Coloring Tutorials // Hardcore Basics // Basic Shading

June 22, 2025 by Ajey

We’re just going to go over basic shading to add some depth to our masterpieces. We’ll touch on stippling as an alternative, and how to use complementary colors to enhance the effect.

Choose your weapons:

• Alcohol markers — any brand will do. Use all the things.
• Paper that is bleedproof or at least marker friendly.
• Lineart. (Yours or mine ;*)
• Scrap sheet of the same paper as your lineart.

  But why? Because I said so. Trust me — you’ll appreciate this step later. This is our swatch page and testing zone. It helps us judge how many layers we can apply before we overwork or bleed through our “canvas.” It’s also great for practicing effects.

Alright! Let’s get into it.

Step 1: Get your shit together

First, grab your supplies. I picked a few markers and will build out my palette as I go.

Book Used ♥ Markers Used: Ohuhu, Arrtx, & Shuttle Art

Step 2: Do your basic fills and add some thrills

Fill in your base areas with your chosen colors.

After your first layer dries, go back and deepen your shadows using the *same* color — this builds that dimensional vibe. If you like how it looks, cool! If not, keep building on it.

Want to add texture? Try stippling — it’s just dots layered to resemble shadow. Bonus: it’s great for masking mistakes 😎

Alternate Option: Using the Complementary

Using complementary colors (opposites on the color wheel) can help cancel out harsh hues or correct shadow tones. It’s a slick way to add contrast and realism.

So if I’m shading in my purple area, I’ll be using green — in a similar value — to, well… shade. 🧪 It neutralizes the tone and adds depth without making it muddy.