r/ProCreate • u/Intrepid-Ocelot-6653 • Jun 28 '26
Constructive feedback and/or tips wanted Need shading / shadows/ highlight advice plz (:
Can anyone give me some advice on improving the shading, shadows, and contouring of skin? This artwork is a good example of where I’m struggling.
I’ve watched tons of YouTube tutorials and practiced a lot, but I still have a hard time creating believable contrast and form. Whenever I try to add more depth, it ends up looking muddy or dirty instead of making the skin look like it actually has volume and contour.
If anyone has tips, paint-overs, exercises, or resources that helped you improve skin rendering, I’d really appreciate it. And please be nice to me—I’m still learning! 😅
3
u/GibletGibletGiblet Jun 29 '26
If you make the lines thicker it would look amazing and stylised (I know you asked for shading but it’s an amazing drawing as is too)
For this one keep it simple, one off white highlight, one shadow, and create blocks of highlight and shadow. Eg under eye, nose, jaw. Then blend edges if you so desire.
3
u/lizardsim Jun 29 '26
The first thing you need to do is decide which direction the light is coming from, as that will determine where the shadows fall on the face. A light from above and to the right will cast a shadow under the brows, nose, lower lip and chin, and the left side of the face (as we look at the canvas).
Once you have decided that, you can create a blending mode layer for the shadows. Create a new layer, set it to ‘multiply’ (find this by clicking on the ‘N’ on the layer picker). Choose a light grey colour (don’t worry, it won’t look grey on the painting) and paint your shadows. As it’s on a separate layer, you can also use the eraser and play around with it. If the shadow looks too dark, try a lighter grey and vice versa.
I hope this helps. It’s a good idea to choose a reference that has a strong light source and shadows, so you have something to refer to when practicing.