| For this project you can put aside your "office" pencil and purchase an Eberhard Faber HB drawing pencil #3800. Better yet, buy a dozen. They'll give you the rich blacks and the deep grays you'll need for this project. If this particular pencil is unavailable in your town, then use a drawing pencil with a soft, black lead that will give you deep tones |
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Observing Light and Shadow:
It's axiomatic to say that without light you would see nothing. However, only the artist observes and carefully considers the properties and characteristics of light (and, consequently, shadows) and light's effect upon virtually everything around him. Previously you only trained your eye to see and draw the correct proportion of an object that was in line. Now you will learn to observe and draw objects in tone, that is, light and shadow. You'll study and render the angle, density, and shape of shadows on and caused by an object. First, let's study the properties of light and shadow indoors - artificial light. Later, when we go outdoors, we'll deal with the behavior of natural light. The main difference between both types of light - artificial and natural - is that you can control indoor light, while you can't control outdoor or natural light. Too obvious to even mention? Not really, as we will see. |
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Light and Dimension: For the present, let's deal only with one light source to avoid confusion. It's the clear and definite separation of light on one side of an object and shadow on the other that gives an object it's three dimensional appearance, of having volume as well as height and width.
The manner in which light, falling on an object, separates into distinct areas of light and dark depends upon the surface of the object. If the demarcation between light and dark is sharp, then the object has planes and, therefore, edges that turn away from the light. If there is a gradual change from light to dark, then the surface is curved. Look at fig. A. above. This theory was absolutely perfected by many of the Impressionists. After you have finished the project it might be helpful to go to our Virtual Museum here at Wetcanvas! and look at some of the Impressionist paintings. Pay particular attention to this effect in their works. Tonal Values: I've done Fig. B. to give you an idea how shading affects subject matter and composition. Notice that all the light areas are white and all the dark areas, or shadows, have the same intensity or value. Value is simply the lightness or darkness - from white through all the shades of gray to black - of a tone produced by a drawing medium such as a pencil, charcoal, etc. The reason that all the shadows on the object on Fig. B. are the same value, or degree of darkness, is that all the objects have been considered to be white and of the same material. No local color or texture has been introduced; we'll explore those problems in the next lesson. For the present on Fog. B. I've left the white paper itself for the lights, and rendered all the shadows in the same degree of darkness. |
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Using the Full Tonal Scale: However, when you begin to draw in tone, I'd like you to use the full tonal scale - from black through all the grays to white (scroll up to Fig. C.). I've seen many students who made their drawings weak and pale, because they were too timid to press down on their pencils and obtain the deep blacks and dark grays that would give their drawings vitality. always give your drawings the directness of line and the boldness of tone that reflects your confidence.
Cast Shadows: Along with the shadow on an object, there's another type of shadow, known as the cast shadow. This shadow is created by the object itself upon the surface on which it stands. Cast shadows aren't a flat, even tone; They're darker at their source. Their darkest portion is immediately adjacent to the objects casting them (this is sometimes difficult to see when presented from a computer scan). The edges of cast shadows can be sharp or soft; you must carefully observe these qualities. Angle of Light: The angle of light you choose affects your subject matter (Fig. E.). Place any object you wish on a table or a stool and shine a light on it from various angles. Study the shapes of the shadows and cast shadows as you walk around the object, holding the light at the same height and at the same distance. Naturally, you'll select and draw the most interesting shadow patterns. In Fig. E., the subject illuminated is an old fashion coffee pot. When the light is directly in front of it (as in view 1) notice that the shadows on the object are scattered to its edges, thereby flattening the form. This would be the lighting angle to use when you're doing a line drawing, because there are no disturbing shadows to contend with. However, if you want to convey the solidity or volume of your object, a light from upper left or upper right (views 2 and 3) would give you this three-dimensional effect. The result of lighting an object from behind (as shown in view 4) would be a flat tonal silhouette. If lighting from the front would be the best angle when you want to do a line drawing, lighting from behind would be the best when you want to do a simple, flat shape in tone. |
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Level of Light:
Now I would like you to change the height or level of your light source as you move around an object. The lower the angle of light, the longer the cast shadow (Fig. F. view 1). This low angle of lighting should usually be avoided, because the cast shadow becomes too long and more important than the object itself (Fig. F. view 2). However, if you prefer this angle, the long cast shadow can be cropped with a border or intersected with another object (Fig. F. view 3). In our next lesson, we will concentrate on "Translating Local Color to Black and White. See you then! |