Priya Kapoor
Cell shading, also known as cel shading, is a drawing technique that adds depth and a comic book-like style to an image. It is a fast and easy method, especially if you understand how shadows work. When using Paint Tool SAI, you can create a cell shading effect by first selecting a colour and drawing out the shapes you plan to shade. Next, copy the layer and colour over it with white. Then, select a darker colour and change the mode of the copied layer to Multiply. This will allow you to blend colours. To add more depth, you can repeat the process, adjusting the opacity of each new layer to be slightly lighter or darker. When shading hair, it is important to establish a light source and place shadows where the light doesn't reach. You can then use a small brush to add thin highlights, creating the appearance of individual strands.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Light source | Should be established at the start. Affects the placement of shadows. |
| Shading | Follow the flow of the hair. Use darker shades to make hair look shinier. |
| Blending | Set the 'Blending' setting of the brush to 8% to paint shadows and increase it to 100% to blend them. |
| Highlights | Use a very small brush. Highlights should be thinner than shadows. |
| Reflections | Use a small brush to create thin reflections that look like single hair strands. |
| Airbrush tool | Use at low opacity to brush areas with highlights to strengthen the sense of volume. |
| Cell shading | Use the same colour to airbrush some parts and add depth. |
| Opacity | Adjust opacity for each new layer to be slightly lighter or darker than the previous one. |
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What You'll Learn
Establish a light source
When cell shading hair in Paint Tool SAI, it is important to establish a light source to ensure that your shading is consistent and natural-looking. Here are some tips to help you achieve that:
Firstly, decide on the direction of your light source. This will determine the placement of shadows and highlights in your artwork. Consider the mood and feeling you want to convey, as lighting and shading can greatly impact the atmosphere of your piece. You can experiment with different lighting directions to see what works best for your image.
Next, keep in mind that the light source affects how forms cast shadows. For example, if the light source is coming from the top left corner, shadows will be cast towards the bottom right. Ensure that your shadows follow this logic and are placed in areas that the light source doesn't reach. This will create a sense of depth and make your artwork more realistic.
When shading hair specifically, follow the flow of the hair strands. The shading should curve along with the hair, especially at the roots. This helps to create a natural and flowing appearance. You can use a darker hue of your base hair colour for shading, adding a slight tint of another colour to make it more interesting and enhance the base colour.
To create a more detailed effect, you can adjust the opacity of each new layer, making it slightly lighter or darker than the previous one, depending on where the shadows fall. This technique will add depth and make your cell shading more prominent. Additionally, using tools like the blur tool and adjusting the opacity can help soften your shadows and change the texture of your artwork.
Remember that cell shading is characterised by chunky, simplified colours rather than subtle gradients. This technique flattens the shape while making it pop, creating a larger-than-life effect often desired in cartoons and anime styles. By mastering the placement of light sources and shadows, you can elevate your cell-shaded artwork and make it truly stand out.
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Create a new canvas
To begin cell-shading hair in Paint Tool Sai, the first step is to create a new canvas. This will serve as the foundation for your artwork and allow you to set up the necessary layers and colours for the cell-shading technique. Here's a step-by-step guide on creating a new canvas:
- Open Paint Tool Sai: Launch the Paint Tool Sai software on your device. The software provides a range of tools and features that are well-suited for digital painting and cell-shading techniques.
- Navigate to the 'File' Menu: Once the software is open, go to the 'File' menu, typically located in the upper left corner of the interface. This menu offers various options for creating new documents, opening existing files, and managing your canvas settings.
- Select 'New': From the 'File' menu, choose the 'New' option. This will initiate the process of creating a new canvas.
- Set Up Canvas Size and Resolution: A dialog box will appear, prompting you to specify the dimensions and resolution of your new canvas. Determine the size of your artwork and input the desired width and height values in pixels (px). Additionally, set the resolution (DPI) according to your requirements. For print work, a higher resolution is usually preferred, while for digital artwork, a lower resolution is commonly used.
- Choose Colour Mode and Background: Select the colour mode that suits your needs, such as RGB or CMYK. Consider whether your artwork is intended for digital screens or print media, as this will influence your colour mode choice. Additionally, you can decide on the canvas background. A transparent background can be useful if you plan to import your artwork into other software or use it in composite images. Alternatively, you can choose a solid colour background that complements your artwork.
- Create Multiple Canvas Pages: Depending on your project's complexity, you may want to create multiple canvas pages. This feature is handy if you're working on a comic, character design, or simply want to explore different poses and expressions for the character's hair that you're about to cell-shade.
- Save Your Canvas: Before proceeding, remember to save your new canvas by going to 'File' > 'Save' or using the appropriate keyboard shortcut. Choose a file name and location that you can easily access and retrieve later.
By following these steps, you've successfully created a new canvas in Paint Tool Sai, ready for you to start cell-shading hair. The canvas serves as the foundation for your artwork, and with the proper setup, you can now move on to the subsequent steps of cell-shading, including sketching, base colouring, and applying the distinctive shading technique to create stunning hair effects.
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Use darker shades for shadows
When cell-shading hair in Paint Tool SAI, it's important to remember that darker shades are used to create shadows. This technique involves shading the hair to add depth and make it look more realistic and three-dimensional.
To start, create a new layer specifically for the shadows. This will allow you to adjust the opacity and blend colours more easily. Select a darker shade of your base colour, keeping in mind the direction of your light source. You can use the colour wheel to help you choose a darker hue with a different tint, such as a dark red with a slight purplish feel or a darker green with a bluish tint. This adds interest and helps bring out the hue of the base colour.
When applying the shadow colour, follow the flow of the hair, curving noticeably at the roots. A useful pattern to keep in mind is shadow-base colour-shadow-base colour-shadow. This creates a natural gradient effect. You can use the airbrush tool to add depth and create a smooth transition between the shades.
To make the hair appear shinier, you can darken certain parts by repeating the shading process in the same areas until the contrast is to your liking. Remember to adjust the blending setting of your brush accordingly, lowering it to paint shadows and increasing it to blend them.
Additionally, you can experiment with different shadow colours to achieve the desired mood and feeling for your image. While shadows in real life have a blue base, you can use any colour that works for your piece. Warmer colours like red, yellow, and orange will create a warmer tone, while cooler colours will create a different atmosphere.
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Airbrush to add depth
When it comes to cell shading hair in Paint Tool SAI, there are a few steps to follow to achieve the desired effect. Firstly, it is important to set the light source from the start and shade accordingly, keeping in mind that each shade should follow the same direction. Next, select a darker hue of the base colour, following the flow of the hair and placing shadows in areas that light doesn't reach. It is also possible to add a tint of a different colour to the darker shade to enhance the base colour.
Now, onto the step of airbrushing to add depth. This technique involves using the Airbrush tool to enhance the sense of volume and bring out highlights in the hair. Create a new layer and set it to Luminosity mode or "Addition" in some SAI versions. Use the Airbrush tool at low opacity to brush over the areas with highlights, making them stand out more.
Additionally, to create an even more detailed effect, you can repeat the process multiple times, adjusting the opacity for each new layer to be slightly lighter or darker, depending on where the shadows fall. This technique will add depth and make the cell shading effect more prominent.
It is worth noting that while this tutorial focuses on anime hair in Paint Tool SAI, the principles of cell shading and using an airbrush to add depth can be adapted and applied to other programs with equivalent tools.
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Adjust opacity for depth
When creating a cell-shading effect in Paint Tool SAI, adjusting opacity for depth is crucial. This technique involves repeating the shading process multiple times, tweaking the opacity for each new layer. The opacity is adjusted to be slightly lighter or darker than the previous layer, depending on where the shadows fall. This method adds depth and enhances the cell shading effect.
To begin, create a new canvas and select your desired initial colour. Draw the shapes you intend to shade, then copy this layer by selecting the Layer menu item and choosing "Copy". This copied layer will be used for shading. Check the "Preserve Opacity" box above the Layers Window, and colour it white. Afterward, select a darker colour and change the copied layer's mode to "Multiply", enabling you to blend colours.
For a more intricate effect, repeat the procedure, tweaking the opacity for each layer. This technique is time-consuming for complex objects but yields impressive results. Additionally, you can use the Airbrush tool at low opacity to enhance highlights and create the illusion of volume.
When shading hair, it's essential to follow the flow of the hair, ensuring that the shading follows the shape of the hair and head. This process involves using a darker hue of the base colour and repeating the shading in the same areas to increase contrast and create a shinier appearance.
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Frequently asked questions
First, create a new canvas and select the initial colour you would like to use. Then, draw out the shapes you plan to cell shade. Next, click on the Layer menu item at the top of the screen and select Copy. This will create a new layer. With the new, copied layer selected, check the box that says Preserve Opacity above the Layers Window. Now, colour over this layer with white. After you’ve done this, select a darker colour from your Colour Selector in the top left of your screen. Change the mode of the layer you created to Multiply.
To get an even more detailed effect, you’ll have to repeat the above process multiple times while adjusting the opacity for each new layer to be slightly lighter or darker than the previous one depending on where the shadows fall. When you do this a number of times, you’ll be able to achieve a greater level of depth and make the cell shading effect stand out.
Use a very small brush, the reflections need to be very thin, almost like single hair strands. Place them above the highlights you created in the previous step. Create a new layer and set it to Luminosity mode. Use the Airbrush tool at low opacity and brush the areas with highlights to bring them out more and strengthen the sense of volume. Finish the hair by taking a sharp white line horizontally over it where the highlights are.
