The Two Best Ways to Apply Shading in Illustrator — Revealed

So you’ve been working on a great design and you’re almost done, but something about it still seems a bit flat.

Or maybe you just want to add some depth to a digital Illustration. What can you do?

Shading is a great way to add depth and a sense of space to your design.

The two best ways to apply shading to an artwork in Illustrator are by using the Transparency Window and/or the Gradient Window. Here’s how to use both.

 

How To Do Shading In Illustrator By Using The Transparency Window – Quick Guide

Double click on your Illustrator file to open it. Use the Pen tool (“P”) to draw the shape of your shadow. Use the Eyedropper Tool (I) to select the color directly behind your shape. Finally, open the Transparency window and set the transparency mode to “Multiply”.

The Transparency Window is a great tool for adding dark, overall shading over an image. This method is great for adding shading to skin or clothing.

 

How To Do Shading In Illustrator By Using The Transparency Window – Step-by-step Guide

 

Step 1:

Open your Illustrator file. Open your document by double clicking on its corresponding Illustrator file, or if Illustrator is already open, you can go to “File” on the top menu, and then “Open” and choose the file you want to open. To speed things up, you can also use the keyboard shortcut COMMAND+O (MAC) “Ctrl+O” (Windows).

 

Step 2:

Find and equip the Pen tool. Look for and select the Pen tool, located on the toolbar on the left side of your screen. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut “P” to quick-select the tool. 

Step 3:

Draw your shadow. Using the Pen tool, draw your shadow over your image. You can click anywhere to place an anchor point, then click anywhere else to place another one, which will be connected to the first by a line. You can click and drag your cursor to create an arched/rounded line.

Step 4:

Find and equip the Eyedropper tool. Look for and select the Eyedropper tool, located on the toolbar on the left side of your screen. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut “I” to quick-select the tool. 

Step 5:

Select your fill color. With the Eyedropper tool selected, click on the object directly behind your shadow’s shape to match its color exactly. Make sure the stroke around your object is set to 0 so there is only a fill color. 

Step 6:

Open the Transparency Window. At the top of your screen, go to “Window” and click on “Transparency”. The Transparency window should open up on the right side of your screen. To speed things up, you can also use the keyboard shortcut “Shift+Ctrl+F10”.

Step 7:

Set the mode to “Multiply”. Open the dropdown menu at the top left of the Transparency Window and click on “Multiply”. This will create a shadow effect over your object.

You can duplicate and layer an object with the “Multiply” mode applied to achieve a darker shadow.

 

How To Do Shading In Illustrator Using The Gradient Window – Quick Guide

Double-click on your Illustrator file to open it, then place or draw your artwork. Use the Pen tool (“P”) to draw the shape of your shadow. Press “Ctrl+F9” to open the Gradient Window and define your gradient settings. Double click on each gradient slider to select the colors in your gradient.

The Gradient Window is a great tool for shading over and around objects in a way that fades from dark to light, rather than in one darkened spot.

 

How To Do Shading In Illustrator Using The Gradient Window – Full Guide

 

Step 1:

Open your Illustrator file. Open your document by double-clicking on its corresponding Illustrator file, or if Illustrator is already open, you can go to “File” on the top menu, and then “Open” and choose the file you want to open. To speed things up, you can also use the keyboard shortcut COMMAND+O (MAC) “Ctrl+O” (Windows).

Step 2:

Find and equip the Pen tool. Look for and select the Pen tool, located on the toolbar on the left side of your screen. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut “P” to quick-select the tool.  

Step 3:

Draw your shadow. Using the Pen tool, draw your shadow over your image. You can click anywhere to place an anchor point, then click anywhere else to place another one, which will be connected to the first by a line. You can click and drag your cursor to create an arched/rounded line.

Step 4:

Open the Gradient Window. At the top of your screen, go to “Window” and click on “Gradient”. The Gradient Window should open up on the right side of your screen. To speed things up, you can also use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl+F9”.

Step 5:

Select a gradient type. Select a gradient type from the ones listed by “Type” at the top of the Gradient Window. You can choose between a Linear, Radial or Freeform gradient.

Step 6:

Edit your gradient. Once you’ve selected a gradient type, you can use the tools on the rest of the Gradient Window to change the angle of your gradient via the Angle dropdown menu. You can also change the colors in your gradient by double-clicking the dots under the Gradient slider and selecting a color from the swatch panel that pops up.