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Now, I know you have seen lots of "Shading Tutorials," by popular people on PMC, but this is a different look. For starters lets get rid of shading all together:

The most common misconception about shading is Dodging, Burning, and Transparent black. That's what we think of when we hear "Shading,". That's why I have single-handedly removed the term "Shading," from PMC. U mad?.. Well, don't be. The new word is "Color Choice." ...Why?..

Because Color Choice is what it's all about. Pixel art is COLOR CHOICE. Not transparent black. My best example is brown. When you make brown lighter, it makes orange. So how do we counter this? We simply reduce the intensity of the color, and we get a lighter, more wood-like color.

Another option is using darker colors that are not the same. This is kind of confusing, when simply spelled out, on a screen, and I apologize for no graphics, regarding the issue. Anyways, here is what you can do. Take a light yellow, and apply an orange as your dark color. You could take a purple, and make a dark blue the shadow. Even take a brown, and apply it as a shadow for a darker-red.

This will be known hence as "Color Combinations," (or "Color Combos" as the hipsters call it). Color combos can make a good skin GREAT. It makes it appear simple, and well-polished. Skin tones often even can look purple as they get darker, so keep this in mind when making people skins.

The last thing I would like to address in my blog is Overcomplicating. Overcomplicated skins can look displeasing to the eye, and even worse in-game. Applying shadows and highlights is simple, really. Just put the dark colors in the dark spots, and the light colors in the light spots (maybe a little bit of transition blending, if that's your thing) This can look retro, but if done right, it doesn't HAVE to. Don't overcomplicate things, and while your at it, refrain from making shadows too dark, or highlights too light.

Thank you for taking the time to become enlightened by this blog. I hope you learned a little bit more about yourself, and shading. (Wait... yourself?..... Idk, whatev's)

Giving this blog a DIAMOND will help promote Color Choice and Color Combos!

-ChezPlz