User:Drawingwithconfidence/sandbox

Request review at WP:AFC
I want to help you experience the JOY of drawing. I’ve spent so many years of my life finding the easiest possible techniques and principles that have helped me experience so much fulfillment.

Here are a few I’d like to share with you right now.

Shading Shading is a beautiful quality to most drawings. It describes the lighting, surface, and local value of objects. To understand the effect that lighting has on forms and how to accurately depict it here are a few points.

Light Source First there is a light source. This can be very bright and concentrated(spot light) or it can be diffuse and powerful(overcast day). Either way it will have a unique effect on the objects illuminated by it.

Textures Objects have various textures, and surface gloss. From chrome bumpers(reflective) to black chalk boards(matte). When objects carry these qualities they will appear differently under lighting situations.

Shadows Shadows define the direction of the lighting. Usually sitting at a cut to the direction of the light. Like the way the moon has a light side that sits in the cradle of the dark side. there are also two different types of shadows. There are core shadows and cast shadows.

Cast Shadows Cast shadows are created by an object getting in front of the path of light, then casting a shadow onto an object beneath it. These are characterized by a hard edge, and sharp contrast onto the objects it casts upon.

Core Shadow A core shadow is one that exists on the object where the objects surface turns away from the lighting source. These are characterized by a gradual darkening to the shadow shape. Simply adjusting the shadow edges to fit these two types will give a strong suggestion of three dimension and light source direction.

Highlights Highlights are interesting. They will follow the observer view around the room and sit on corners of an object’s form.

Form Light Form light is the gradient that an object displays all the way from the core shadow up to the apex of lightness facing directly perpendicular to the light source. A quick tip is to keep the transition from the core shadow to the halftones very subtle. This will ensure the illusion of eye popping three D form will energy from your paper and pencil.

Penumbra There’s also a penumbra area. This is when a cast shadow has light bounce into it from another source and it lightens the cast shadows.

Reflected Light Reflected light is light that will bounce off an illuminated surface into a core shadow. This will often appear as a hot spot of color. Careful not to allow these to compete with the regular form light, otherwise it may hollow out the drawing.