AuthorTopic: [WIP] Pillow Shading  (Read 6735 times)

Offline Durnus

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[WIP] Pillow Shading

on: August 02, 2009, 04:25:28 am
For practice, I did some pillow shading. I tried using a reference and dithering, two things I haven't tried yet. I'm looking to get better at shading, so any criticism appreciated. I think I might have used too many shades ( :-[ ), but I guess that's why I'm asking for help. Thanks for anything and everything!

(Sorry if someone's already done this before. I just had to. :D )

Reference: http://www.sunraycleaners.com/specialty/images/pillow.jpg

First version:

Latest update:
« Last Edit: August 07, 2009, 01:23:29 pm by Durnus »

Offline questseeker

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Re: [WIP] Pillow Shading

Reply #1 on: August 02, 2009, 12:36:09 pm
The far border has spurious highlights, which also contribute to making it look jagged. The reference doesn't look like that.
The middle is perfectly flat, like a floor tile would be. The reference obviously isn't; you might need to exaggerate the curvature (and to invent a random bump pattern), but it is necessary to make it look like a pillow.
I don't think you have a sufficient pixel budget for the wrinkles around the middle of the right side; I don't think they are necessary to make the surface look like cloth (the natural shapes around the corners are enough).

Offline Ddawg

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Re: [WIP] Pillow Shading

Reply #2 on: August 02, 2009, 01:25:44 pm
According to your reference, you need to decrease the lighting brightness a tiny bit, and move it away from the edge a tiny bit, too.

(that's just what I think, I'm probably wrong. ;) )
I don\'t want to be a bad boy like I was in the *gulp* past...Please be patient with me.

Offline Durnus

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Re: [WIP] Pillow Shading

Reply #3 on: August 02, 2009, 05:30:44 pm
I tried adding detail into the center part of the pillow... but after a while I still couldn't figure out what to put in there. :blind: This is the best it got in my experiments, but I know it can be better. I also attempted simple anti-aliasing on the top edge, because even without the hard highlight it still looked jagged. (It could just be my prejudice against it though considering how jaggy it looked before I changed it.)

Anyway, update (not even sure if it's the right direction):

Thanks for the help.

Offline Lendrick

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Re: [WIP] Pillow Shading

Reply #4 on: August 03, 2009, 05:50:30 pm
This is awesome. :)

Shading feels pretty accurate to me, although I think the reference photo has more contrast.  Here's a couple things you might try:

* Use a much lighter, less saturated background color, or
* Darken your shading colors a bit, or
* All of the above

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Offline Durnus

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Re: [WIP] Pillow Shading

Reply #5 on: August 03, 2009, 07:52:25 pm
I made the background much brighter, made the colors contrast a lot more, and added some more anti-aliasing around the edges. Looks much nicer now, thanks!



Still don't like my "wrinkles," any suggestion on that? I've haven't drawn tight-fitting cloth before... and I'm unsure where to find some. All the pillows around my house are tight enough that there's only maybe one fold going all the way across if any--and that doesn't really happen on this type of pillow. ???

Offline Lendrick

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Re: [WIP] Pillow Shading

Reply #6 on: August 05, 2009, 07:10:37 am
Honestly, I'd just leave the wrinkles out.  You'll get a good fabric appearance if you avoid making your color transitions too sharp (your dithering accomplishes this pretty well as it is).

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Offline Joe

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Re: [WIP] Pillow Shading

Reply #7 on: August 05, 2009, 07:54:54 am
Quick edit.   Your wrinkles don't work because they look too grainy.  I didn't solve that problem, but I think it looks fuller without them. 
I also upped the contrast a bit, and I think it should be higher.

Offline Durnus

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Re: [WIP] Pillow Shading

Reply #8 on: August 05, 2009, 01:41:45 pm
I really don't think I can top your edit (brilliant shading there), but I looked at what you've done and came up with the following.

First of all, I upped the contrast some. I also completely redid the shading, doing more dithering and following the light "pattern" you saw. I do agree that the pillow looks much more pillowish without the wrinkles. Some of my dithering just looks plain messy though... I'll try to find a tutorial for myself regarding that. :blind:

Offline redballoon

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Re: [WIP] Pillow Shading

Reply #9 on: August 05, 2009, 05:52:50 pm
I think you are almost there with that version of the shading..maybe a mix between what you've got and Joe's version i.e. Joe's version's outline and edges of the pillow look pretty aces but I'm never very sure of the type of dithering he's used.
« Last Edit: August 05, 2009, 07:50:59 pm by redballoon »