Gradient
A gradient is a gradual transition or blend of color. A gradient occurs whenever two colors don't meet in a hard edge but blend such there is a smooth transition from one color to another color.
In nature, gradients occur as much as hard edges. Gradients are therefore also often used in visual art, such as in flat surfaces illuminated by a close light source, in curved surfaces (color and/or value transitions from light to shade), and in blurred things that don't have a hard edge, for example, clouds or shadows.
Example of a gradient created by smudging two colors with a blurred brush.
Example of a gradient created by airbrushing five colors.
Methods
Gradients can be created by many different means, such as careful blending with brushes (e.g. in oil painting), wiping/smearing (e.g. in pastels), wet-in-wet painting in watercolors and silk painting, or by using airbrushes.
In digital image editing, digital airbrushes or other blur-edged brushes (or erasers) can be used, feather tools, smear/blur tools, effects and filters. For exact mathematical gradients, there are special gradient tools, but these tend to look artificial and technical, which may not be wanted in non-technical artwork.
Usually stencils, masks and/or different layers will be used to separate a gradient area from the surrounding areas which are not to be affected by the blurs of a gradient.
In rendered art, gradients will come automatically unless a non-photorealistic rendering mode is selected.
Example of a linear gradient created with a gradient tool.
Example of a circular gradient created with a gradient tool.
The gradient on the ball is rendered by the 3D software.
Avoidance of gradients
The best-known example of an artistic style that uses no gradients at all is cel shading as used in traditional cartoon animation and comics. True color gradients were not common in comics until the mid-1990s and are still used sparingly, if at all, because many comic artists and fans feel that they spoil the "comic" feel of the work. Exceptions to this rule are backgrounds in cartoon animation and anime, which are often done in watercolors, and for which blur and gradients seemed acceptable and welcome from the early days on.
See also
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