Does anyone else here like to draw?

[Pinky]

I like to draw. I've been doing it since I can remember but most of it is animals (I can't draw people too well

). Could someone explain how to make shadows look right. I just can't seem to make it look right with the animals I draw, so most of them don't have a shadow. Those are some nice drawings. I really like the colorful one

 

[desertdarlene]

Quote:
Do you have any examples of your drawings where you try to use shadows?

One mistake I used to do until someone told me otherwise is that I would use black or gray for my shadows, which was a mistake unless you are doing regular pencil or graphite. Instead, use a darker version of the color you are using for the item the shadow is falling on (such as a darker colored of the ground, grass, fur, etc). Also, look at where the direction of the light is coming from and try to envision a shadow if the light was shining on that object. When I was an art student in college, we used to practice doing shadows by drawing a white egg or a crumpled piece of paper. You can also practice with colored paper and eggs, too. Or, try setting up a still life with artificial lighting and look at the colors of the shadows. If you have stuffed animals, it might be fun to do the still life set-up.

 

[Pinky]

I think using grey might have been my mistake. I will try to post an example of one of my drawings. Thanks for the tips

. I will definitely try those things.