How To Draw A Sphere With Shadow

Today I will show you how to turn a circle into a 3-dimensional sphere, ball, or orb. In order to turn a circle into a sphere, you will need to use specific shading techniques to accomplish this. In this tutorial, I use graphite pencils, H, 2B, 3B, and 4B. This lesson will help you learn how to shade a beautiful sphere.

Learn How to Draw and Shade a Sphere or Ball – Step by Step Drawing Tutorial

Drawing Materials

(1) Graphite pencils Here is a cheaper brand of graphite pencils or a better quality set of graphite pencils

(2) A Blending Stump is optional. In this tutorial, we use a blending stump to blend the shading together. I recommend it, but you could make your own paper tortillon or use a Q-tip instead.

(3) Makeup Blender Sponge is optional. In this tutorial, I used a makeup blender sponge. You might already have one around the house if there is a teenage girl or another woman in your house. Ask first though.

(4) Eraser. I usually use 2 types of erasers. I use (a) A white drawing eraser and (2) Kneaded eraser

Step 01

Learn How to Draw and Shade a Sphere or Ball - Step by Step Drawing Tutorial

(a) Draw a circle. I used a compass, if you don't have one then you can just trace a circle, such as a lid, a bowl, a roll of packing tape.

(b) Use a ruler to draw a line behind the circle.

(c) Draw a much smaller circle inside the first circle. This will be the highlight.

(d) Make sure the lines aren't too dark, we need the lines to be as light as possible to make it look realistic. after we shade it.

Step 02

Trace a circle, such as a lid, a bowl, a roll of packing tape

It's hard to see because we lightened the lines. Basically, use an H graphite pencil to very lightly add shadows around the highlight. Draw very light shadows by holding your pencil towards the back of it. Then you can make lighter strokes. It might be hard to see, so the shadows are in the form of a "C" around the highlight. Make the shadows slightly darken when you get close to the outline of the bigger circle so that the outline looks like it is part of the shadow.

Step 03

shading and drawing a circle to form sphere or ball

Darken some of the shadows. Make sure to keep a smooth gradient (do this by lightly using the pencil to slowly darken the shadows.)

Step 04-a

Use a Blending stump in order to shade the sphere

This is a blending stick (or blending stump) I use it to rub the graphite out to look smoother. Try to blend in one direction (not back and forth). If you don't have one, then you could also use a Q-tip or rolled-up paper, called a tortillon. Here is how you make a paper tortillon.

Step 04-b

You can see me blending the graphite for a smooth gradation.

blending the shadows and graphite

As I get some graphite on my blending stump, I continue to drag the stump around the circle, in the lighter areas. This will cause a gradated look.

blend the graphite to make a gradated look

Until your circle looks like this.

Step 5

how to shade a sphere or circle

(a) Darken the area close to the edge, again.

(b) Then continue to use the H pencil add some lighter tones (halftones) to the paper.

(c) Now the halftones need to get darker and darker until they meet the edge of the outer circle. make sure that there is a soft gradient to the edge.

Step 6

blend shadows

Let's use a blending stump to lightly rub the graphite into a soft gradient.

Now, look at that lovely gradient.

Step 07-a

shading around the highlight

Do you see this highlight in the final picture? In the following steps, we are going to avoid this area to keep it lighter.

Step 07-b

kids drawing book for learning how to draw cool stuff, things, optical illusions

Step 07-c

Step 8-a

Use the blending stump again.

Step 9

Draw the cast shadow

Draw where the cast shadow will be.

Step 10

(a) Use a 3B pencil to fill in the shadow. Go outside the shadow a bit so that it doesn't look like there is a hard edge.

(b) Use an H pencil to draw the light halftones, all the way back to the edge of the table.

(c) Then use 4B pencil to outline part of the circle.

Sorry that I put that all into one step but part of the video was damaged.

Step 11

Use a 3B pencil to add the darker shadows in this step. Use an H pencil to draw some halftones so that the dark shading doesn't overwhelm the picture.