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My art teacher told me to stop using pure black for shadows back in 2019.
She said it made my digital paintings look flat and muddy. I ignored her for months, thinking my dark fantasy style needed that deep black. After a client in Portland asked why my character art felt 'lifeless,' I finally tried using dark purples and blues instead. Has anyone else had a simple color tip completely shift how you paint?
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the_olivia1d ago
Your teacher was totally right, but man that's a tough pill to swallow. It's like finding out you've been putting regular gas in a sports car for years. Suddenly swapping that flat black for a deep navy or a burgundy makes everything POP. Shadows have color and life, they're not just empty holes. It feels like cheating once you see the difference.
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the_robin1d ago
I had the same thing with using pure white for highlights, swapping it for a warm cream color changed everything.
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