10 Tips on Shading Hair

July 19, 2020

Hello! I've recently got some requests for posts and this was one! I hope you enjoy!

1: Make a shading rule and stick with it. Complex or simple, you need to be consistent. For highlights, if they are blocky, you should keep them blocky. Don’t mix it up for no reason. This also applies for each side of the head. Don’t change it for each, unless you have a specific shading that requires side hair.

2: Don’t copy other shadings. Do NOT use the NameMC shadings. Yes, a lot of people use this, and yes, some get a lot of praise for it. But it is not practiced shading. In a way, it’s lying; making it LOOK good, but it’s actually not. This is an opinion from someone who has skinned for years, but if you want to use it, you are welcome to. It just isn’t unique. NameMC is so common, there’s no talent in it.

3: Connect all points. This one is a little complicated, but you need to make everything round and smooth and have it connect in some way. If you don’t, it will look messy.

4: Have your hair shading match your body shading. If you use 4 colors on your hair, don’t use 7 on your body. Use a similar amount. Simple with simple, complex with complex.

5: Make a color palette first! It helps a lot if you have your color palette right next to your hair (on the arm or torso), so you can quickly grab colors.

6: Swirly isn’t everything! A lot of people make swirly hair that is all long and pretty. You don’t have to do that to get people to like your hair! This goes for any style or trend. Do what you want, not what others want to see. Don’t follow the trend. You want to be unique, right?

7: Add an outer layer. The outer layer makes things more realistic and 3-dimensional. Otherwise, your hair will look flat and plain.

8: Neon is okay! So many people just make skins with blonde or brown hair. It’s okay to have brightly colored hair! The more you experiment with new colors, the more you will improve and find your style. (On a side note, there are very few skins with red hair. Please try that too! People have red hair!)

9: Add curls and waves. This makes your boring hair pretty! Many people don’t have just plain straight hair. Erase a pixel here and there on the edges, and you’ll have curls! The more pixels you erase, the curlier the hair is.

10: Experiment, experiment, experiment. Shading doesn't come to you in a day. It took me 2 years to start finding one. Try different patterns, highlights, shadows, palettes, styles, etc. The more you practice, the better you’ll get. If you want to get really good, I recommend practicing multiple times per week. Experimenting helps!

That's it for this post! Expect another soon!