Shading Notes

Beginning Shading Exercise – Shade A
Ball
Fully shaded ball.

After the line drawing, it’s always gratifying to add realistic shading. Shading
makes the subject look three dimensional and solid. Learn how to shade a ball with this
easy technique.
Supplies
B or HB pencil 0r a No. 2 writing pencil.

Drawing paper marked “smooth” or “medium.”
Overhand Shading Pencil Grip

Before you Start – How to Hold the Pencil
Use an overhand grip for these exercises. Fill a sheet of scrap paper with broad marks
made with the side of the lead until you’re comfortable working with a pencil held this
way.
Gradated Shading Hatch

Gradated Shading Made With the Side of the Pencil
Using the same overhand grip to practice making gradated hatching like this.
 Using light pressure, make short back and forth motions with your pencil. Make the
hatch marks in the same direction but vary their length so that they’ll blend well as you
add more. (Make them between a 1/2 and 3/4 inches long.)
 Very important: Instead of pressing harder to create a darker value, go over the area
several times until it darkens.
Now Shade a Ball
Ball Shading Model

Line Drawing
Step One – Line Drawing
Quickly draw the ball and its shadow using an overhand grip with light pressure on the
pencil. Tip the pencil up on its point a bit, so that it makes a thinner line.
The overhand grip is a good one for drawing quickly but it’s not precise. You can see that
my ball and shadow aren’t perfect, and yours don’t have to be either for this shading
exercise to work. Just lightly draw a circle and try to get the shadow in about the same
position as in the photo.
First Shading
Step Two – First Shading
Using the same overhand grip, but lowering the angle of the pencil so that the full side of
the lead is on the paper, very lightly shade the entire ball.
Use short, back and forth hatching motions, all in the same direction, with a very light
pressure on the pencil.
The hatches should be between 1/2 to 3/4 inches long, so you’ll need to make three or
four passes across the ball to fill it completely.
Define Highlight
Step Three – Define Highlight
Define the main highlight, near the top left of the ball, by shading the area around it to a
slightly darker value.
The highlight’s edge is fuzzy and indistinct, so make the hatching surrounding it uneven
and the edges will look “soft”.
Lightly shade the rest of the ball again.
Shade Main Shadow

Step Four – Shade Main Shadow
Take time to look at the most obvious shadow on the ball and notice that it’s crescent
shaped. It starts at the right top of the ball, above the cast shadow, and it ends at the
bottom of the ball, near the left edge of the cast shadow. Shape the shadow as you shade
it in by making several passes over the area until it darkens.
To make sure the shading isn’t getting too dark, squint your eyes at your drawing and
compare it to the photo.
Darken the right side of the ball into a slightly lighter value than the shadow you just
shaded, being careful to leave the small reflected highlight at the bottom of the ball.
Add Subtle Shading

Step Five – Add Subtle Shading
To make the shading look more realistic, you’ll need to add the more subtle (or contour)
shadows. Squint your eyes at both the photo and the drawing again. Since this shading
method creates a rough texture, squinting your eyes will help you see it as smoother and
more unified.
To refine the shading over the entire ball, keep your eyes on the photo and only take
quick glances at the shading on your drawing as you work. You can compare the two
more easily this way. Use several light layers to gradually darken the shading until it
matches the photo.
Shade Cast Shadow
Step Six – Shade Cast Shadow
To add the cast shadow, first take the time to observe that the shadow is darker than the
ball at the bottom and is lighter than the ball near the top. Tip the pencil up on its point
so you can hatch in the small area of the shadow under the ball, and then lower its angle
again to gradate that value into the rest of the shadow.

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Beginning Shading Exercise – Shade A

Fully shaded ball.

B or HB pencil 0r a No. 2 writing pencil.

Overhand Shading Pencil Grip

Gradated Shading Hatch

Now Shade a Ball

Ball Shading Model

Lightly shade the rest of the ball again.

Shade Main Shadow

Add Subtle Shading

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