Light and shade, volume: tasks of the month
Sessions on how a flat silhouette turns into form: the shadow terminal, value scales, hatching and render — digitally and in pencil.
Tasks
this week21–27 September
The shadow terminal in a portrait
Draw a portrait with one light source from the side. First run the line of the shadow terminal across the whole head and close the shadow as a single shape, with no details inside it. Lay in the halftone and the reflected light last: the reflected light has to stay darker than the darkest light, otherwise the form will fall apart. Any reference, any medium — pencil or tablet. Post your piece to the feed by Sunday, September 27.
3–9 May
Five steps of value on a plaster cast
Put a plaster head or any light-colored object under a single lamp and lay it out in exactly five steps: light, halftone, core shadow, reflected light, cast shadow. Hold each step as a separate shape and don’t blend them into one another. The reflected light is always darker than the darkest light — if it comes out lighter, the form falls apart. Any medium. Label the steps right in the margins of the sheet.
10–16 May
Three value keys
The same subject three times: in a high key, in a low key and in a middle one. Keep the subject simple — an object against a background. In each version hold a limited set of values and don’t step outside it. The point of the exercise is that the mood is set by the range, not by the subject. Digital or pencil, either way.
17–23 May
Warm and cool on a simple form
Take a sphere or an egg and paint it so that the light is warm and the shadow is cool. Then the other way round. Make sure only the temperature changes and the value stays the same: this is the most common mistake — the lightness drifts along with the temperature. Digital or paint, whichever suits you.
24–30 May
The cast shadow
An object on a plane, one light source. The main character of the drawing is the cast shadow: its shape, its edge, and the way it loses density with distance. At the base of the object the shadow is darkest and sharpest, further away it is softer and lighter. An even gray blob under the object gives away the lack of understanding. An hour of work.