Viking Longhouse Shading Tutorial

In this tutorial I am going to teach you how to shade the Viking longhouse you drew in the previous tutorial using a technique called mark making. If you haven't drawn the longhouse the tutorial can be found HERE.

Mark making is a term used to describe the different lines, patterns, and textures we create ​in a piece of art. It applies to any art material on any surface, not only paint on canvas or pencil on paper.

For this tutorial you will need:

Pencil and Pencil Sharpener/Craft Knife or a Pen (with a fine nib, fineliner, biro, ballpoint pen etc)

We are going to use 4 different mark making techniques and they are as follows

Step 1.

First we are going to diagonal hatching to add the thatch to the roof. The closer and more built up the diagonal hatching is, the thicker and darker the thatch will look. The hatching should follow the front and back horizontal lines of the roof. You can see my results below.

Step 2.

Now we need to shade the underside of the roof. Again these lines should follow the horizontal lines of the roof, but in the opposite direction to the first step. You need to build these lines up, by drawing more of them, so it is darker than the thatch on the front of the roof. This is to give the impression of that part of the roof being in shadow.

Step 3.

Now we are going to add shading to the beams. Build up vertical hatching until it is almost solid black like I have done below.

Step 4.

Now we are going to shade the door. We will do this using cross hatching, so the first step is to have horizontal lines, drawn closely together, covering the door all going in the same direction.

Step 5.

No we will add lines going in the opposite direction over the top of the ones we have just drawn. Leaving a small gap at the base of the lefthand side of the doorframe going around in a slight cure to the righthand side. This is to create a feeling of depth within the longhouse.

Step 6.

Now we are going to shade he vertical wood panels at the front of the longhouse using the wood grain technique at the top of the page. Wether you are using a pencil or a pen, try to press on as lightly as you can.

Step 7.

Use the same wood grain technique to shade the horizontal wood panels on the front and side of the longhouse.

Step 8.

Use the same mark making technique to add shading to the wooden struts.

Step 9.

Now we are going to add a bit more depth to the thatching on the roof. Using horizontal hatching, go over small areas to darken them.

Step 10.

At the moment the longhouse looks like it is floating, so we need to add shading around the outside to make it look like its built on grass or earth. To do that build up vertical hatching around the base of the longhouse and struts. This will give the impression it has been built on grass.

Now you have a completed Viking longhouse, drawn in two point perspective and shaded using 4 different mark making techniques. From here you can leave it as it is, add objects around the longhouse or even colour it in using watercolours or felt tip pens, its completely up to you. I decided to add a couple of fences, a tree and some smoke. If you have decided to give these tutorials a go, it would be great to see the results. Next week I am going to produce some tutorials on how to create a cityscape in two point perspective.

For this drawing tutorial I used these materials

Staedtler Fineliners

Staedtler 2H Pencil

Fabriano Paper

Staedtler Eraser

Metal Ruler

Craft Knife

Join My Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/IllustratorOfHistory