Drawing Foundations: Light and Shadow

Learn how to see and replicate light and shadow in your drawings.

Introduction

• Welcome
• Using the exercise files

1. Materials

• An introduction to lighting for artists
• Pencils, paper, and chalk
• Charcoal, pens, and paper stumps

2. Principles of Chiaroscuro

• The history of light and shade in art
• The basics of light logic

3. Basics of Lighting

• Shaping the light in nature
• Hard and soft lighting effects

4. Value and Form

• Cast-shadow-tone drawing: The line drawing
• Cast-shadow-tone drawing: The tones
• Reflected light

5. Compositional Patterns Using Light and Dark

• Shadow mapping multiple objects
• Monet: Light and dark patterns
• Compositional patterns on tonal paper
• Compositional rules

6. Using Tonal Paper

• The three tone masses
• Shadows and highlights
• Sfumato and shadow edges

7. Final Project

• Final project: Building the initial tonal stage
• Final project: Finishing the project