Today, I will teach you about shading/pressure. No matter how amazing a drawing is, without proper shading, or any shading at all, it hasn't reached its full potential. The same thing applies to any drawing style, not just manga. Shading also adds dimension and detail, allowing a person to distinguish where the light source is in a given area. Okay! So shading is really quite simple, it is going from dark to light or light to dark by applying pressure into your drawing utensil. Obviously, add more pressure for a darker result in shading, and start to release pressure as it gets lighter, then remove pressure completely when you are finished. The was you hold your pencil, etc. also differs too. I prefer holding it close to the tip with the eraser top not sticking in the air, but more leveled with the tip so that you can cover more space faster! Also, try not to use a mechanical pencil, but a regular old-fashioned wooden one. Lead from a mechanical pencil can easily snap and break, also, it is too dark for my liking, making it at a slight disadvantage for light shading. In addition, know where the light source is, and don't make everything too dark or too light, it's not natural that way, you want to make it blend and look natural! If you have trouble blending, try using your finger or a tortillion to help you blend, but don't rely on a tortillion too much, because you want to try and be less reliant on tools.

     Also, for manga hair, each strand should be loose looking, so you should start the strand of hair as light, add pressure, then slowly, release the pressure from the paper and not sloppily connect it into chunks. Try to practice shading and strokes and experiment. Bye for now!