Types of shadows in a drawing. Learning to see light and shadow

To correctly draw any three-dimensional figure, it needs to be analyzed. That is, pay attention to which geometric shapes it consists. Usually, any complex shape is mentally broken down into several simple ones - a ball, a cylinder, a parallelepiped cone, a cube.

On a cylindrical surface, shadows are located depending on the brightness and distance of the light source. Let's look at an example of diffuse lighting from the front and left side of a cylinder.

Where light falls almost directly on an object, a bright place(on the cylinder this is a light stripe along the entire length). This area is called light. Around it, the light falls obliquely, as if sliding along the surface - here a penumbra(or semitone). After this section there is a place where Sun rays do not penetrate, we see a dark stripe there - shadow. Following it again comes a slightly illuminated area - penumbra, or it is also called reflex. It is formed as a result of reflection from objects or planes located nearby.

Strokes must always be applied according to the shape of the object. Horizontal or vertical. In some cases, you can combine different shading to highlight or enhance the shadows.

Now let's try to draw a ball. I have already told you how to construct a circle using auxiliary lines. When the circle is constructed, the extra lines need to be erased (try auxiliary lines apply as lightly and thinly as possible).

The gradations of light and shadow on the ball are located in the same way as on a cylindrical surface, only according to the shape of the ball. There is also a strongly lit place - light, smoothly turning into penumbra, and then in shadow. The shadow is usually always followed by another penumbra - reflex. If the surface of the ball is not matte, you can see a bright white spot in place of the light - glare.

The placement of light and shadow on an object depends on which side and at what angle the light source is located. If the source is very bright, the shadows become more saturated and sharp, if the light is diffused, then the transitions are smoother and softer.

If we now look at the jug, we will see that it consists of a cylinder, a ball and a truncated cone (from top to bottom). Now, understanding how to position the shadows, all that remains is to begin applying strokes to the shape of the jug.

To correctly draw any three-dimensional figure, it must be analyzed. That is, pay attention to what geometric shapes it consists of. Usually, any complex shape is mentally broken down into several simple ones - a ball, a cylinder, a parallelepiped cone, a cube.

On a cylindrical surface, shadows are located depending on the brightness and distance of the light source. Let's look at an example of diffuse lighting from the front and left side of a cylinder.

Where the light falls almost directly on the object, a bright spot is formed (on a cylinder this is a light stripe along its entire length). This area is called light. Around it, the light falls obliquely, as if sliding across the surface - here a penumbra (or semitone) is formed. After this section there is a place where the sun's rays do not penetrate, there we see a dark stripe - a shadow. Following it again comes a slightly illuminated area - penumbra or also called a reflex. It is formed as a result of reflection from objects or planes located nearby.

Strokes must always be applied according to the shape of the object. Horizontal or vertical. In some cases, you can combine different shading to highlight or enhance the shadows.

At any art school or at art courses First of all, they teach you to draw boring primitives: ball, cube, cone and cylinder. When I was little and went to art school, such classes tired me with their tediousness. Straight lines, precise proportions and endless shading of the drawing with pencils of varying softness. There was no play of fantasy or riot of colors in this case. Then I still did not understand that this was one of the first and important steps to feel the volume and learn to depict it correctly.

Almost simultaneously with primitives, still lifes are drawn - drawing them helps to feel figures with complex shapes and makes it possible to gain experience in using paints, pencils or crayons. Personally, I’ve never been drawn to still lifes; for me, it’s not much more fun than drawing primitives. And other people’s still life works make me want to sleep. However, there are exceptions in the form of unusual execution techniques :)

An example of a still life in unusual technique execution. Author: Smertina Natalia

But the reality, as a rule, is that you want to learn how to draw here and now, without spending money on it. long years- How much this really depends on each individual. Some people look at other people's work. They like them and want to learn how to draw the same way. But when they try and the first results do not suit them, they immediately give up with the words: “I will never succeed in the same way...”. It’s important to understand that few people succeed the first time. It’s important to remember that it’s all about desire and desire;) While we were learning to ride a bike, we fell off it more than once and gave ourselves bruises. When we were learning to drive a car, we stalled more than once at traffic lights and in front of pedestrian crossings. But in the end, those who studied and wanted to learn learned and are now enjoying the results. It's the same with drawing.

In our age of technology, learning to draw, as well as learning many other things, is much easier than it was before. At least that's what I think. Computers simplify the process of creating pictures and make it possible to use various effects and tools in your works. And the Internet helps you spy on things that you cannot think through in detail in your imagination, but you can imagine what they should look like and what they are called;) In addition, sitting at home in front of the monitor, you can recharge your enthusiasm by looking at your work professional artists. And in exceptional cases, even see the process of their creation.

Volume

If you feel that you have problems with the sense of volume, then I advise you to start with the primitives. Most likely it will be boring, but don’t be discouraged - this is a solid foundation for the future.

Objects become three-dimensional when a light source appears. To make any object look three-dimensional, you need to place a light source on the stage and constantly remember its position when drawing details. There should always be at least one main light source that affects all elements of the drawing. But there may also be additional sources, for example: a candle, a torch, car headlights or a flash from an explosion.

An example of a picture with one light source.

An example of a picture with two light sources.

As you can see, in the picture those parts of objects that are closer to the light source have more light colors, and those further from the light have darker shades.

If you can’t imagine correctly where the light is and where the shadows should be, then I recommend drawing from life - it’s not difficult. We take any non-transparent object that has simple form. We place it on a table or stool and place a table lamp next to it. And then, looking at this object, we try to depict it on paper or directly on the computer. The purpose of this training is not so much to depict the object as it looks in real life It takes a lot to understand where the light is and how the subject is shaded.

Shadows

Knowing where the light source is, it is not difficult to construct a shadow on an object if it is of a simple shape.

An example of constructing a shadow.

By moving the light source, we can easily calculate where the shadow of the object should fall.

But this is all theory. In their work, artists do not build guides and do not calculate shadows in this way, unless, of course, extreme precision in the work is required, because this requires a lot of time. Typically, artists draw this type of task by eye. I assure you that if you tinker with the guides for 2-3 evenings and draw shadows along them, then after this time you will not be perfect, but you will already have a rough idea of ​​where the shadow should fall :) In general, if the correctness of the shadows is important, then you can draw them by eye , and then quickly check using the guides by drawing 2-3 lines.

In games, correct shadows are not used if the game world consists of a mosaic of various pieces (we don’t take 3D into account, where shadows are calculated dynamically by the computer). They are very difficult to draw and program, so they often use semi-transparent circles or other objects under characters or other objects. interesting techniques. Most often, static objects in games do not cast shadows on themselves or other objects.

Volume of complex objects

If you learn to draw simple primitives in volume with “ eyes closed“, then drawing complex objects will no longer be so scary. After all, the whole trick is that objects of any complexity consist of the simplest primitives, and in order difficult subject depict it as three-dimensional, you just need to imagine its individual details in the form of ordinary primitives and things will go as they should :)

I admit, in this example with shading there is serious problems, but I think the general idea is clear :)

Over time I found out a few important points, which should be followed to get good results:

1. Those objects that are lighter visually look closer to the viewer than those that have darker shades. For example, if we draw houses or trees in isometry, then the roofs of the houses and the tops of the trees should be lighter than the walls of the houses or the lower branches of the trees. If for the roof of a house or for the foliage of trees we use the same colors for the upper and lower parts, then the houses and trees will appear flat, and not as voluminous as we would like them to be.
2. Important game objects should be made brighter or somehow highlighted against the background of other objects. Most often, an additional outline stroke or more is used rich colors. In this case, background objects should not use a contrasting outline and the colors should be more muted.
3. Do not use as a canvas color White color- this is a very contrasting background. When drawing objects against such a background, you can make a mistake with the colors. And when the objects are ready, placing them in the game world, you may find that they do not match the color scheme, or do not look as good as you would like. Use as a background neutral color general color scheme of the game world.
4. I recommend viewing your work regularly good artists, drawing in the style in which you would like to learn to draw. Pay attention to various details and try to peer into the drawings, looking at individual elements. And imagine how they can be depicted - this will help develop visual thinking. Also, feel free to repeat some elements with your own ideas - this is useful for training your hand and imagination. In any case, if you don’t try to make yourself a clone of a certain artist and still draw a little differently, then you will get your own unique style.
5. I myself am not always able to perfectly select colors and undertones. This sometimes takes a lot of time. When I can’t decide anything with color for a long time and am already starting to get stupid, I look at the colors in other people’s works and sometimes this really helps me solve the problem. As a result, the colors are not “stealed”, as some may think, because they are still immediately or a little later adjusted to the overall color scheme. For these purposes, I am gradually collecting a collection of screenshots of graphics I liked from different games and art :)
6. The more often you draw, the more experience you gain. And the more experience, the better the pictures turn out. In general, draw as often as possible;)
7. It often happens that everything seems to be well drawn and everyone likes it, but you absolutely don’t like it - don’t worry, it happens :) Try drawing it again, but a little differently. Or put the picture aside for 1-2 days, and then try again.

Useful links on the topic

As much as I would like to tell you about all the secrets of drawing, there is no way to do this all at once. In addition, this topic in itself is very interesting and voluminous, and it is not difficult to guess that there are many lessons and specialized blogs on drawing, links to which I am happy to share:

• www.drawmanga.ru - A very interesting site on the topic “How to draw Manga”
• www.risovat.ru - Blog “Drawing lessons or how to learn to draw”
• www.artlesson.ru - A site with lessons on using various graphic editors.
• draw.demiart.ru - A selection of drawing lessons.

If we mean volumetric shading of objects, then the easiest way to determine the color of the penumbra is to take more dark shade from the existing color. And for lighter ones, on the contrary, drag the slider to the lighter one. This is how the figures in the pictures in the example are drawn. But it seems to me that this result is not always interesting. Here you can experiment and, when selecting, try to move the penumbra towards cooler colors, and the lighter parts towards warmer ones, provided that the light source emits warm light. However, I wrote that I myself have problems with choosing colors and can only deal with them by looking at other people’s pictures :)

By the way, Lerika has an interesting blog entry on the topic of creating color palette, I recommend checking out: Color Swatches

Unfortunately, I can’t share the selection. The blog format is not the same, and the selection contains not only screenshots of games, but also copyright pictures that I like and which I do not have the right to distribute. And there is no time to separate the art from the screenshots.

Anyone can put together such a collection on their own; all you need to do is look at games from time to time or simply visit resources where they are reviewed and if you like the picture, then grab it. In addition to games, I personally follow updates various artists and I also drag their pictures into my collection :)

Maybe off topic, but I would like to know what to do for someone who has been at school, at home, and at university all his life I always drew the same thing ? (that is, you liked a certain character, you remembered him and began to draw, and then studied not only him but also all the creatures from the same series)..
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How to unlearn/get rid of this? (After all, I myself understand that all these “cool” creatures and heroes are just the result of the creativity of their authors)
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And now, having seen that everything comes down to one point, I really want to know and be able to draw people, animals, plants, equipment, transport (the same cars, planes, helicopters, rockets)) to story (draw) my own landscapes, buildings, to draw objects inside them. Be able to draw EVERYTHING I want or think of (and not just one thing).
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Please tell me how I can learn and get rid of myself (forget what I’ve been drawing for years) and begin to gain new knowledge about certain objects or creatures that interest me?
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To begin with, I want to be able to draw a person well - how can I learn this? (Share your experience pls) T_T

@Crash, in order to forget how to draw what you have been drawing all the time and learn to draw everything that surrounds us, you need to use only one proven and most reliable way - to draw everything that you want to learn to draw regularly! :) You may not be able to just pick it up and draw at first, but you didn’t learn to walk right away either;)

In your case, a “stupor of fantasy” may occur (as I call it), especially since this is very likely when you have been drawing the same images for so long. To overcome this, you need to delve into the images of what you like on the street or on the Internet and perhaps in the first attempts simply repeat (copy), and then, based on this, start drawing your own, and then another, and so draw, draw and draw: ) And everything will work out!

Well, my advice to you is, don’t hesitate to repeat other people’s techniques or techniques; of course, you shouldn’t use this approach openly in commercial work, so as not to damage your “karma,” but for learning purposes it won’t be superfluous. But in the end, you will still develop your own style and your own techniques. The main thing is not to expect from yourself that everything should work out the first time - it doesn’t happen!

I’ll add a little cruel trick of my own - how to look soberly at your picture right away - in art we approached the mirror with a sheet - the eye becomes blurry when you sit for a long time over the drawing, and the mirrored image will show all the mistakes, the analogue on the computer - or turn the picture upside down , or simply reflect horizontally, although you need to mentally prepare yourself for the fact that you may have to redo a lot of things

Thank you very much!

I really like to draw. I like the process itself. It is mesmerizing, time flies unnoticed. But I just can’t make friends with volumes and light. All my drawings are childishly flat. I keep trying to “get around” the rules, placing shadows and highlights almost at random.

You inspired me a lot, I will definitely try to draw simple objects with a table lamp. Thank you thank you thank you!

Choose what you especially liked and get to work.

We will look later on how to apply light and shade to the face, since first you need to master some techniques in drawing the details of the face: nose, mouth, eyes and eyebrows.

Let's use this example to study in detail the application of light and shade on the nose.	Draw a 25mm grid (4 cells). Execute line drawing. make sure it is accurate.
Using a dark tone of No. 1, shade the nostrils and the falling shadow on the left.	Apply shadow #2 to the areas indicated here.	Using feathering, create penumbra No. 3. Shadows No. 2 soften at the same time.
We need to make the skin a little darker, so apply the shadow again.	Blend the tonal transitions again. Don't forget to squint. If you see small light areas, shade them. If you see small dark areas, lighten them using the sharp edge of the rubber band (if the edge is blunt, make a cut; the scrap can also be used as this).

3. Mouth.

A closed mouth is easier to draw than an open one. For the latter, I recommend a finer mesh - a lot small parts. Each tooth must be the proper size, shape, and in place.

When drawing a mouth, follow these rules:
1. The upper lip is usually darker than the lower lip.
2. The lower lip contains highlights.
3. There are light shadows around the mouth.
4. Never outline your finished mouth.
5. The line dividing the lips is very uneven. It is thick in some places and very thin in others. The corners of the mouth are shaped like a quotation mark or a teardrop. It is very important to depict them - the mouth looks like it goes inward, rather than lying flat on the surface of the face.
6. Men's lips are sometimes very light. Their shape is then determined not by outlines, but by shadows above and below.

We will now draw a closed mouth. I recommend practicing with photos from magazines.

4. Eyes, eyelashes and eyebrows.

The entire drawing can be just a background for one eye, so you should pay special attention to drawing the eye.

6. Apply shadows to the face.

And here is the finished portrait.

§7 Light and shadow

The volumetric shape of objects is conveyed in the drawing not only by surfaces constructed taking into account perspective cuts, but also with the help of chiaroscuro.

Light and shadow (chiaroscuro) are very important tool images of objects of reality, their volume and position in space.

Chiaroscuro, as well as perspective, has been used by artists for a very long time. Using this means, they learned to convey in drawing and painting the shape, volume, and texture of objects so convincingly that they seemed to come to life in the works. Light also helps convey the environment.

Artists to this day use the rules for the transmission of chiaroscuro discovered in the Middle Ages, but are working to improve and develop them.

Artists E. de Witte (“Interior of the Church”), A. Grimshaw (“Evening over the Thames”), Latour (“St. Joseph the Carpenter”), E. Degas (“Ballet Rehearsal”) conveyed the light from different sources lighting, pay attention to this (ill. 149-152).

You can see natural lighting (natural) from the sun and moon and artificial lighting (man-made) from a candle, lamp, spotlight, etc.

149. E. DE WITTE. Interior view of the church. Fragment

There is a special approach to lighting in the theater; it is no coincidence that lighting designers work there. They create amazing lighting effects, amazing Magic world– “painting” and “graphics” with light.

150. A. GRIMSHAW. Evening over the Thames

151. LATOUR. St. Joseph the Carpenter

152. E. DEGAS. Ballet rehearsal. Fragment

153. K. MONET. Rouen Cathedral in different time days

Monet's cathedrals are not specific architectural structures, but images of what happens at a certain moment in the morning, afternoon and evening.

We can change the light of artificial sources at our request, but natural lighting changes itself, for example, the sun either shines brightly or hides behind the clouds. When clouds scatter sunlight, the contrast between light and shadow softens, and the illumination in the light and shadows is evened out. Such calm lighting is called light-tonal lighting. It makes it possible to convey a greater number of halftones in a drawing.

There are many different states of sunlight that can greatly change the same landscape and even affect your mood. The landscape looks joyful in bright sunshine and sad on a gray day. In the early morning, when the sun is not high above the horizon and its rays glide across the surface of the earth, the contours of objects appear unclear, everything seems to be shrouded in haze. At midday, the contrasts of light and shadow are enhanced, bringing out details clearly. In the rays of the setting sun, nature can look mysterious and romantic, that is, the emotional impression of the landscape largely depends on the lighting.

154. Landscape under different conditions of sunlight

155. REMBRANDT. Portrait of an old lady

The perception of color also depends largely on lighting. If using linear perspective we convey space in a drawing, then in painting it is impossible to do without taking into account changes in the color and tonal relationships of nature as they move away from the viewer or the light source. Dark objects at a distance acquire cold shades, usually bluish, and light objects acquire warm shades. You can read about this in the 2nd part of the textbook “Fundamentals of Painting”.

He mastered the art of using light in painting like no one else, the great Rembrandt. He lit a light with his brush, warming anyone on whom it falls. Rembrandt's paintings are always illuminated by an inner light. Simple good people, depicted on them, seem to radiate it themselves. The greatness of an artist lies in his humanity. The light in his canvases helps to touch the human soul.

In his paintings, the light, illuminating the faces of those portrayed from the darkness, has some kind of witchcraft power.

The nature of illumination also depends on the height of the sun above the horizon. If it is high above your head, almost at the zenith, then objects cast short shadows. Form and texture are poorly revealed.

When the sun decreases, the shadows of objects increase, the texture appears better, and the relief of the form is emphasized.

156. Scheme for constructing shadows from the sun

Knowing these patterns of light and shadow construction can help you when solving creative problems in depicting a landscape or thematic composition.

157. Front lighting

158. Side lighting

159. Backlighting

It is important to consider in creative work and the position of the light source. Look at the images on the illus. 157-159 and pay attention to expressive capabilities frontal, side and backlighting.

Front lighting is when a light source illuminates an object directly because it is in front of it. This lighting reveals little detail.

Side lighting (from the left or right) clearly reveals the shape, volume, and texture of objects.

Backlighting occurs when the light source is behind the subject. This is very effective and expressive lighting, especially when the picture depicts trees, water or snow (ill. 160, 161). However, objects in these conditions look silhouetted and lose their volume.

160. Trees in backlighting

161. Student's work

162. I. KHRUTSKY. Fruits and candle

163. Scheme for constructing candle shadows

There may be one or more light sources in a painting. For example, on the canvas “Fruits and a Candle” (ill. 162), the artist I. Khrutsky skillfully conveyed the light from the window and from a lit candle, which is located behind the objects.

Shadows from objects illuminated by a candle fall in different directions, directed from the candle, and the length of the shadows is determined by the rays coming from the fire of the candle (ill. 163).

The pattern of a falling shadow depends on the shape of the object and the inclination of the surface on which it lies. Its direction depends on the location of the light source. It is easy to guess that if the light falls from the left, then the shadow will be to the right of the subject. Near him the shadow is darker, and further away it weakens.

If you have to draw near a window or near a lamp, please note that the illumination of objects near will be much stronger than in the distance. As the light fades, the contrast between light and shadow softens. Remember this when drawing near and distant objects in a still life. This phenomenon is called light perspective.

Contrasting lighting, which is based on a clear distinction between light and shadow, is called chiaroscuro.

Chiaroscuro on a jug. Basic Concepts

The illumination of objects depends on the angle at which the rays of light fall on the object. If they illuminate the surface at a right angle, then the brightest place on the object is formed, which we conventionally call light. Where the rays only glide, penumbra is formed. In those places where light does not penetrate there is shadow. On shiny surfaces, the light source is reflected and the brightest place is formed - glare. And in the shadows you can see the reflection from the illuminated planes located nearby - a reflex.

The shadow on the object itself is called its own, and the shadow it casts is called the falling shadow.

Let's look at the image of the jug and look at how chiaroscuro is located on it.

The light source in this case is on the left. The jug is painted in one color. The shadow is darkest, the reflex is a little lighter, the midtone and especially the light are even lighter. The brightest place is the highlight.

164. Jug Chiaroscuro is easy to convey in a tone drawing, but impossible in a linear one.

165. Drawing of a jug: a – linear, b – tonal Revealing the volume of objects using lighting

Light of the world At one time, the idea of ​​Toledo was formed by its image on the canvases of the great Spanish painter Domenico Theotocopouli Greca, known to the world under the pseudonym El Greco. The old capital served as the backdrop for many of his paintings; the fantastic ones are especially good