Lemma Soft Forums

Hello everyone.

I have here my own pastel art, and i was questioning if the shading is fine, needs more shading, or maybe a bit plain..
I made this last month ago actually.
Ive been searching up some pastel colors actually haha.
So what is the better shade for this one? Should it be... airbrush.. watercolor... just a plain brush...? Or maybe other brushes to make it good for shading.
Other than that, what do you think of my own style? Please let me know if there is a mistake and what is better to make it more enhanced. ^_^

Thanks.

I like your color choices and your style. Its nice to see something fresh.

I recommend air brush for shading, but for your style you might want to play around with brushes and find one that fits. Maybe a crayon texture brush?

I think the shading is fitting for this style! With pastel, the darker shading around the line art makes the main color pop.

I notice that the eyes have a really pretty shading in particular, specifically the gradient with the white highlights--if you wanted to try something more detailed maybe you could apply it to the character's hair and clothes? Airbrush tends to have a soft look that goes well with pastel but I would practice with the different brushes. Each have their own purpose so it's up to you!

You definitely have a good start with your shading, and the colors you're picking are helping you keep that bright, colorful pallet which is a good thing! Lots of promise here and a very cute design too.

I would say focus more on where shadows should fall, and why. Most pieces tend to do well when considering a light source and what direction it's coming from, and more than anything shading should help push the shapes of your characters and objects forward, rather than just be something you "need" to do because it's what you see in pictures. Even unrealistic shading can work as long as it serves a purpose.

For example, in this picture, instead of putting shading along both shoulders, instead try putting it lower on the shoulder where the rolled up sleeve meets the shoulder. This is often a place where the fabric bunches together, causing it to catch light and cast a shadow.
An example of where you're shading correctly would be the shading on the folds of the dress. Nice job!

As for what to use to shade, airbrush, watercolor, or plain brush all work fine, it depends on how harsh or how dim you want your light to be and is a style choice more than anything. (Harsh light = plain brush, harder edges, soft light = airbrush, softer edges, hope that makes sense!)

I hope this helps! Good luck and keep drawing-- this stuff will start to come more naturally the more you do it! Don't be afraid to look up some references just to get a good idea about shadows as well! You got this!

Thanks for all you, now that shadow makes to me, i better get a hang of this when i practiced more about shadows, thanks for all your advices!