Acrylics - highlight/shadow - which first

[fluid]

Hi all,

In my research most of the "how to" tutorials I've seen mention that you should do the highlights before shadows. The reason being that it is easier to cover up sloppy work and mistakes with a darker colour than it is to cover dark colours with the lighter colour of the highlights.

However, I was watching a tutorial on michtoys youtube site. In that they put the shadows down first than the highlights. And the results were quite nice.

What process do people here use ? and why ?

Thanks

 

[Jim Patrick]

Ultimately, the decision is yours. We all have are own "perks" or ways of doing things. Me? I paint a highlight, then a shadow and keep repeating this until the item in question is finished. I like to "see" the figure coming to life. Just my way....

Jim Patrick

 

[tonydawe]

I paint in a similar method to Jim, and for what it's worth, I haven't decided which way is better. There's no right or wrong way to paint with acrylics, however the thinner you can keep your paint, the more subtle the transitional effects you can achieve when blending areas where shadows and highlights meet.

 

[Einion]

This is very much an it depends: depends on the colour you're doing, the paints you're using and just on personal preference/what you're used to.

Generally speaking I prefer to do shading first, highlighting second but not always.

Some people like to do neither of these some of the time - working up from a dark or black ground (essentially all highlighting) or down from white (shadowing only), excluding tweaks and final touches. White and black items specifically would often be done in either of these two ways, ditto with yellows and other very light colours and dark blues, greens or browns.

Einion

 

[fluid]

Thanks guys.

Jim, at an intuitive level you menthod of alternating highlights and shadows. That was you can manage the paint mixes to ensure that the merge between the high, shadows to ensure they blend.

My problem was that I followed the highlights first method and then found that my colour differences were too stark and didn't blend with each other in a smooth transition.

Thanks again

 

[Jim Patrick]

...Jim, at an intuitive level you menthod of alternating highlights and shadows. That was you can manage the paint mixes to ensure that the merge between the high, shadows to ensure they blend...

To be honest? This comes from experience painting. I basically know how to thin the paints (depends on the manufacture) based off my experience using them over and over. If I am painting and find the transitions to be too harsh, I can either thin the paint down and reapply the color in question or I can go back, after applying the paint (highlight or shadow, doesn't matter which) and apply a really thin layer of paint (almost the same color or a mix from the two areas you're "blending") over the edges of the area you want blended more. This isn't really blending per se but more applying layers over the edge in question the visually "blend" the area.

One note on "blending" I have learned the hard way. More often than not, when I start "blending" acrylic paint is I usually over blend the area. Some contrast between colors is ideal (depending on the size of course, smaller= more contrast; larger= less). Usually I will not "blend" colors until AFTER I have painted some of the surrounding area. For example, I don't "blend" flesh colors until after the hair, headgear (if any) and upper shirt/ shoulder area are finished. Acrylics are the way to go if you choose to do this. You can go back over them days, weeks or even months later to "blend" an area if you find you still have too much contrast.

Hope This Helps,
Jim Patrick