The toon shading technique is a non-photorealistic rendering technique that animators use to make 3D models and animations appear more like 2D hand-drawn cel animation or comic books. Toon shading uses outlining and shading to achieve its flat, cartoon-style look. Its outlining establishes a hard boundary around a 3D model’s shapes to emphasize its contours. A black outline makes the boundary stark, but it can also be colored according to the artist’s preference. Instead of smooth gradients, toon shading uses a small number of solid shades to represent light and shadow, contributing to the flat, hand-drawn look.