Playing with Light, Shadows and Values - Painting & Drawing Tips

Have you ever spent time in the DARK SIDE?

With Halloween coming and the night slowly creeping into our daytime hours, Darkness seems part of our life.  

Meet My Shadow People - Come Join them in the DARK SIDE

When Max and I finish our evening walk it is often very dark. I am holding a flashlight and looking for the next street light.  It gives me lots of time to study shadows. 

 

In Art we have 2 Shadows: The Core Shadow and the Cast Shadow

Like me you have probably studied shadow diagrams like the one above.  Probably even drawn them too.  I must admit I didn't learn much from them.  But one day I took a flashlight, shone it on a few shapes and really started to look at things.  It changed my perspective.  

Shadows are really not like they appear in photographs. . . .

I learned that shadows have their own life.  They are very much affected by the light around them. To understand some of the things I noted take a look at the Cast Shadow. 
***My video "Getting Those Shadows Working for You " offers more examples and discussion on this topic.  

Cast Shadows are not all sharp black shapes

Secrets of the Shadow World: 

1.  Photographs show a shadow as a black shape.  But really if you take a closer look you will see the value is not consistent throughout the shadow shape. Shadows are very dark near the object but get lighter as they spread out away from the subject. (This is very clear with the picture below.  The Reflected light from the surface makes the middle part of the shadow much lighter than the ends.  

2.  Shadows are not all sharp edges.  I always find edges a very important part of anything I draw.  I noticed that shadows have very different kinds of edges.  Close to the object they have sharp edges but as they move away from the object the edges get softer or fuzzier.  The longer the shadows the fuzzier the edges get.  

Core Shadows can look very different than the ones on the Apple you drew in Drawing Class

3. The Core Shadow holds many secrets.  When I compare 'my little person' to the apple, I can see many different shadow values.  Reflected light is working on not only the sides but the tops and bottoms of the curves in the shadows.  That distinctive dark line - The Terminator - on the Apple is much harder to find on 'my little person'. 

Two Objects with the same light source have different shadow patterns if they are in different planes. 

4. The Core Shadow on two objects with the same light source is very different.  I think this was the biggest surprise to me.  When working with a forest of trees, my thoughts were the Core  Shadows were all the same. This is only true if they are in the same plane in the picture.  If some trees are in the foreground and some in the background for example, their Core Shadow patterns are  quite different.  Although the light source (the sun) is coming from the same place,  it will hit them differently. My example only had 2 little People in 2 Planes.  Try it with 3.   Line up 3 Little People and put one in the Foreground, one in the midground and 1 in the background.  It is really interesting how different the Core Shadow is.  

 

Now don't panic.  You really don't have to know all this stuff to draw and paint.  However, I do think being more aware of these things will change how you view your subjects. The Big Game Changer for me was how much Reflected Light affected both the Core Shadows and the Case Shadows.  

 Free Printable Download: Mushroom Sheet

I played around with drawing some shapes and shadows and put together this little Mushroom Activity Sheet.  I found it a great exercise. 

Mushroom Sheet: Here the Light Source is from the left

Put an arrow for your Light Source and then shade the picture accordingly.  Can you make the leaves curl up and down?  The mushroom appear round?  How about making the skirt on the stem spread out away from the stem?  (I like to pretend a little piece even gets caught in the light.)  Note how the shadow from the stick reinforces the idea of leaves rolled up on the ground.  

Mushroom Sheet: Try it again with the Light Source coming from the Right. 

 I worked on two examples, one with the light source coming from the left and one from the right.  You can really see how the light source changes what is happening in the picture.

You are welcome to download and print my Mushroom Sheet Free.  It fits on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper.  Print several and try different light sources.  

See My video "Getting Those Shadows Working for You "  on YouTube for further discussion.    

Have fun with your light and shadows, I hope it leads you to NEW adventures.  Next week let's look at Ambient Light.  Like Reflected Light it changes the shadows but also the COLOUR of things.  

FACE-TO-FACE Gallery show!!

Artswest Showcase

October 1 - 31, 2020

Landmark Pop-Up Gallery - 15140 North Bluff Rd, White Rock

Full Covid Safety Rules in Effect - Only 6 in the Gallery at a time 

Open: Wed 10-5pm  Thurs & Fri 10-8, Sat 10-5pm Sun 12-5pm

Come see what our Art Group has been doing - Lots of new Original pieces of Art, special

One-of-a-Kind Art Items and special gift items for any occasion.  

Bonus Show Activities - Semi-Private Classes:

Learn Drawing Skills making Christmas Cards - Fun with Candles and Ink

Oct 14: Acrylic Painting Class – Joanne Dennis
Oct 19: Fused Glass - Gunilla Kay
Oct 23: Christmas Card Class – Candles & Ink - Wendy Mould, 
Oct 29: Ceramics Class – Doris Biddle

All Classes 10-12:30 pm 

Classes $50 each.  Some supplies included

Registration:  Contact Wendy  

Do you have big/small projects on the go?  

Looking for a sounding board, help, suggestions, techniques. You and your Inner Critic looking to expand your discussions.  I am available for Online Coaching/Teaching  (3 sessions 30 minutes each $75). more info here.   

  
Many find this post helpful: Turn your Inner Critic into your BFF

 

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Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy