What is "pillow shading"?

[CAOMouse]

• Somebody said I have "a really bad case of pillow shading". Is it a bad thing? If yes, how can I avoid it?

[Humbug]

I believe it means that your shading doesn't follow a light source and you just shade around your lineart which just makes your art look fuzzy and undefined. How you can avoid it is to look up lighting references and how it casts shadows.

A quick way on how I reference shadows is I have an action figure and a doll head and I just hold it to the light to see where the shadows falls.

[HGohwell]

It's not necessarily a bad thing. It depends on the rest of your style and the piece you're using it in. It's always good to experiment and push yourself and learn how to do other styles of shading, but if you pillow shade because you want to, that's your choice. It falls into the same category as art teachers and snobs telling you that anime/cartoon style isn't real art. And the only real answer for avoiding or improving is practice and references like everything else.

[CAOMouse]

So......
Changing to other type of shading will significantly improve my art?
Is it worth the effort to change?

[CAOMouse]

I wonder if readers really pay attention to light source, I have never realized my art has problem with light source that called pillow shading.
Is it just me or no one really care about light source, pillow shading when they read comics?

[skicoak]

Is it just me or no one really care about light source, pillow shading when they read comics?

Understanding when to utilize strong light sources is a valuable tool to have in your toolbox.

Because of the way most of us are wired, the the visual play between light and shadow can be used to create strong moods and emotionally charged atmospheres for the scenes to play out in.

[Humbug]

Is it worth the effort to change?

That is entirely up to you, if you're just drawing for the fun of it you don't have change anything.

However, instead of fuzzy shading all around the character, you could just do sharp shadows on certain parts of the body, or you could not shade at all! The latter is most certainly an option for simple cartoony styles.

Is it just me or no one really care about light source, pillow shading when they read comics?

By and large most people don't notice these things, only people with general knowledge of art do.

[Kelheor]

Different shading can give a very different effect really.
It is definitely worth the effort to learn how you can do something differently

[HGohwell]

It depends, honestly. I mean look at at anime for example. A lot of the time it has very basic ambient shading. But, a well timed moment or scene of dramatic lighting can do a long way. Understanding shading can add a lot of emphasis when you need it most. Most manga as well, because it mostly black and white tones, will take it easy on any real shading, but one or two dramatically lit panels can make all the difference. Its one of those things that you should have for when you need it. Better to know how to use it and not need it, than let not knowing how leave a moment flat.

[sushy00]

I never heard of pillow shading before, guess I learnt something new! Picking a light source is something I forget sometimes when there is not a clear light source oops xD

[Iris-Grimoire]

When in doubt, use light on top. The best thing to avoid pillow shading is to never get confused on what exactly needs shading and it's something you can plan with thumbnailing ahead of time. And, as a bonus, light on top is extremely common because of the sun, ceiling lights, reflections, etc, and still creates distinct drop shadows.

Honestly in comics, pillow shading is hardly a worry, but the more complex the picture is the more it stands out like a sore thumb. Just like a pillow is soft and randomly bounces light, an object that should have a particular type of shading is also going to look like it's made out of the wrong material. It's always safer to pick slight light sources just to place everything in a composition.

[IndigoShirtProd]

I feel as consistency in shading is very important in characterizing a scene and informing the reader of the mood. The artwork is also part of the story, and so it plays a role in informing the reader. The main issue I have with airbrush or "pillow" shading is that it muddles and blurs the image to a point where it's hard to decipher different shapes from one another. I'm not saying there is not a place for softer shading, I'm just saying real life doesn't have only soft edges. Even if you're drawing a more cartoony style, replicating real life lighting can help ground the art in reality and five some believability. Also a consistent light can also be important in orienting the reader in the scene. If the light whips around the characters for no reason, sure most people might not notice but others will and that might alienate them. Or they may question your skills.

While you may not find an issue with your shading style now, you should still consider trying new things to better your art skills.

[DokiDokiTsuna]

I really wanted to post an example of using pillow shading on a person, but I've found that (and I swear this isn't a humblebrag) I don't really know how to shade 'wrong' anymore. =/

It's probably because my style is so simplistic; basically what I do is take things that look like pillow shading (or other amateurish methods) and tweak them into nice-looking things. ^^' So 'wrong' and 'right' are a little too close together for me, I guess...this is the best I could come up with:

...Using an actual pillow, of course, because that's how someone else explained it to me. You might notice that the "wrong" pillow doesn't actually look * that * bad...everything is relative; even the "grossest" art style choices can work well in the right context.

If you're doing a simplistic western-cartoon style thing with organic-looking line art, pillow shading could be exactly what you need to drive the point home.

However, if you're doing sharp, shiny vector-lined anime-styled art, pillow shading is going to destroy your aesthetic. =/ You need to put the time in to learn a style that will complement the art that you're trying to do. Don't settle for less just because you assume the layman won't notice (the layman notices a lot more than you think they do, especially when comparing your art to others').

[frgmnt]

This (made by Phaisty) explains it pretty well I think:

(well, Doki kinda beat me to post it )
Is it worth changing? I'd say, yes; not many people are going to notice if your light sources are a bit inconsistent, but all-around "pillow" shading without any identifiable light source does make art look flat and less convincing.

I think pillow shading occurs when you don't really understand how the 3D form of the object you're drawing works. Once you learn how to see it in 3D, shading becomes kind of an intuitive process because you can tell how light will interact with it. I don't know what I could recommend for practicing this, other than drawing from reference a lot, focusing on trying to understand how the lighting and form work.
Of course, with complex forms like hair, fabric, etc. it can be hard to figure out and I am still commonly failing these myself

[indagold]

I think its just the name for newbies who don't get how light works so they add shadows everywhere and it ends up looking like the character is made outta jello.

Easiest way just draw from life, understand how light effects different materials and shapes.

[SynCypher]

Salutations!

I just read through your comic to get an idea of the "Pillow Shading" that you talk about here. First off, I want to say that you have a cartoony light-hearted style that, funny enough, is perfect for playing with different kinds of shading. It's also an enjoyable style that works well with the comedic tone you've established so, those two things play off each other well. The "Pillow Shading" that you've been doing isn't terrible and it does give your work a little depth, but with your backgrounds being mostly gray barring the occasional full-background scenes, the shading doesn't do what shading is meant to: give your character's a sort of pop and your atmosphere emotion (that is to say, evoking emotion in a reader).

That being said, it doesn't make your work bad or something like that, it just means that with a few fun additions, you can take what really works about your comic up a notch and sure up any places you feel you need to. The best part about all of this, is that it happens on your time-frame. You can take your time, experiment with different things and see what you like. I've got a tutorial here that not only shows the basics, but has several posts and links on the matter at the bottom to help you find more resources while providing a basic run-down of shading principals. There's also this video here that can show the value (no pun intended!) in shading with regards to making the art pop:

I'd recommend learning more about shading and lighting just to enhance your repertoire of skills and then use them as you see fit. Your comic could really benefit atmospherically from shading. It could also really benefit from more varied backgrounds so the shading has a bit of an establishing scene, and your audience knows where it's coming from. When I read your comic through, every time you had a background to show off, it was lovely. They're bright, interesting, and I think sharing more of that would really help build the atmosphere of the work and put your clever ideas out there more visually as well.

Your premise sounds like a lot of fun to play with so, just remember to have fun with it yourself! Try things and see how you feel about them. Hah trust me I know EXACTLY how painstaking lighting can become. Every time I learn new tricks and realize how much longer it's going to take me to do a weekly update, I get a little nervous. But I try it out and sometimes it works really well! (I'm stuck in a never-ending night scene right now so, I can't wait to transition into day haha! I actually DO keep a sun/moon calendar for my comic so I know what time it is at all times and adjust shading/lighting accordingly. I don't think you're going to have to get THAT in-depth with it lol but, I just wanna let you know, I understand the sheer amount of work it can become haha) At the end of the day it's all up to you how you want to do anything so, while I've offered advice and some resources here, you're not obligated to take it haha! Just know that, if you're ever looking for resources you can find tutorials on youtube, online in general, for just about anything! I hope I was helpful and I wish you luck with your work! Your comic is really fun and up-beat and I hope you enjoy the adventure as well!

Cheers!

[Darth_Biomech]

By and large most people don't notice these things, only people with general knowledge of art do

Wrong. They do notice, they just don't know the term.

Is it worth the effort to change?

Well, if you don't want to become better at drawing or improving your comic - not really.

[Kiweevil]

Don't sweat it, it's an easy fix and I think you've got the skills to learn it quickly. Remember that shapes cast shadows, so there should be shadows cast on your objects and characters from things like clothes folds, chins, objects they're holding, etc. I'm not perfect at it yet but I've gotten to the point where I can reasonably draw highlights and shadows without reference.

Here's some sh​tty examples but what I have on my phone at the time. You can google shading for much better examples