Follow the method and easily draw shadows (creases) on shirts!

The temptation to draw characters wearing shirts, like school uniforms or suits, is common among artists.
But do you think it is difficult to draw shadows on shirts?
Where, and in what shape do we need to draw shadows…?
This question must be even more difficult for beginners who have just started to create illustrations.

So today, let’s learn how to draw shadows. It is easy to practice, all you have to do is imitate!

I will explain the method of painting shirts using this illustration of a girl with a peace sign.

Common mistakes for beginners

If you are a beginner illustrator and you are not good at drawing the shadows of clothes, are you by any chance drawing your work using the following wrong methods?

! Add shadows as if you were tracing the outline of clothing.
! Paint shadows  using an airbrush only
! Use dark color for shadows

You can make some nice illustrations using the above painting methods, but it is recommended that you do not use these methods, as illustrations can look unpolished if you are not used to painting, and illustrations painted with an airbrush only tend to look dull and lack sharpness.

Now let’s see how to draw shadows!

 

Specify the light direction

First, decide in your mind where the light is coming from.
This will make the angle of the shadows consistent.

In this illustration, let’s start painting with the image of the light coming from the top left.
Focus on the direction of the light every time you paint a shadow.
Just by concentrating on this, you will improve your illustration skills surprisingly!

 

 

Choose the shadow color

For shadows, it’s common to choose a color that’s darker than the base color of the clothes.

However, if you are painting shadows for clothes that are bright white, such as shirts, choosing a color that is too dark will result in an unsophisticated illustration.

If you feel that you are not good at choosing shadow colors, please refer to the following method.

↓ The basic color of the shirt

↓ You might want to choose a dark color like this if you think it will be a shadow, but…

↓ Choose light colors like this!

 

Paint the shadow

Divide layers for base colors and shadow colors.
By creating a layer for shadows separately, it will be easier to modify later.

Create a new layer on top of the base color layer.
And tick the Clipping check box.

This time we will use the Pencil brush.

Paint the shape roughly onto the shirt like this.
All you have to do is follow the example.
The shadow is created by the girl’s head and hair, so if you are drawing a girl with short hair, you should make the shadow smaller.

Next, draw a shape like this on the underside of the shirt.
Concentrate on the shape of the chest.

Select the transparent color.
By painting in the transparent color, you can scrape off colors with the selected brush texture.

Since the girl character is raising her hand, shave the shadow twice diagonally from the raised arm.

This scraped shape creates the crease of the pulled fabric.
Just by doing this, the clothes will look even better.

 

For the sleeves, use the brush with the lighter color.
Paint several times to create a faint gradient that darkens downwards.

This will give a good three-dimensional feel, making the illustration more attractive.

 

Do not trace the crease to draw shadows. It will look amateurish.

Instead, draw shapes like this to make it look like shadows are accumulating.
Drawing triangular shapes looks realistic.

It is recommended not to add shadows to the lines of the pockets or where the fabrics overlap.
This will give a natural and sharp look.

Finishing

Now we’ve done!

We only need small steps to paint shadows easily.
I hope you will remember this method as an effective way to paint shadows on shirts.

 

Apply to other poses

[When both arms are lowered]
You can apply the same painting method even when you paint a character without raising both arms.

You can scrape the chest shadow from either side to make it look good.

[When both arms are raised]

Change the shape of the scrape a little.
As indicated by the red lines, scrape the shadows with a strong curve.

 

Beginners may feel insecure like “What shape will the shadow be if the light hits it from this angle? No, I can’t draw”.
You don’t have to pay too much attention to the exact shape of the shadow. It’s fine if the shapes are a little unrealistic, just forget about it and keep drawing.

If you want to draw realistic shadows, you would do well to use a real shirt as a reference.

Read this article if you want to learn more about how to paint shadows.

How to draw clothes and fabric folds!