3 Tips for Shading Light Values

Light-handedness, or the ability to draw and shade lightly, is an essential skill that we use throughout the entire drawing process. It can also be one of the more challenging skills to develop! In the video below, I present three tips for shading light values, and developing light-handedness.


Develop smooth shading skills in my Intro to Smooth Shading in Graphite course!
Access the course in the Drawing Decoded membership. 


What you will learn in Intro to Smooth Shading in Graphite:

  • gain dexterity and control of your pencil, so that you can shade subtle, realistic values
  • learn and practice smooth shading techniques
  • get to know the graphite pencil grades so that you can intuitively reach for the right one for your drawing scenario
  • learn to draw a value scale
  • learn to draw smooth gradations
  • learn what causes 'scratchy' values and how to fix them
  • discover the elements of light and shadow on form
  • find out keys to realistic shading
  • learn how to simplify, analyze and organize values (and why that is so important!)
  • discover new blending tools (characteristics, misconceptions, and best practices)
  • practice creating depth and dimension with edges
  • in two more upcoming modules, learn to shade believable, basic forms (such as a the sphere in the video above)


Access Intro to Smooth Shading in the Drawing Decoded Membership!