"I'm coloring the face, but somehow it still looks flat."
"I don't know where to put the shadows."
Have you ever felt this way?
Actually, what's essential for dimensional coloring is seeing in "planes," not lines.
Today we'll clearly explain the key concept for coloring a face with dimension: "coloring by capturing planes."
*The line art used here is available for download on the Nuri-Iro official website. Please grab a copy and work through it together with us.
Why Does a Face End Up Looking Flat?
Many people tend to focus on individual parts — eyes, nose, mouth — one at a time when coloring line art.
This leads to:
- Coloring as if tracing the lines
- Coloring each part separately
- Not knowing how to color the broader areas
and the result tends to look flat overall.
But in reality, an actual face has no outline or part-dividing lines.
The dimension we perceive comes from changes in light and shadow.
The Secret to Dimension Lies in "Planes"
A face is made up of a combination of various planes, such as:
- The plane of the forehead
- The plane of the nose
- The plane of the cheek
- The plane of the chin
- The plane around the eyes
Each plane faces a different direction, so light hits each one differently.
In other words,
- A plane facing the light → bright
- A plane facing away from the light → dark
And this shift in brightness from plane to plane is what creates dimension.
Easier to Understand with a White Box
To understand dimension, it helps to first picture a simple cube.
*What matters here isn't the shape itself, but the fact that "brightness differs by plane."
Even though it's a white box, that doesn't mean you color everything the same white.
- Plane facing the light → bright white
- Side plane → slightly dark gray
- Shadowed plane → even darker gray
In this way, dimension is expressed not through color, but through light and dark.
First, Identify the "Local Color"
Local color refers to the color an object inherently has.
For example:
- Skin tone
- A blue turban
- Red lips
- Brown clothing
and so on.
Of course, you'll eventually color with these colors, but you don't need to be fixated on color from the very start.
First,
where is bright, and where is dark
it's important to grasp this light-and-dark structure.
Dimension Can Be Expressed Even in Black and White
Even if you convert Vermeer's famous Girl with a Pearl Earring to black and white, you can still clearly feel its sense of dimension.
That's because the form is expressed not just through beautiful color, but through light and shadow.
In other words, it's "light and dark," more than "color," that creates dimension.
Plaster Busts Are Perfect for Practicing to See Planes
The plaster busts you see in art rooms are perfect for practicing how to understand planes.
Especially angular plaster busts make
- The direction of planes
- Changes in light and dark
- The three-dimensional structure
very easy to see clearly.
You'll feel that a face, just like a cube, is made up of a combination of many planes.
Steps for Drawing and Coloring by Plane
1. Decide the direction of light
First, check where the light is coming from.
2. Capture the broad light and dark areas
Before looking at details, roughly divide the whole thing into light and dark areas.
3. Color plane by plane
Color the forehead, cheeks, nose, and so on, treating each as a single plane.
4. Blend the boundaries
Gradually smooth out the connections between planes.
5. Fill in the details
Finally, refine the fine details like the eyes and mouth.
Even Broad Areas Contain Many Planes
Areas like the cheeks and forehead, which at first glance seem to have nothing going on, actually contain many planes.
The finer this division of planes becomes,
- the more delicate the light-and-dark changes become,
- the more realism increases,
- and natural dimension emerges.
Learning from Vermeer's Connected Planes
Looking at Vermeer's work, you can clearly see how dimension is expressed not through lines, but through a continuous sequence of planes.
The changes in light and dark are extremely delicate, and the smooth connection between planes creates a truly realistic texture.
Anime-Style Coloring Is Also Built on "Planes"
Anime-style coloring is a method that:
- simplifies the number of planes, and
- clearly separates light and dark.
Because the boundaries are clear-cut, the structure of the planes is very easy to see.
The underlying thinking is the same as realistic coloring — the only difference is how the boundaries are blended.
- Anime-style → crisp, sharp boundaries
- Realistic style → gradually blended boundaries
Anime-style coloring is ideal for learning the concept of "seeing in planes."
Once You Can See in Planes, Your Range of Expression Expands
Once you're able to "see in planes," you'll be able to draw dimensional pieces in any style, including:
- Realistic coloring
- Anime-style coloring
- Fantasy artwork
- Vividly colorful expression
Even as color and mood change, you'll be able to firmly express form.
Summary
What matters most for coloring a face with dimension is:
See in planes, not lines.
- A face is made up of a combination of many planes
- The way light hits changes from plane to plane
- Dimension is born from light and dark
- Grasp light and dark before color
Just adopting this mindset will dramatically transform the dimension in your coloring pages.
Next Time: The Practice Edition!
Next time, using actual line art, we'll practice together:
- where is bright
- where is dark
- how to divide up and color the planes
Let's challenge ourselves to dimensional coloring by getting a feel for "seeing in planes"!
*The line art used here is available for download on the Nuri-Iro official website. Please grab a copy and work through it together with us.