Lesson 3: Creating Depth
Light and Shadow
Chiaroscuro During the Italian Renaissance, artists used this convention or formula for applying light and shadow to objects. This practice made it possible for artists to create an illusion of depth by simply following a standard set of rules for applying light and shadow to a form. Later I will also stress the use of background to define form. This is not always taught formally however - I believe that it is a handy tool to have in your repetoire.
First let me set out some rules for you. And define some terms. Put an example of each idea into your visual journal. Read Chiaroscuro In my own words : what goes back in space gets darker - what comes forward gets lighter. If you apply this idea as a principle you can't really go wrong. I would like to guide you through some very simple exercises that show you the idea and then hand you over to other instructors to take you the rest of the way.
- Define your working space. Rectangle.
- Draw an ellipse.
- Draw two paralellel lines from each edge of the elipse pointing downwards. Turn the whole page upside down (You should be used to this) and repeat the arc at the bottom of the cylander to match the top one.
- Place a directional line through the centre of the cylander. Directional Line
- Now that you have the directional line dividing the cylander in half - carve the pot into whatever shape you would like the final piece to be. Make sure the two sides match and that the pot is symetrical.
- Now begin to shade using hatching. Shade the areas that are logically more distant from you - so that they look like they go back in space. Particularly shade the inside of the pot much darker as it logically is in shadow.
- Shade logically around to form building up depth by crossing your hatching.
- Once you are happy with your form - sign and date it.
- Make a note that this is a form in even daylight with no particular light focus or direction. Make a note that you have made no attempt to achieve transparency or capture reflections. Make sure you make a mental note that you are learning one element of rendering at a time.
If you have done that without trying to achieve more than your one simple objective you have done well!
The diagram above shows a way of simplifying shading so that it can be applied to any surface. Like any convention, good observation from life helps to get better results
Now I'll send you off to do another exercise with another artist. Feel free to post your attempts in the discussion area. I suggest that you practice drawing like this for 10mins a day in your journal until achieving depth in this manner is a habit.
In this exercise Kirk Bjorndahl teaches you about shading and shadows. Write the definition of Highlight into your journal as well.
The point closest to the light source where light is most concentrated. Highlights are easiest to see on reflective or glossy surfaces.
