how to shade faces for beginners _ tutorial

Hi , everyone .

Welcome back to another video where I will walk you through a step by step process of how to shade and more specifically how to shade faces .

So let's get started .

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So please check them out if you've watched my video on how to draw the face , you should already know how to draw a basic or generic face .

So hopefully , this tutorial can help you enhance that drawing by adding some shading .

And in order to understand shading , we must first understand some very basic ideas of light .

And I'm not very science or whatever , but I'm trying to make this as simple as I possibly can .

Number one where there is light , it is bright where there is no light , it is dark .

And then of course , there is that wide spectrum between light and dark , which is your tonal of variation .

Number two , the location of the bright areas is related to the location of the light source as well as its distance to the light source .

So for example , if the light source is on the right , that means the bright areas are also on the right .

If the light source is on the left , the bright areas are on the left .

Furthermore , the closer an object is to the light source , the brighter it is , the farther an object is to the light source , the darker it is number three light bounces off bright or shiny objects or surfaces creating reflected light which becomes a second light source .

And if we treat it as another light source , then number one and number two apply to this as well .

Now how can we apply these principles to the face ?

It is important to know the form of the face as well as any object that you want to add shading to um with faces , they are very diverse and the way we shade different faces can vary .

But there are some similarities that you can use as a general guide to help you shade the face .

For example , number one , the nose always has height to it , especially the tip of the nose , which is commonly the highest point of the face .

Therefore , when it is higher , it is often closer to the light source .

Therefore , commonly making it a bright area .

Number two , the lips also have some volume to it .

Lips can vary in thickness .

Therefore , the volume and the height also varies .

But nonetheless , lips tend to have height .

Number three , the cheeks , the forehead , the chin and under the eyebrow are also some of the high points of the face .

And number four , the eyes are commonly sunken in compared to the other facial features .

However , the degree of this can vary based on different eye shapes .

Nonetheless , the fact that the inner corner of the eyes recess means that it is farther from the light source .

Therefore , making it a commonly dark area .

Now , how can we actually start shading shading using a pencil is a pretty easy concept , but it actually takes practice and time to master .

It requires controlling the pressure you put on the pencil .

And basically the more pressure you use , the darker the pencil marks and the less pressure you use , the lighter the pencil marks .

And there are actually two tricks I personally like to use , which I found to be very beginner friendly .

Number one is to layer , this allows you to build up your pencil marks to achieve darker shadows .

But also if you're a beginner and you're unsure about shading and where to add shading layering means you haven't actually committed to any dark pencil marks which can be very hard to erase .

So this method is a lot more forgiving .

And like I said , beginner friendly number two shade from dark to light to get better pressure control .

At least this works for me , it could work for you as well .

However , I do recommend finding what works for you , whether it's from dark to light or from light to dark , it doesn't really matter .

Now , let's actually shade the face .

I have two demonstrations on screen .

So you're able to see how I use all the information I just mentioned .

I also start with the drawing of a face .

Um And then I add a light source , wherever I want it located , you can draw an arrow or a sun .

It doesn't matter as long as you remember the location of the light source .

So for this demonstration , I have decided to add the light source to the top left corner for both the faces .

And the first thing I do is look at the image as a whole , following the rule of location of light source equals bright area .

I know that the top left side of the face will be the bright area and the bottom right side is the dark area .

The next thing I do is look at the details which areas have height and are closer to the light source and which areas recess , for example , on the left side of the face , the inner corner of the eyes recess .

Therefore , even if it's located on the left side , it will be a dark area .

But because it's in the left side , it won't be as dark as the right side .

Other examples of dark areas are under the cheekbones and the jaw which actually tucks away under the chin .

Therefore , it is far from the light source .

Therefore , it is a dark area , however , consider reflected light as well .

So light often bounces off from the neck onto the bottom of the jaw .

Therefore , it kind of makes that edge a small bright area and it just adds a little bit of interest to your shading as well .

More dark areas include under the nose , the nostrils under the lips as well as inside the ears .

Also , um think of where there is an object blocking light because this creates a shadow , for example , the hair on the left side creates a small shadow onto the forehead .

So consider these areas that I just mentioned because the next thing I do is use this knowledge to add another layer on the right side to add variety and depth in the shading .

Once again , also consider which areas on the right side have height and therefore closer to the light source .

For example , the cheeks and under the brow have some height to them .

Therefore , even if they are located on the right side , they will be brighter than the rest of the right side .

But once again , they won't be as bright as the areas on the left side .

And once again , take note of objects that block out light such as the nose , which will cast a shadow onto the cheek , take note of surfaces that reflect light as well similar to what we just considered um on the left side of the face .

And this is how layering becomes really helpful because you're building things up and being cautious with how and where you add shading .

So as I shade these dark areas , I am putting more pressure onto the pencil and I start off dark , then I fade off by lessening the pressure gradually .

After that , I then let my instincts take control .

I normally don't let myself get glued to these rules .

Instead , they are guides and you can always add some leeway to them .

The next demonstrations take into consideration harsh light and diffused light .

And once again , I have decided on a location for my light source , which will be in two different locations one is at the top front of the phase and this is diffused light .

This type of light source is actually very common , especially when it comes to drawing pretty people .

The other light source is on the right center of the face and it will be harsh light kind of like being under the sun or having a lamp very close to the object .

This um type of light source is quite unflattering , but it can be very dramatic .

And again , I start with the whole face , make sure to determine which side is the bright area and which side is the dark area .

And then once that's done , I consider all of the details such as which areas have height , which areas recess , which areas are closer to the light source farther from the light source and which objects block out the light and which surfaces reflect the light .

Basically , I am applying the same knowledge from my previous demonstration into this one as well .

Just taking note once again the location of the light source and anything that applies to that .

Now , when thinking of diffused light versus harsh light and how that affects shading is pretty simple , diffused light is soft .

Therefore , the edges of the shadows are also soft , they gradually fade out .

And there's a very subtle distinction on where the bright areas end and where the dark areas begin .

So it is a smooth blend opposite to that is harsh light , harsh light is hard .

Therefore , the edges of shadows are also hard and this style can make your portraits look really dramatic , but it can run the risk of looking flat .

However , you can avoid this by adding tonal variation especially on the dark areas .

And it's just like my previous demonstration , you have to look at which details recess and then add layers accordingly .

And you can actually apply this technique for shading other objects such as clothing , hair and other body parts .

Um The key is to know the basic principles of light and the form of what you are drawing .

And in order to help with that , I highly highly recommend making observations if you notice a cool lighting situation , take a photo and identify which are the bright areas and the dark areas and why and you can do this exercise with reference images as well .

But I do recommend looking at things all around you .

Light affects pretty much everything around us .

So it'll be very easy to find something that can um inspire you to learn about lighting and shading .

So with observations , I do recommend to do studies of them draw what you see , use different media , definitely definitely practice a lot and experiment and of course have fun .

You can also apply this to coloring techniques .

Like I said , use any media of your choice .

You don't have to use just pencils .

And I actually challenge you to try this technique with water colors or markers or whatever media of your choice .

Once again , the key is to understand the basic principles of light and knowing the form of your object .

And I hope this tutorial helped and it wasn't too complicated .

I made sure to keep this as beginner friendly as possible and as simple as possible .

So if you do try this technique out , feel free to send me a photo of your drawing , I would love to see it .

And if you have any questions or if there's anything that confused you , which I do believe there might be some things that are confusing .

Please don't hesitate to ask me in the comment section below or send me ad M on Instagram .

I really love receiving um your messages of when you tried out my tutorial on how to draw the face or um how to draw hair , how to draw hands is just really nice to receive such lovely feedback from you guys .

So I would love to see if you try this method out as well .

I also have worksheets and additional resources in the description box to hopefully help you grasp this concept .

So feel free to use that to your advantage as well .

And that is it .

I hope that you liked this video .

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I am running calls on my channel all the time for what tutorial I should make next .

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My next tutorial will definitely be decided by you guys .

So keep a lookout for those calls as well .

And thank you so much for watching and I will see you in my next one .