (I've seen so many YouTube tutorials, but none make any sense)
How do you draw more realistic?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm working on a project & I need help. If there are any things you could tell me (preferably not videos, I can never sit through those) I'd really appreciate it
Oh, child thats the tough stuff.
Making a more 3-D art starts with the lineart. You gots ta think about how a surface is shaped as you are drawing it. You know that silly circle and crosshairs that all the simple tutorials use? Use it. I went without for so long and now I'm reverting back to it.
What is your project? Or do you want to say?
 
Here's a simple example of what I was talking about, followed by a more complex one.
d53b6fed954e24187a39bc435dee153b.jpg

e8871591a849eafc2433a3501c66d328.jpg

You have to know the basic shape that a thing is, or else it isn't going to work or make sense why it isn't working.
It takes years to build up a portfolio in your mind of all the muscles in a human, and their specific shapes.
Once you understand what is under the skin, though, shading becomes easier that it otherwise would have been.
 
8a9947f740d3d8050bd51e1863fa85b9.jpg

Once you know the shapes beneath, shading is a little easier, but still a pain in the butt. It makes the whole drawing look better, though, so you kinda got to.
Think of where you want your "sun" or "light source" to be. What color is the lightbulb? How strong is it?
I don't really like to use the shading given here. I find that shadows are darkest where they begin, so I use a hard line for where it meets the light.
76f5faef9a97c64689f6797e04ccd1d2.jpg

Most call this 'cell shading' and is used a lot by digital artists.

And this, unfortunately, is the basic shape of a face. Nice n easy right? Right. I still have trouble with shading faces. Most just opt to stick a shadow under the chin and maybe the nose and call it good.
8f6b9a1f91c56868b909562e56e7c1f8.jpg
 
Realism is tough. Especially with people. Nearly impossible to get right.
Animals, however, can be fun and rewarding to do realistically.
I don't usually find the need to use the ball and crosshairs trick with this. What I do, is get a reference pic, start with an eye, and work outward, drawing as many details as possible, but not stressing accuracy.
 
I have a few questions.
How to do make drawings more 3D like?
What are some tips about shading? (I've seen so many YouTube tutorials, but none make any sense)
How do you draw more realistic?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm working on a project & I need help. If there are any things you could tell me (preferably not videos, I can never sit through those) I'd really appreciate it
Honestly, it's all just shading and light with realistic pictures. XD

The best advice off the top of my head is this:

1. It depends on what you're going to be shading, greyscale or colour?
If it's colour, always shift the hue; don't just make the colours lighter or darker.
If it's greyscale, remember that some areas are very dark and others are very light; lots of shading contrast makes for good realism.

2. Use references. I know, they're a pain sometimes, but you unconsciously absorb information from each picture you draw from. That'll help you improve, and one day you should be able to create something never seen before.

3. Everything has an anchor. See that invisible line that goes from the ears to the eyes? Or the eyes to the nose? They're all anchors. That shows where things should be, and where they should line up to.
In place of that, you can use a grid.

4. Practice. Yep, the most important thing is to practice. A sketch daily, of something you love, will make you grow.


If you need pictures of what I mean, just let me know. XD
 
Realism is tough. Especially with people. Nearly impossible to get right.
Animals, however, can be fun and rewarding to do realistically.
I don't usually find the need to use the ball and crosshairs trick with this. What I do, is get a reference pic, start with an eye, and work outward, drawing as many details as possible, but not stressing accuracy.
Me. XD
 
Oh, child thats the tough stuff.
Making a more 3-D art starts with the lineart. You gots ta think about how a surface is shaped as you are drawing it. You know that silly circle and crosshairs that all the simple tutorials use? Use it. I went without for so long and now I'm reverting back to it.
What is your project? Or do you want to say?

Fan art

Here's a simple example of what I was talking about, followed by a more complex one.
View attachment 1444030
View attachment 1444032
You have to know the basic shape that a thing is, or else it isn't going to work or make sense why it isn't working.
It takes years to build up a portfolio in your mind of all the muscles in a human, and their specific shapes.
Once you understand what is under the skin, though, shading becomes easier that it otherwise would have been.

View attachment 1444038
Once you know the shapes beneath, shading is a little easier, but still a pain in the butt. It makes the whole drawing look better, though, so you kinda got to.
Think of where you want your "sun" or "light source" to be. What color is the lightbulb? How strong is it?
I don't really like to use the shading given here. I find that shadows are darkest where they begin, so I use a hard line for where it meets the light.
View attachment 1444045
Most call this 'cell shading' and is used a lot by digital artists.

And this, unfortunately, is the basic shape of a face. Nice n easy right? Right. I still have trouble with shading faces. Most just opt to stick a shadow under the chin and maybe the nose and call it good.
View attachment 1444050

Realism is tough. Especially with people. Nearly impossible to get right.
Animals, however, can be fun and rewarding to do realistically.
I don't usually find the need to use the ball and crosshairs trick with this. What I do, is get a reference pic, start with an eye, and work outward, drawing as many details as possible, but not stressing accuracy.

Honestly, it's all just shading and light with realistic pictures. XD

The best advice off the top of my head is this:

1. It depends on what you're going to be shading, greyscale or colour?
If it's colour, always shift the hue; don't just make the colours lighter or darker.
If it's greyscale, remember that some areas are very dark and others are very light; lots of shading contrast makes for good realism.

2. Use references. I know, they're a pain sometimes, but you unconsciously absorb information from each picture you draw from. That'll help you improve, and one day you should be able to create something never seen before.

3. Everything has an anchor. See that invisible line that goes from the ears to the eyes? Or the eyes to the nose? They're all anchors. That shows where things should be, and where they should line up to.
In place of that, you can use a grid.

4. Practice. Yep, the most important thing is to practice. A sketch daily, of something you love, will make you grow.


If you need pictures of what I mean, just let me know. XD

Thank you so much guys, this is very helpful!
 
Honestly, it's all just shading and light with realistic pictures. XD

The best advice off the top of my head is this:

1. It depends on what you're going to be shading, greyscale or colour?
If it's colour, always shift the hue; don't just make the colours lighter or darker.
If it's greyscale, remember that some areas are very dark and others are very light; lots of shading contrast makes for good realism.

2. Use references. I know, they're a pain sometimes, but you unconsciously absorb information from each picture you draw from. That'll help you improve, and one day you should be able to create something never seen before.

3. Everything has an anchor. See that invisible line that goes from the ears to the eyes? Or the eyes to the nose? They're all anchors. That shows where things should be, and where they should line up to.
In place of that, you can use a grid.

4. Practice. Yep, the most important thing is to practice. A sketch daily, of something you love, will make you grow.


If you need pictures of what I mean, just let me know. XD
download (4).jpeg

I can't stress this enough YAS. A place for everything and everything in it's place.
 

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