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Shading

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  • Member since
    November 2005
Shading
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 6:33 PM
Sorry, another beginner question. I have not heard of any method of shading that makes sense, except for this one. I found it on another web site and wondered if it is a good idea.

Wash the figure
Paint all upper surfaces white
Paint all lower surfaces black
cover with actual color (i.e. olive drab)

By upper and surfaces, it means the top of a curve, the part you would see from above the figure, and viced versa for the lower surfaces.

Any feedback/suggestions are greatly appreciated, I'm just trying to make sense of proper figure painting.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 6:38 PM
Here is what I do, others might disagree.

1.) Mix a batch of the colour.
2.) Mix 2 new colours by brightening/darkening the overall colour.
The darker colour can be thinned and used as a wash.
The lighter colour can be used for dry-brushing the raised areas.

Depending on the figure and scale I might mix multiple shades of the "colour" and apply them in layers.

IMHO, I have seen many figures where the shading was too overdone and distracted from the figure.
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: A Spartan in the Wolverine State
Posted by rjkplasticmod on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 7:52 PM
It depends a lot on what medium you are painting in. Acrylics, Enamels & Oils all use different techniqes for shading. The process you describe is equivalent to the Pre-shading on aircraft. It can work OK, but if you lay on a heavy coat of color the effect can be easily lost. I try & paint using the inside out technigue. Darker shade on the inside, lighter shade on the outside, with the darker to lighter blended so that it looks natural.

Regards, Rick
RICK At My Age, I've Seen It All, Done It All, But I Don't Remember It All...
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 19, 2005 12:35 AM
Thank you for your answers. Do you know of any sites that outline this process in detail? Thanks.
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by ajlafleche on Wednesday, January 19, 2005 2:34 PM
Go here: http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/ Choose English by clicking on the Union Jack the choose model color from the drop down menu. Scroll to the bottom and there's an excellent tutorial which is printer friendly.

A good way of determining where the shadows should be is to hold the figure under a strong single source light. Look at where the shadows naturally fall and appy the shading colors there.

Remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 19, 2005 4:53 PM
Thanks for the tips.
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