I hope you enjoy this new version on a post from 2018.
A shadow is an area deprived of light, but what does that mean when doing a painting?
What this means is if we are not paying attention to the kind of light source and the shadows resulting from it, we might create unintended distortions in our painting. The images could be masterfully formed, but if the shadows
are wrong, the entire painting will FEEL wrong.
First, consider the light source: if images are illuminated by a direct light source, two major kinds of shadows appear -- form shadows and cast shadows.
Form shadows are those areas on a form being deprived of light because the light is on the other side of them. Cast shadows are areas where the light is blocked by a shape or image. When the light rays are
coming from the entire sky rather than directly from the sun, cast shadows are close to the image and at a minimum.
Comparing this black puppy with the white one, see the difference in the light/shadow relationship? In outdoor diffused light, the light source being the entire sky, the image is illuminated from all directions and the form shadows recede
in all directions, too. Cast shadows are difficult to discern.
Take a photo of an outdoor image in direct sunlight. Wait for an overcast day and take another picture of the same image. Side by side, do a drawing of each image, giving attention to how shadows behave in each kind of
light.
HERE'S MY EXAMPLE OF TAKING THE PHOTO:
Enjoy a weekend of reading shadows!
During my Language of Painting series, I explained the role of our visual elements. If you'd like to review those roles to better understand the behavior of elements, here are the links to each of those
discussions: Color --Value -- Shape -- Texture -- Size -- Line and Direction
You can access the archive of all my newsletters (as well as the Quick Tips and other stuff) at any time by going HERE.
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