Exercise 26 Results: Shading Gems Step by Step

Check out the Exercise and Download the Practice Sheet HERE

EXERCISE:  To define and interpret features that distinguish a recognizable face. 

This exercise was a true gem! Below is a step by step on how I created each of the gemstones from the exercise practice sheet. I broke it down into each significant step on what was included or added:

1. Outline - Begin with the shape of each gem, do research if you're looking for a specific cut! Try to do this on a separate layer to hide in step 4.
2. Solid Base - Choose a color and try working in a darker value shade of that hue.
3. Color Variants - This is when we start to create the illusion of faceting, when each "plane" of a gem will catch the light and reflect it at a slightly different value of that same hue. Think about where the light source is coming from as well.
4. Remove Outlines and Add Gradients - This will give the gem a solid foundation from here to detail further! Subtle gradients will add that extra touch of realism.
5. Sharp Angles Brush - The intense sharp angles that are seen in gems can be recreated with an angles brush set to overlay or multiply. You can download our brush HERE.
6. Highlights - Work along the edges of the different facets and this will give the gem a sense of realism along with separating the planes from one another.
7. Detailing and Polishing - Add any final detail and "polishing" to give your gem an extra something to make it stand out. I also like working in the shadows and pop in some color.