Artist Daily offers a new free eBook on pencil shading techniques and modeling gradations.

Nov. 11, 2011 - PRLog -- This free eBook offers many tips and techniques that can help any artist learn to master the art of drawing realistic forms. Drawing substance and three-dimensional form can be an intimidating task, because an artist must become a master at modeling gradations. People no longer have to feel discouraged learning how to add substance and tone to their pencil drawings.

Download the free eBook online: http://www.artistdaily.com/Shading-Techniques

Whether drawing portraits, drawing landscapes or sketching for a painting, drawing shadows is the way to achieve perspective and depth in your compositions. There are expert tips from artist, Jon deMartin to explore in this free eBook that can guide anyone through proper pencil shading technique to achieve perspective and depth in their pencil drawings.

“Before modeling forms, it’s important to understand the concept of gradations,” says artist, Jon deMartin

Jon deMartin guides artists through his fundamental shading techniques:
-   How to make smooth gradations
-   How to relate surfaces to a light source
-   How to model an object
-   How to gradate the values appearing on a form in order to truly make a cylinder appear round

Part 1: Modeling Gradations

Modeling Value Gradations on a Curvilinear Solid

This free eBook focuses on how to add substance to pencil drawing.  The best place to start is by practicing modeling value gradations on a curvilinear solid - a form with round surfaces that curve in one direction no matter what its orientation. To create gradated values, parallel strokes are drawn next to one another with increased or decreased pressure with each succeeding stroke. Making smooth gradations running in a sequence from dark to light, then from light to dark is used to model cylinders or any form with rounded surfaces. Gradations going from dark to light to dark again, create the illusion of a cylinder.

Part 2: Planes and the Cylinder

Shading Techniques to Master Dimension

Although the cylinder is round, it is useful to break it down into its most basic planes to effectively model it. The artist has the capability to “smooth out” the planes by using gradations, but gradations are not enough to create the true curvature of the cylinder. This concept is better understood the subject is visualized from a bird’s-eye view. In a nutshell, the plane that faces the light most directly is always the brightest and most often the broadest.

Part 3: Modeling Form

Pencil Shading Tips to Model a Cylinder

Illustrations included in this eBook lay out the basic stages of modeling form. The first stage requires light and shadow with intentionally lighter values. Starting a drawing in this way enables an artist to make revisions early before advancing too far in the modeling. The second stage begins with making the shadows a little darker than before but still not at full strength. For the last phase, the same procedure is used to continually build the gradations in degrees, push the shadows to their true darkness, and intensify the illusion of form.

Download the free eBook online: http://www.artistdaily.com/Shading-Techniques

Source: Artist Daily, http://www.artistdaily.com

# # #

Artist Daily is the leading community for artists interested in any medium and subject matter. The free Artist Daily eNewsletter brings artists inspiration, first notice of events, new products, tips, and techniques.