Shading for dimension

I love shading. From a relaxation perspective, I adore the way the graphite lays on the paper, I get satisfaction from the way it blends into the cotton fibers. It makes me happy.
If it doesn't.. if it really stresses you out, then it's ok to not shade.

Art confession time. I used to be terrified to shade. I was always thinking, but I like it the way it is, what if I "wreck it" and then I discovered that it really needs it most of the time.
I shade very intuitively  to tell you the truth. I can tell when it needs some darkness, some light.
Everything needs depth.

I get asked a lot if tangling needs shading. That's a choice only you can make, but I do want to show you the difference in the richness of a tile that's been shaded and one that hasn't and encourage you to give it a shot if you've been holding back.

Fun isn't it?

Here's some closer pictures.
Before. It's a pretty tile right? Some fun stuff going on. Printemps, Nipa and Jetties, that I finally learned thanks to Sonya Yencer! 

But it's nothing special. 

I spent another 5 minutes on it. I blacked in the white space, I added some highlights. I added shadows and now...
I kind of love it. 

Are you a shader? In love with graphite? 

Did you shade from the beginning or were you nervous?
And what are you working on today?