How to Cel Shade: Avoid These Common Mistakes!
This is part one of a multi-part digital shading tutorial series; Instructor Jessie explains the ✔️ Do's and ❌ Don'ts' of Cel Shading (also known as Toon Shading). This is "How to Cel Shade 101". She briefly explains the differences between cel (using blocks of shadow) and soft shading (gradients, blending shadow) and then dives into how to place shadows based on the shape of the object and how proximity and size affect the length and need for shadows. She'll also give you some insight into adding bounce light and occlusion shadows to further enhance your artwork.
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🕓 Timestamps:
0:00 - What is Cel Shading?
0:05 - History of "Cel Shading"
0:37 - Where to Place Your Cel Shadows
3:45 - Understanding Shadows are a Shape, not a Line
4:16 - How Proximity & Size Change the Shadow
6:28 - Cel shading is a Simplification of Shadow!
7:13 - Can I include Bounce & Subsurface with Cel Shading?
8:54 - What Topic would YOU like us to cover next?
#wingedcanvas #arttutorial #artnerds #artschool #celshading #celshade #digitalart #digitalshading #digitaldrawing #digitaldrawings #digitaldraw #levelupyourlife #digitalartwork #howtocelshade #drawings #drawingskill #drawingskills
My experience with “I can only soft shade I don’t know how to cel shade”, is that no matter what it feels unfinished and I can’t just leave it unfinished.
That's so common, it takes a lot of mental practice to be able to take that leap when you're used to doing it a specific way. Maybe a combination would work well for you.
Real
Same! I'm actually practicing the habit now and get used to it, I have to since it'll be easier to animate
For me it’s cause I don’t feel confident in soft shading, plus I’m lazy lol
it's easy you just have to be lazy and then you'll want to do less work, I've gotten good at this skill.
“Shadows are shapes, not lines” haha thank you that shot needed to hit my artwork lol.
WE STILL LOVE YOU!! Haha, when you know - it makes it easier to take the next step! You've got this.
Yeah, I seriously needed to hear that 😭
We got your back!@@rosalyng2626
now i know why my arts sometimes look kinda off, thank you for this !
Yess!! The more you know, the better you get. You got this!!
These tips were actually useful, thank you. I'll keep them in mind when i learn light and shadow. Cause let's be honest, if we don't know how to draw shadows, both soft and cell shading will look bad
Exactly! We've got a lot of other videos on light and shadow too, if you're interested and haven't had a chance to check those out yet. kzhead.info/sun/ltynXZZ_qn1_l40/bejne.html Oh also, our upcoming livestream! Improve your art with better shadows! kzhead.info/sun/nN1sodVwnF9rnnk/bejne.html
Literally perfect timing, I needed to figure this stuff out for my portfolio lol
PERFECT TIMING!! That's awesome. We've got some really good Summer Intensives coming up if you're looking for some extra help perfecting that portfolio! www.wingedcanvas.com/summer-intensive-art-camp-for-teens You might also enjoy our portfolio advice playlist, with tons of tips for crafting a portfolio! kzhead.info/channel/PLUqm7Uq0GjEC7TN8FOrmQIwZxHGqzSpPp.html
Of course I get a cel shading video halfway through my first cel shading project.
This reminds me of the inking step when comics were still hand-drawn
Yess!
Somehow out of everyone I’ve ever listened to (tips for art) you are the ONLY person who’s actually stuck to my head other people either stretched the explanation out to much and made too much going on and everything to difficult to fully understand but you make things short and simple and explain why things need to be the way they are and tips within the tips I know some of that will not make sense
It all makes perfect sense and glad to hear! Thank you. :'D
I love how she makes this fairly easy to understand, she explains everything so well :}}}
You guys must be psychic this is just what I was needing, thanks for the help it’s super useful!!!!!!❤
Our pleasure! Glad we could vibe with you!
Thank you. It is so much easier to learn HOW to do something if I know WHY it's done that way.
Glad it was helpful!
You can also use a single color for a shadow (light purple) and click multiply on a layer. Though I don't know if thats still a good idea or not.
Light purple shadow for that extra touch of magic, I like your style!
@@Wingedcanvas But is it a good idea, or bette to just use regular colors? Also what is the best color number for said light purple?
It doesn't have to be good or bad. You get to decide what you want for your art, and if the purple gives the vibe you want, then do it like that; but if you want a different vibe in your art then try using "normal" methofs, or even changing the purple for a warm color like red. There is no limit! It's your art, your message and your idea 💖 If you want to figure out what suits you better then you can make a drawing and duplicate it a few times and make it smaller, and shade each duplicate in a different way. Or just make the drawing and do different shading in different layers.
Light purple is a good neutral color not too cold or warm (being between blue, a cool color, nd red, warm color), so it's a good default shadow if you're doing something simple, like a character portrait or drawing without an explicit light source or background! It's better than grey, and so many people use grey, so I like the way you think~ But if you want a more complex answer to think about, light and environment (surfaces the light bounces off of) also play a role in both light and shadow color. If you have a monitor shining blue far away toward the shaded area of your character, it might tint your shadow slightly more blue. Likewise, if your character is in a sunset, your character might be illuminated by warmer colors all around, even in the shaded areas, or alternatively, the shaded areas might be more cool if the sunset is far away and night is creeping in. Sometimes you can even choose colors based not on reality, but on what "feel" you want. Warmer colors tend to "feel" brighter and happier, or sometimes evoke anger or determination. Cooler colors bring a sad, somber, soft and/or calm tone to an illustration, and thus, might suit the drawing as a whole. Either way, the choice of color you shade with will depend heavily on the context of your illustration. There is no one way to choose the color of your shading. Base your choices on your illustration's needs and your conscious narrative intent as the illustration's author. And if you just want to do something simply, make it simple and default to light purple!
Thankyou for the simplification my brain can't really process big words
Eyy this is really helpful!! I really suck at shading so this helps a lot!! Im glad i found this!
We've got some other shading videos you might enjoy, too like: 7 Tips to Shade Like a Pro kzhead.info/sun/ltynXZZ_qn1_l40/bejne.html
@@Wingedcanvas ooh ty!
yooo tennis ball profile pic
Omg!! You don't know how grateful I am that this tutorial appeared in my recommendations! I always hated trying to shade my drawings with cel shading because it felt like it was being done wrong or something was missing. But now I have a new perspective on this technique and I can't wait to try using it again!✨💕
Yooo 2 days till starting gang
IT STARTED!! Did you enjoy it?
I’m excited! I love learning from your channel ❤
Awesome! Thank you! We love helping you learn!
Thank you so much for the tutorial
This is literally the best cel shade tutorial I've seen, TYSM for helping us all with this (and for not making the tutorial a whopping 30mins lol)!
Thank you so much!! Glad we could help.
thank you for this video!
I find this indeederously very helpful, tysm for making the vid :D
Thank you so much for the tips!! Ive been doing cell shading for a while but this has helped me so much!!
Glad we could help!
Omg thank u thank u so well and simply explained! This helped a lot🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Waiting waiting, it may take a while but I'm waiting
Omg thank you!!
i just lately started to experiment more with colors and gradients for my cel shading technique and for last few weeks now i started to experiment with core shadows and bounce lights and ohh boi how much life it gave into my art! I was always too afraid to play with colors and shading, even experimenting with different brushes and textures was a big tabu for me a few years back, but now im trying to not be such an overly detail oriented nitpicker...though i still struggle with the detail nitpicking part lmaooo
You started to point out the first mistake, and I was like, "nooooooo!! I know where she's going with this, and I'm guilty of doing it!!" This is so helpful, though.
❤ will watch !
This is a good one, hope you enjoy!!
Omg thank you SO MUCH this helped me alot!
Glad it helped!
Felt called out at 02:07 hahaha but in a good way. Love the look of cel shading and I need to practice more!
great one this can help me
I realy like these kinds of vids, keep up the good work!
Glad you like them! Thanks for the feedback and appreciate your support.
Awesome and very informative video! My current struggle right now is I'm crossed between going more "painterly" or more "manga/comic booky" with my art style. I'm currently working a "hybrid" style which has some areas soft shaded while other areas are cel shaded but I don't know what I truly want to commit to.
thank you, that was very helpful, especially the parts about not shading if it's not needed
Glad to hear that!
Your video came at such a good time omg-
Yess!! We aim to please. Hope it helps.
Thank you :)
I've been drawing digitaly for maybe 10 years now and it was nice for this refresher. I sometimes forget the concept of cell shading, adding smooth shading. And sometimes overdo it at times, when you mentioned to not do unnecessarily shade. I'm guilty ^^;
i typically use both a cell shading layer and a gradient. The gradient will be a clipping mask of the shading color on the base color. Then my shading layer is a higher cell shading clipping mask. Sometimes I'll turn on multiply if i feel like it on the cell shading layer
Oh that's really coincidental and interesting, did you see our newest video? kzhead.info/sun/ZdKmh5ilqaF9qo0/bejne.html
thank you!
You're welcome! Hope it helps.
im so emberassed... i did line shading @x@ thankyou!
thanks :D
This video called me out in 5 different languages
Seems useful, my art looks way too flat.
Understandable, we've got some free arts education livestreams coming up soon that you might get some use out of!
what color the shadow should be and the need for a shadow are where i struggle with cel shading.
So u mean this whole time ive been cel shading? xD thanks for this btw
thanks a lot
Glad to be of service!!
I’ve been cel shading my whole life without even realising 💀💀
This helps I try to use a blend of both types of shadows so knowing how cell shade works specially the bounce light helps a lot. I also have a request can you do a tutorial on how to do clothes' folds I know you probably did one before but can you like go into details with it? It would really help me and many others. Thanks for the time!
Thanks for sharing!! Clothing folds: The Secret to Drawing Clothing Folds: kzhead.info/sun/lJWIYbOJnp53aq8/bejne.html 🔴 How to Draw CLOTHING FOLDS kzhead.info/sun/e6mig6yAeGepmYU/bejne.html
OH Thank you so much!!!@@Wingedcanvas
OH WAIT THIS WAS 25 MINUTES AGO?
WAS IT!? Well it was 4 hours ago now, but yeah something like that! Lol
@@Wingedcanvas i thought this was uploaded days ago ngl
We set it to premiere days ago, but it just went live today!@@TotaIIyAdam
@@Wingedcanvas makes sense
Hii! The video is really good at breaking down the basics of cell shading! I have a question tho: If I wanted to learn more about Bounce and subsurface shading/lighting where would be a good place to start/Are there other videos on this channel that mention the topic? I didn’t entirely understand what it was supposed to be but it sounded interesting from what I did understand
We sure do! I'd start here, but we have a bunch of videos on this topic. 7 Tips to Shade Like a Pro kzhead.info/sun/ltynXZZ_qn1_l40/bejne.html
THANK OYU
No, thank YOU.
@@Wingedcanvas ah! I stand corrected
Can you show a tutorial on how to draw emotionally investive scenes? Kinda like a scene in a comic that makes the emotion very clear.
Grrr Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie post it NOWWW 😤😤😤 Jk I can wait 😂
I can't!!! It's soo gooood.
funny how my "normal shading" is cel shading and hearing her reffer to soft shading as ger normal shading is mind blowing
but this actually taught me something very important
Hello.. Thank you so much for the video..I currently learn about cel shading and your video help me a lot..😊 But I still stugle how to cel shading a hair..😅 Can you teach us about Hue Shifting in next video ? Thanks 😊
7:01 I have a character with this exact feature haha :o
Could you persay use both in art? Like hard shadows would be cel and a soft light is soft shade? Or vice versa? I think I kinda work in both but more in cel shade. Very informative video anyways 👍👍👍
Yes and yes!
Hey, I was wondering how you make your character talk when you talk on strean? do you need a certain software or how is that done?
I want a hand tutorial. Most of all, thumbs. They’re SO hard to draw
Just so happens we have a lot of those, try one or all of these: kzhead.info/sun/ZqiEe9GZZKCpqp8/bejne.html kzhead.info/sun/n6yKeMmLeYqooYE/bejne.html kzhead.info/sun/g7mnebeHo5R7m3A/bejne.html kzhead.info/sun/q8Zqksd_hKCaZmg/bejne.html
couldn't be bothered to shade, just removed the light source and now I don't have to do any shading at all the image is pitch black but I'm sure it's fine
IT'S FINE, EVERYTHING'S FINE, NOTHING TO SEE HERE. :jessie_wheeze:
I have a question how do you create characters with unnatural features and not obsess over whether they’ll be relatable/marketable to people? Giant eyes, no nose, receding hairline, no chin, etc? I struggle with different art styles because I obsess over how different to realism they are and whether they’re cute or relatable or marketable, whatever I’m going for? Your characters can break all the “rules” of human features and I’m jealous 😅
also how would i do the same for the core shadow? when would i choose between core shadow/subsurface?
This is an on-going series, make sure you're subscribed and have the bell rung to get notified when we release the next one!
hello! i wanted to ask what are the best colors for shadows and highlights? i've been stuck on that and it's honestly breaking my mind
It all depends on your illustration, check this video out: kzhead.info/sun/ltynXZZ_qn1_l40/bejne.html
hello i have a question about subsurface scattering where the shadows are outlined with a color, how do you go about picking the color? do you colorpick from the shadows or light family? do you hue shift warm or cool? and do you increase saturation?
Great questions, I think these videos might help you! We have a bunch more in our shading series too, I'll link our full playlist if you're interested. kzhead.info/sun/aMOycZiPgHWGo4U/bejne.html kzhead.info/sun/ZbJ7oMZxbatpmp8/bejne.html kzhead.info/channel/PLUqm7Uq0GjED2wTEjuu7mMSGPZIzTQmXg.html
two big problems i have with cel shading is 1. how is a certain object, shape, person, creature, etc, is supposed to look like with the shading, like where do place the shading on whatever I'm drawing? (depending on light source) 2. if shadows are shapes, what shapes is the shading supposed to be for the area that I'm shading? both of these problems are connected, where am I supposed to place the shading and what shape is it supposed to take form? (this also applies to adding deeper shading) i've been searching on how I'm supposed to learn this for like a month or more, even watched this video a few time and really haven't gotten it yet, something is not clicking
The shadows shape follows the shape of the object the shadow is. You place the shading where the light is obstructed.
well, that is the problem im having, how do I follow the shadow shape to the object?, it becomes more difficult if you try to do it with clothing
How does the subsurface and bounce work exactly? I know the theory, but in practice it seems I never manage to get it right. And what are the proper colors to use for shadows? And is it better to shade with the same color on a multiply layer or shade each thing individually with specific colors? Sorry for the many questions, I just really struggle with all of this.
Our newest video might help you: kzhead.info/sun/ZdKmh5ilqaF9qo0/bejne.html
"A lot of people know how to soft shade but not cel shade or vise versa." Ha! I cant do either 😎
I think people have difficulty with doing both soft shading and celshading because soft shadows have a lot more subtlety to them, with having a gradience of lighter to darker shadows. There's generally never shadows in real life where there's 100% shadow and 100% no shadows. There's always gonna be an area of an object that has a certain percentage of light on it. Celshading, in contrast, is more about establishing a clear, hard line on what's shaded and what's not. When I've referenced real life photos to practice celshading on, it was difficult for me to know where to establish that hard cel line in translating softshading to celshading when the shadows on the ref is varied. Speaking for myself, celshading on original art is simpler because it's easier for me to BS it and still look "fine" for most eyes. Softshading requires a more intuitive understanding of light and shadow or else the artwork can more easily fall into the uncanny valley.
Great I see shadows differently now. EVERYTHING IVE DONE BEFORE SUCKS 😂
I love cel shading. It has a timeless look. Games with cel shading in the early 2000's still hold up whereas the games that tried to look more realistic have aged.
highlights please
Got called out geez lol
I always have trouble with rendering my art. I work on it for hours, then get stumped and delete everything, then just go back to cel shading.
I'm recommending this video a lot today too, 7 Tips to Shade Like a Pro kzhead.info/sun/ltynXZZ_qn1_l40/bejne.html It's got some added tips for just rendering in general.
Wait. I do that. I didn’t even know it was called that I kinda do a mixture of the cell and I think soft shading
How can I choose the colour of the subsurface scattering ,do I just choose it randomly? Sorry I’m a beginner
Check this video out: kzhead.info/sun/ltynXZZ_qn1_l40/bejne.html
1:50 nah aint no way she just draw a whole upper body like that in 5 second bruh,that sht gnna took me an hour 😭😭
You know I forget your actually a teacher
How to color/draw translucency
You came at the perfect time, we just put that video out: kzhead.info/sun/Y7tmf9uRe6WLioE/bejne.html
when i draw i always get these rlly cool ideas for drawings but then i get despired and make another idea, and apparently its cuz of insecurity i dont know whats goin on with me lol.
I know they're shapes, though I am guilty of using lines as shadows but even when I use shapes, i can just not make em look... right? Idk. It always looks off, I feel like if you're not deadly on point with them it's not gonna look right.
Hey, don't stress too much about it! Even Picasso had his off days with shapes. Just keep experimenting and having fun with your art. Practice makes perfect! As long as you keep honing your skills you'll get better at it. If you can shade, you can cel shade! There's also lots of tools out there that can help you better understand shadow. We've got some other videos that might help you with shading, in general, like: 7 Tips to Shade Like a Pro kzhead.info/sun/ltynXZZ_qn1_l40/bejne.html & Rendering Skin (Soft & Cel) kzhead.info/sun/iK5-ZsathF96rZE/bejne.html Are you in our Discord? (discord.gg/wingedcanvas) I've got a great resource available for shadows you can check out in my meet the team profile, if so. That's here: discord.com/channels/690309781919105035/1149548427475157023 It's in the Resources section.
@@Wingedcanvas I guess joining the discord wont hurt. It's not that I don't understand shadow really, afaik. It's really about it's shape and where to put it exactly. With boxes I can manage, a sphere too from time to time, but with complex organic shapes It just never looks right, I think it's the transitions between one form attached to the next or sum.
Honestly the thing for me is: 1. I cant pick a side whether to cellshade or softshade my art piece 2. Im very shy or scared to make a shadow "bigger than it needs to be"
There's merit to both options and you can even combine them (new video coming soon!?) If you're working digitally you can always shade on a different layer and adjust until you're happy! There's some cool tools online to help you better understand the size of shadows at different angles. discord.gg/wingedcanvas We've got some resources here, too.
OKAY BUT WHAT COLOURS DO I USEEEEEEEE-
:D
=)
I legit can't colour in general. I just leave it all as line art because my brain can't comprehend colours.
Did you know we've got a few videos on colour theory and colouring? Like How to pick colours: kzhead.info/sun/dpyuac2ZkKl3gXA/bejne.html
@@Wingedcanvas Oh awesome, I’ll have a look. Thanks!
You are certainly the queen of clickbait
We appreciate your feedback, even if it's a bit cheeky! If you can think of any specifics we'd love to get your thoughts.
This channel is woke BTW
What the f a cel shading🗣️🗣️🔥💯🔥💯🗣️🙏🙏
Ur pfp uses cell shading and an air brush
@@mrpickles-hb6zx nice. I didn't know what kind of shading technique I used lmao. I didn't even know there was different ways to shade
I needed this m8 🥲
YESSS!! Glad we could meet your needs. Hope this helps!