Hello! Since @wolfsune09 asked how i make my shading and all that i decided to make a little tutorial on my shading style! (I draw in Clip Studio Paint)
Also english is not my fist language so i'm sorry if i make any mistakes or say weird sentences!
So let's start with brushes:
The brushes i mainly use are The Calliflakes brush, Soft square brush, and the regular Turnip pen and Design pencil from Clip studio
These brushes are like, MY LIFE i love them so much dfjsdbfhbsdb
Anyway, the drawing i'm making is a screenshot redraw of a homestuck panel because i can
Anyway after the sketch i make the shading plans, they are really important and will basically dictate if the drawing will be good or not
always make sure the light direction is the same throughout or else it will look lackluster, think about the character in they're primary forms(head is a square, torso is also a square, nose is a piramid etc.)
Now is the real kicker, plan the reflective light (i can't explain it really well so researching it is a better option)
I like to see the light sources with their correct blending modes before drawing to check if the colors look ok
In the end, the objective is to make it so the drawing still holds up without the sketch, if the light makes the pose readable, it's all good to go
Finally, it's time for the lineart, i made the Calliflakes's brush change in size depending on the tilt, this is great for a dynamic lineart and a crunchy look
I usually use three sizes in the lineart, the main size, a medium size to make more detailed parts, and a smaller one for when i need even smaller details, tho it's good to use it sparingly since it might make the drawing look unbalanced
Also, i usually don't use black in my drawings, mostly because of the shading process
Now it's time for the flats! This part is pretty simple, this ios also the part where i paint the lineart, i ONLY paint parts that are INSIDE the silhouette, mostly to make everything blend more and also becuase i like it :)
Alright now for the part you came here for, the shading! Alright, remember the shading plan? Use that as a base for the actual shading.
First, since this drawing is in a dark place, i grouped the whole drawing in a folder, then made a multiply layer with the color closest to the original image, then i clipped it to the folder(this is a very common thing here)
(I didn't shade the eye since it is the main point of focus of the drawing)
Now let's see it with the lighting plan
Now let's talk soft squares and design pencils
The way i shade with the soft square is that i make it mostly cell shaded, then i come with the same brush but transparent, and i VERY CAREFULLY make circular motions to erase part where i want the shading to make a gradient effect, the key to a good shading job is balancing the sharp shadows with the soft ones
Now with hair, i use the design pencil, i basically just make a bunch of close streaks, almost like painting with a paint brush, after that i make streaks with the same pencil but transparent, making variations in lenght so it looks natural and organic
Alright time for the first shade pass, this one is for the more general shadows, so it won't look that dynamic
Now you can see where the shadows are lacking and make the second pass to deepen the shapes
(P.S: all these layers are the same color, they are in multiply mode)
Alright time for the star of the show! The lights!!!
Using the shading plan i refined the shapes and put it on the add(glow) mode, a good tip i have for this stage is to make shapes shapes shapes! Also remembering that the farther the thing is, the least bright it will be.
Oh my! That changes the whole vibe!
Now i saw the hair was a little boring looking, so i added an extra layer of airbrush to make it more dynamic
Actually fuck it, time for some finger tip smudge
Alright, now it's time for the reflected light, make sure it's not too bright unless it looks like a second light source, also this layer is in glow dodge mode!
We could say it's done as it is...
BUT NOT BEFORE THE COLOR DODGE
It looks so muck better now! But that's not all!
Now that we have this beautiful boi, it's time for the finishing touches! These make ALL the difference in the drawing
Well now it's my favorite part... the FUCK AROUND AND FIND OUT part!
This is where you add all the textures and special effects! I like mostly using a noise filter (so AI can't steal my stuff) and achromatic aberration, also adding some ashes and a nice metal texture in the background to make it nicer looking
Now, this is technically finished, but if you want to go the extra mile, you can do some color correction, i like doing it to give more contrast, also to make the piece more balanced, i also added some extra details on the eye and a blur last minute
As you can see my process is a little all over the place, but that's the fun part of drawing for me! It's always an adventure where you never know how it's going to end!
Anyway hope this helped at least a little!
