- Shading takes a few steps and the complexity depends on how much detail an object has, but I do the same rough steps every time. I often set the lineart color to a dark purple and place it on multiply, then merge that to the base and add shading on top of it all. But this example allows for the lines to be left untouched, which allows you to recolor the base freely.
After having a base + lineart:
- 1. New layer clipped to Base. Set to multiply. I prefer to use purples and pinks for shadows. Using the airbrush, place down a general direction of the light source.
2. Use the eraser to cut out the spots where the light hits.
3. Paint in the darkest shadows and detail spots. Go back and forth with the airbrush, soft eraser, hard eraser, and brush to get the desired texture.
4. New layer clipped on top of shading layer set to overlay. Use light source color and the airbrush. Go over with normal brush to add brighter highlight spots.
5. Add a final layer on top of everything set to Add to color in the hot spots (brightest points).
