Just some tips on shading with traditional art tools, particularly soft shading with pencil-crayons because that's what I use to colour...and I normally do soft shading.
Tips For Both Cel-Shading and Soft Shading
-Don't use just one colour for all the shading in one area. Shading with multiple colours add dynamics and a more 3D feel.
-Black isn't the only colour that can be used for shadows. Use hues darker than the base colour sometimes.
-Don't "trace" when creating shadows...in other words, don't make the ends of a shadow parallel to your lineart. That's not how natural things are shaped...example...for a person with thin cheekbones, there would be shadow on their cheeks, but you don't do the trace method, right? Add some depth and variation.
-Create a mood. I either do gradient shading (which looks on the flatter side) or dramatic shading (eg. Mona Lisa...I mean look at the shadows around her face!). Sunny days have higher contrast, so the shadows are darker than in darker scenes. Sure, the lighting can be dramatic (eg. Judith Slaying Holofernes), but in real life, the contrast is lower. Look around yourself in the night, and you'll see.
One-colour shading that doesn't pop out.
Multiple-colour shading...see the difference in the hair and the skin? Well, for the skin it isn't noticeable...but I used Prismacolor colours light peach (light tones), peach (medium), and beige sienna (dark tones...aka shadow razz ). Oh yeah...sorry about the pic sizes...I have a higher screen resolution than the common 1024x768....
Cel-Shading Tips
-I don't really know how to explain this, but work in "blocks". You can use multiple colours for one shadow (eg. red, then blood red for darker parts, but you don't blend), but I think that's ugly. It's just me, though. In anime, often it's one colour per shadow.
Soft Shading Tips
-Use blendy media of course heart B pencils, charcoal, Prismacolor Premier pencil-crayons....
-DON'T USE STUMPS TO BLEND. They leave these scratches on your paper. Use colourless blenders, but using them too much in the same area might leave it waxy. (But for pencils, I use my fingers xP)
-For charcoal and chalky media, use a kneadable eraser to blend.
-When I colour/shade, I start with the darkest parts, gradually pressing softer and softer as I get to lighter areas. Then I add additional colours. But you can also do layering...what I mean by that is: start by shading lightly in the entire area, and after that, shade darker only where you need to.
That's all folks~ Maybe I'm missing some other things I know though >>; Well byebyes!
-Hedge IX
