Free Guide

How to Draw Anime Shadows with All-Purpose Shadow Colors: A Step-by-Step Guide by Japanese Pro Artists

The short answer: Put your shadows on their own layer, set it to Multiply, and fill them with a light shadow color. There are three to pick from: warm (R:217 G:168 B:177), pastel (R:254 G:200 B:219) and slightly cool (R:200 G:194 B:217). Don't use just one for everything. Switch by part: warm on the hair, pastel on the skin, slightly cool on cool-colored parts like a lilac bow or dress.

Picking a separate shadow color for every part, then checking how each one looks next to its neighbors, is a lot of guesswork. All-purpose shadow colors are the shortcut: three light colors you paint on a Multiply layer. Each one blends with almost any base color. You still choose which of the three goes on each part. Here's what each one gets along with, and how to mix them on one character.

The same anime girl shaded three ways, with warm, pastel and slightly cool shadow colors, each with an RGB swatch Illustrated examples
Same drawing, same base colors, same shadow shapes. Only the shadow color changes.

The three steps at a glance

Swatches of the three all-purpose shadow colors with their RGB values 01
All-purpose shadow colorsThree light colors on a Multiply layer that blend with almost any base color.
The same anime girl with warm, pastel and slightly cool shadows 02
Three shadow colorsWarm, pastel and slightly cool, and which base colors each one suits.
An anime girl with swatches pointing to the hair, skin, and bow and dress shadows 03
Part by partWarm on hair, pastel on skin, slightly cool on the bow and dress.

Step 01 · All-purpose shadow colors

What are all-purpose shadow colors?

Light shadow colors you paint on a Multiply layer, so they darken whatever base color sits underneath.

The other way to shade is to choose a separate shadow color for every base color, and keep checking how each one looks next to the colors around it. A darker yellow for the hair, a darker beige for the skin, a darker lilac for the dress. It works. It's also a lot of decisions.

All-purpose shadow colors skip most of that. Make a new layer above your flat colors, set its blend mode to Multiply, and paint the shadow shapes with a light shadow color. Multiply mixes the layer with the colors below it, so the same warm, dusty-pink shadow turns golden brown on yellow hair and rosy brown on skin. These colors blend with almost any base color, which makes them a fairly safe way to shade.

There are three of them, though, and you still pick one for each part. Step 02 shows what each color suits, and Step 03 shows how to split them across one character.

About the numbers: you don't have to hit them exactly. They're a starting point. A color close to them is fine too.

Red-pen checkKeep the shadows on their own Multiply layer. Painted straight onto the flat colors in normal mode, the pink stays pink instead of mixing with the color below.
Three swatches labeled Warm R:217 G:168 B:177, Pastel R:254 G:200 B:219 and Slightly cool R:200 G:194 B:217
The three all-purpose shadow colors. Use them on a layer set to Multiply.

Step 02 · Three shadow colors

Which base colors does each shadow color suit?

All three blend in on almost any base color, but each one looks best on some colors and can clash with others.

Below, all three go on the same girl. The lines, flat colors and shadow shapes never change, so any difference you see comes from the shadow color alone. Start with the hair: warm makes it golden brown, pastel pushes it orange, slightly cool drags it toward olive.

  • Warm (R:217 G:168 B:177): gives the whole picture a warm, cozy feel. It doesn't get along with cool colors.
  • Pastel (R:254 G:200 B:219): works with warm and cool colors alike. It's fairly saturated, though, so some base colors still clash with it.
  • Slightly cool (R:200 G:194 B:217): looks clean and calm. It clashes with warm colors, and skin is where it looks worst.
Red-pen checkCheck the skin first. If the shadow on the neck looks gray or dirty, the shadow color is too cool for it.
Anime girl with warm shadows, swatch R:217 G:168 B:177 Illustrated examples
Warm: cozy, but not with cool colors.
Anime girl with pastel shadows, swatch R:254 G:200 B:219 Illustrated examples
Pastel: fits warm and cool, but it's saturated.
Anime girl with slightly cool shadows, swatch R:200 G:194 B:217 Illustrated examples
Slightly cool: clean and calm, but hard on skin.

Step 03 · Part by part

Can I use one shadow color for the whole character?

Better not. Pick the color part by part.

All-purpose doesn't mean one color for everything. Drop the same shadow color on every part without thinking, and the colors start playing tricks on each other. The shadows go dull, and the finished picture looks muddy.

So match each part with the color that suits it: warm on the hair, pastel on the skin, slightly cool on the cool-colored parts. On this girl, that's the bow headband and the dress. It's still only three colors, so it stays quick.

Red-pen checkLook at the skin next to the clothes. Skin gets pastel, cool-colored clothes get slightly cool. If they're swapped, fix it before you move on.
An anime girl with swatches and leader lines: hair R:217 G:168 B:177, skin R:254 G:200 B:219, cool parts (bow and dress) R:200 G:194 B:217 Illustrated examples
Hair gets warm, skin gets pastel, the bow and dress get slightly cool.

One color everywhere vs. part by part

Left: slightly cool shadows on everything, so the hair turns olive and the neck goes gray. Right: each part gets the color that suits it.

Close-up of the anime girl with slightly cool shadows on everything, marked with a cross

✕ Slightly cool on everything: dull hair, gray skin.

Close-up of the same girl with warm hair shadows and pastel skin shadows, marked with a check

✓ Part by part: warm hair, pastel skin.

Where people usually get stuck

My shadows look dirty or gray. What's wrong?

Check whether one shadow color went on every part. Used that way, the colors trick the eye and the shadows go dull. Slightly cool on skin is the worst match, so switch the skin shadow to pastel and look again.

Do I have to use these exact RGB values?

No. They're a starting point. A color close to them is fine.

Do I still need a darker color for every part?

Not with this method. The Multiply layer does the darkening. Your job is deciding which of the three colors goes where.

Anime shadow color FAQ

What are all-purpose shadow colors in anime art?

They're three light shadow colors you paint on a Multiply layer: warm (R:217 G:168 B:177), pastel (R:254 G:200 B:219) and slightly cool (R:200 G:194 B:217). Multiply darkens whatever base color is underneath, so each one blends into almost any color. You still pick one per part instead of using a single color everywhere: warm on the hair, pastel on the skin, slightly cool on cool-colored parts.

What layer mode should I use for anime shadows?

Multiply. Put the shadows on their own layer above the flat colors and set it to Multiply. The shadow color then mixes with each base color instead of covering it.

Which shadow color works best on skin?

Pastel (R:254 G:200 B:219). Slightly cool shadows are a poor match for skin and tend to make it look gray, so save them for cool-colored parts like a lilac dress or bow.

How do I get feedback on my shading drawings?

When you join an Anime Art Academy course, a professional Japanese artist gives you personal advice and draws red-line corrections directly on your drawing. There is no limit on how many times you can submit. The only rule: post one drawing at a time, and wait for your teacher's reply before posting the next.