Laws of chiaroscuro
Every person who has started drawing asks the question of how to convey the volume and shape of objects on paper. And this issue often comes to a dead end. Meanwhile, the visual perception of shape and volume directly depends on the laws of such a thing as chiaroscuro. In principle, these patterns can be traced simply by observing objects around us illuminated with artificial or natural colors. This is especially clearly seen on objects of simple geometric shapes - balls, cylinders, pyramids, etc. In order to seriously master tonal drawing, you need to know these laws of chiaroscuro well.
Chiaroscuro— the distribution of illumination observed on the surface of an object, creating a brightness scale.
Light is one of the main visual arts: the transfer of the shape, volume, texture of an object and the depth of space depends on the lighting conditions.
An object is visually perceived only when it is illuminated, that is, when chiaroscuro is formed on its surface due to different illumination.
Depending on the position of the object in relation to the light source, the type (texture) and color of its surface and a number of other factors, chiaroscuro will have one or another brightness. Chiaroscuro can be divided into several “parts”. To make it clearer, consider a simple cylinder.
If you light it artificially, the gradation of light and shade will be visible very clearly. So. The gradation is as follows: highlight, light, penumbra, own shadow, reflex, falling shadow.
light - surfaces brightly illuminated by a light source;
glare - a spot of light on a brightly lit convex or flat glossy surface, when there is also a specular reflection on it;
shadow - unlit or dimly lit areas of an object. Shadows on the unlit side of an object are called intrinsic, and shadows cast by the object on other surfaces are called cast;
penumbra is a weak shadow that occurs when an object is illuminated by several light sources. It also forms on a surface facing the light source at a slight angle;
reflex - a weak light spot in the shadow area, formed by rays reflected from nearby objects.
Light- this is the most illuminated surface; the rays of light fall on it at a more right angle. There will always be the brightest small spot in the light - a highlight (this is the place where rays of light, reflected from the surface of an object, fall directly into our eye). Of course, the highlight does not have to be perfectly white. It all depends on the overall tone of the picture. If you paint a black matte ball, there will never be a white highlight on it. A highlight is the brightest spot relative to your drawing, here and now, so to speak. Then the shape of the object is rotated, the rays of light fall at a different angle, and a penumbra is obtained. The transition from light to penumbra, and then to shadow on round objects is very smooth, without clear boundaries. So, next is the shadow itself. This is the place on the surface of an object where light rays do not reach at all. This is the darkest place on the surface of an object. It must be remembered that the shadow goes along the surface of the object and will take its shape. If we draw a ball (or other round, spherical objects), then we need to remember that the border of the shadow cannot be the same throughout its entire length. The convex surface of the shadow border closest to us will be darker than the edges.
Then a reflex. It is very important. Many people miss reflexes and don’t draw them, but without this it is impossible to fully convey the shape of an object. Rays of light, which fall not only on the object, but also illuminate everything around, are reflected from the surrounding object space (for example, from the surface of the table on which the object lies, or from surrounding objects) and cast a reflection on the object that we are actually drawing . This is a reflex. It is lighter than the shadow, but in no case can the reflex be the same tone as the light. It should be darker than light, partial shade, but lighter than shadow. Certainly, exact recipe there is no question of how much darker or lighter it is - you need to look at each individual case.
In addition to its own shadow, an object has another one - a falling one. I think everything is clear - the object, with its mass, blocks the path of light rays, and they do not reach the surface on which the object stands. This is how a falling shadow is created. It also has its own gradations of tone. At the base of the object, the shadow is usually darker and more saturated. And the further away from the object, the paler and blurrier it becomes.
In general, regardless of the shape of the object, whether it is simple or complex, the law of distribution of light and shadow is always the same.
But there are more additions. We do not draw flat spots, but voluminous objects illuminated unevenly. The degree of illumination depends on the position of the object in space relative to the light source, on the nature of the light source, the distance from the surface of the object to the light source, and also on the incidence of the light beam on the surface.
Also, the degree of illumination of an object depends on how close the object is to the light source. As an object approaches the light, its illumination will increase, and vice versa, as it moves away, it will weaken.
The eye distinguishes a significant number of tones. The wider the scale of tones, the less they differ in brightness from each other, the less contrast the object is perceived; The narrower it is, the greater the differences in brightness between tones will be, the more contrast the object will appear.
And another one important detail- background. Drawing, unless of course quick sketch or the very first sketch for future picture, will not live on paper without a background. Looks very impressive dark background for light objects, which thanks to it come to the fore.
A lot depends on the background in the drawing!
As a result, we can say: to give volume to an object, you can divide it into many planes (this can be done mentally, not necessarily on paper), find the brightest and darkest of them, and then finish the drawing, filling it with penumbra and highlighting reflexes . And of course, we must not forget about the shadow and the background, even if we are drawing a sketch. For an example of the distribution of tones of different saturations, here is a clear example from the book. Notice that the highlights are the white paper showing through in some places.
In this section we will try to give general information about the stroke and reveal the essence of the shading method.
At first glance, it seems easy to repeat the same thing as in the figure. But for beginners this is very difficult, especially when the hand does not obey and you just want to put your hand against the paper and “make” circumferential lines from short lines, as many people usually do.
Here are a few techniques inherent in shading:.
So, try quickly drawing several oblique parallel lines at the same distance. It is important to maintain equal (or proportional) distances between lines. It is better to hold a pencil (pen, felt-tip pen, etc.) lightly, and draw lines without pressing hard on the paper. Many educational publications recommend training shoulder movements. To do this, you need to hold your hand without touching the paper.
Lines can be drawn with great pressure at the beginning of the stroke, and almost without touching at the end
Read about this topic on the website:
Pencil drawing. Materials and tools. Storing drawings Demonstration charcoal drawing: woman's head 
Charcoal drawing: forest island Stage 5-7
Date of publication: 01/04/2017
To make the drawing look more realistic, we make shadows, thereby creating volume for it.
The concept of the terms light, shadow, chiaroscuro, reflex, halftone and highlight
Light- the lightest part of the picture. Without it, it is impossible to give volume to an object, since we see the shape of an object only in good lighting.
Shadow- the unlit part of the object. The shadow on the unlit side of an object is called its own, and the cast shadow is called the falling shadow. The own shadow is always darker than the falling shadow.
Chiaroscuro– this is a transition from a light area of an object to a dark one.
Reflex- a reflection of what surrounds the object in the drawing. The reflex will always be darker than the midtones and lighter than the shadow, since it is part of it.
Semitone- smooth transition from light to shadow without visible boundaries. It exists only where the sun's rays fall on an object only at a certain angle.
Blik- the light part of the mirror object. In the picture, it often looks like a white spot reflecting the sun's rays.
What does the shadow depend on?
The degree of illumination of an object depends on the lighting in the room, the angle of incidence of the rays and the light source, and the distance between the object and the light source. There is natural and artificial lighting. Natural light is light from sun rays, and artificial is light from light sources made by man. The greater the distance, the weaker the illumination of the object and vice versa. Light and shadows in the foreground should be more contrasting, as they are more noticeable. The planes that are directed towards the light are the brightest.
How to properly shade an object
First we need to correctly understand the shape that we need to shade. More complex objects, such as people, nature or things, are built from the lightest forms of an object - a sphere, a cylinder and a cube.
So, first, choose a pencil. Shadows are best drawn with 8b pencils. Best to have simple pencils of different hardness to make the pattern more voluminous.
The next step: you need to sharpen the pencil. It is best to do this with a stationery knife, as the lead is longer and thinner.
Next, we make a sketch of our object, which we will shade. Lightly pressing the pencil, draw the outline of the object. It is better to draw from life, seeing the object with your own eyes, it is easier to determine the shadow. Place the object in front of you and turn on the light, and you will see that it casts a shadow, which you will later transfer to the drawing.
Next, identify a light source to outline where the subject's shadow will be.
Strokes
Strokes– broken lines that help to shade the object in the drawing.
Choose a shading method that is convenient for you. There are three types of hatching: straight, circular and cross. Straight hatching is drawn parallel lines and great for objects such as hair, dresses and so on.
Circular hatching is done using circles different sizes and different pressure levels. This allows you to create a more realistic object.
Cross hatching is done using cross-shaped lines that allow you to give a darker shadow to your subject in your drawing.
Always hold the pencil as horizontally as possible to ensure natural shadows.
I suggest you try all types of shading on a separate sheet of paper and choose the one that is more convenient for you.
Let's move on to the most important thing - shading. First apply one layer of shading to the object, draw another layer next to it so that our two layers do not intersect. If they intersect, a dark place is formed, which is difficult to get rid of during work. After you have applied the first layers of shadows, in the intervals between layers you apply a second layer, but the shading should be different, that is, you need to change the inclination of the strokes. Then on top, where necessary, apply the third, fourth, fifth and subsequent layers of strokes.
Shading shadows
Now that the shading is done, we need to shade the lines. There is no need to do this with your fingers. To do this, you can take a cloth, a piece of paper and carefully, with smooth movements, without pressing too hard, rub the pencil. Then look at your drawing. If you like it, then good, but if not, then move on to the next step.
Correcting errors
The most common mistake is that the shadow, highlight, and so on are incorrectly defined. To correct it, check again whether your shadow is in the right place and whether the highlight and reflex are visible. The contours between light and dark areas should not be clear. If dark joints have formed between the hatching layers, take an eraser and gently touch the dark place. Repeat this step as many times as needed.
No one succeeds the first time. You must strive for excellence, go towards your dreams. Remember that even the greatest and most famous artists did not immediately start drawing pictures, but started with simple things that you may be learning to draw.
As you understand, in order for the drawing to be realistic, you need not only to construct the objects correctly, but also to give them volume.
Since all we see are light rays reflected from objects, the degree of realism of the drawing depends primarily on the distribution on it Sveta And shadows. That is, we perceive the volume and shape of an object only when the object is illuminated. On a round surface, light is distributed differently than on a plane. If the body has pronounced edges, the transitions from light to shadow will be clear, if the shape is smoothed, it will be smooth.
In addition, the distribution chiaroscuro texture influences - velvet and glass reflect light differently; the distance of the light source, its direction and intensity - imagine the shadows from a fire or candle, and how objects look in daylight; the distance of the object itself - in the distance the shadows will be more blurred, and the contrast will not be as bright.
So today we will talk about cut-off modeling.
In the tonal drawing they divide light, highlight, halftone, shadow and reflex. These are exactly the ones means of expression, with the help of which the artist conveys the volume of an object. How these elements are distributed chiaroscuro In the drawing, the perception of the shape and volume of the depicted objects depends.
Light- brightly lit surface. However, no matter how brightly it is lit, the light is still tinted, albeit quite easily. To determine how intense the shading should be, you can place, for example, in a still life, a sheet of white paper for comparison.
Blik- a light spot on an illuminated surface - pure, reflected light. The highlight is the brightest spot in the drawing, it can be the color of the paper (although if you are drawing a still life of several objects, each of them may have highlights of varying intensity. Or there may not be any at all, depending on the lighting and materials).
Semitone- borderline illumination, transition from light to shadow. Halftones appear where there is indirect lighting, the rays fall on the surface of the object at an angle. As you understand, there can be many such transitional tones. And in the literature you may come across different names: half-light, half-shade. This is because the eye perceives a very large number of tones - hence the scale of tones you use can be very wide. On round surfaces, the transition between halftones will be soft and imperceptible, without sharp boundaries. On rectangular objects, light and shadow can lie on adjacent faces, without any transition between them (remember how we drew).
How many halftones are used in a drawing directly determines its realism. 1 semitone is a stylized volume, 20 is closer to reality.
Shadow- unlit or dimly lit surface. Shadows can also be more or less intense. There are own and falling shadows. Falling shadow- this is the same thing that we call a shadow in everyday life; an object casts it on other surfaces. Own shadow- the unlit side of the object itself. Usually in a drawing, its own shadow is darker than the falling one. Even if the actual lighting is weak and the shadows are not too intense, the artist often enhances his own shadow so that the shape of the object is better read.
Reflex- appears in its own shadow. Reflex is reflected light from neighboring objects. In painting, reflexes will be colored, reflecting the color of objects around. But, regardless of color, the reflex will definitely be lighter in tone than the shadow. The brightness of the reflex will also vary depending on the surface. On glossy objects there can be very bright and light reflections, on matte objects they can be almost invisible.
But, even if you don’t see the reflex, it will definitely be there. A dull shadow without reflexes looks boring, so try to find it. Or imagine and draw)
So, on each depicted object there must be:
light, glare, penumbra, shadow, reflex
Exactly in that order. Remembered as gamma. And for each element chiaroscuro own role.
Light And shadow- the most expressive means of drawing. They are equally important for the overall result. As you work, you need to constantly monitor whether light or shadow has disappeared from the drawing or turned into halftones. If this happens, the drawing will appear gray. Although, this may be exactly the effect you need - for example, if you are painting rain or a foggy landscape.
Halftones important for volume. The more halftones, the more voluminous the objects. Although, whether to use halftones or not again depends on the task. For example, posters, comics or graffiti drawings can easily do without halftones at all.
Glare And reflexes bring the image to life. Depending on how you use them, they can either add realism to an image or vice versa. An incorrectly placed highlight or reflex can destroy the form, even if other elements of light and shade are positioned correctly.
At the same time, each object does not exist in the image by itself. It is important to distribute light And shadow throughout the picture. To determine where the main highlights and shadows will lie, try looking at what you are drawing by squinting, as if from under your eyelashes. Objects that are closer are usually more illuminated and have the brightest contrasts. Distant - in to a greater extent will consist of halftones.
This knowledge about distribution chiaroscuro in a drawing, it is enough to draw three-dimensional objects not only from life, but also, more importantly, from an idea, because the necessary objects are not always available.
To understand how to depict volume, beginners are taught to draw geometric figures. But how to convey light and shadow on more complex shapes? For example in a portrait? Let's look at the laws of chiaroscuro using drawings as an example. various objects, including a drawing of a human head.
First a little theory
We see the world due to the fact that light is reflected from surfaces with different strengths. Therefore, we perceive objects as three-dimensional. To convey the illusion of volume on a plane, you need to learn how to depict chiaroscuro, which consists of:
- Blik;
- Light;
- Penumbra;
- Own shadow;
- Reflex;
- Falling shadow.
Using the example of a drawing of a ball, a cube and a human head, you can see where the listed areas of chiaroscuro are located. But now more details about each.
- Glare called the lightest part, which is the reflection bright light: lamps, sun, etc. The glare is clearly visible on glossy (shiny) surfaces and is practically invisible on matte surfaces.
- Light— as the name suggests, this is the illuminated part of the object.
- Next comes the intermediate area between light and shadow - penumbra.
- Own shadow- This is the darkest part of the object.
- At the end of the listed zones there will be reflex. The word “reflex” comes from Lat. reflexus, which means reflection. That is, in our case, the reflex is reflected light in the shadow part of the object. It is reflected from everything that surrounds the object from the shadow side: from the table, ceiling, walls, draperies, etc. The reflex area is always slightly lighter than the shadow, but darker than the penumbra.
- Falling shadow- this is the shadow cast by an object on what surrounds it, for example, on the plane of a table or wall. The closer the shadow is to the object from which it is formed, the darker it will be. The farther from the object, the lighter it is.
In addition to the described sequence, there is another pattern. On schematic drawing it can be seen that if you draw a perpendicular to the direction of light, it will coincide with the darkest places of the object. That is, the shadow will be located perpendicular to the light, and the reflex will be on the side opposite to the highlight.
Shape of the border between light and shadow
The next thing you need to pay attention to is the boundary between light and shadow. On various subjects she acquires different shapes. Look at the drawings of a ball, cylinder, cube, vase, and at the drawing of a human head.
Of course, the boundary between shadow and light is often blurred. It will become clear only in bright directional light, for example, in the light of an electric lamp. But beginning artists should learn to see this conventional line, the pattern that it forms. This line is different everywhere and constantly changes depending on changes in the nature of the lighting.
In the drawing of the ball you can see that the boundary line has a bend, that is, it looks like an oval shape. On a cylinder it is straight, parallel to the sides of the cylinder. On a cube, the border coincides with the edge of the cube. But on the vase, the border between light and shadow is already a winding line. Well, in a portrait this line takes on a complex, intricate shape. The boundary of light and shadow here depends on the nature of the lighting and on the shape of the person’s head, facial features and anatomical features. In this drawing, it runs along the edge of the frontal bone, along the zygomatic bone, and then down to the lower jaw. In drawing a human head, it is very important to distinguish between chiaroscuro on the entire head as a whole and chiaroscuro on each separate area faces, for example, on the cheeks, lips, nose, chin, etc. Beginning artists should train themselves to see the pattern that forms the boundary between light and shadow. For example, it takes on a particularly bizarre character in natural forms. It’s one thing to draw simple geometric shapes, and quite another to draw tree trunks, foliage, the relief of a rocky shore, flower petals, grass... To learn how to convey volume or light and shade on such complex objects, first learn from simple ones. Further, they complicate the task. For example, they start with drawing a cylinder, and as they gain confidence, they can draw folds on fabrics. Then - still lifes. Well, then you can do landscapes or portraits.
Directional and diffuse light
To make it easier to understand the above aspects, you can experiment with the light from a table lamp. It gives a bright and sharp light, in which reflexes and shadows are clearly visible... Try illuminating an object first from one side and then from the other. Try changing the direction of the light, moving the lamp closer or farther away. This will help you clearly see all the subtleties of the topic being discussed.
IN fine arts There is a technique called “chiaroscuro”. Its essence lies in the opposition of light and shadow. Famous artist Caravaggio was the one who actively used chiaroscuro. This technique is clearly visible on his canvases. Artificial lighting creates an environment in which the light is very bright and the shadow is very dark. This gives tonal contrast and makes the painting rich and sharp. With this lighting, all the nuances of chiaroscuro are clearly visible and it will be easier for beginners to learn how to convey volume. In diffuse daylight (when it's cloudy), the shadows are not as pronounced as in sunny weather (or under lamp light). Therefore, during the learning process it is better to use artificial lighting with one light source. With several sources, the situation becomes more complicated and several falling shadows can be observed in the production, and the above sequence - light-penumbra-shadow-reflex - can be changed.
So, how does drawing differ in practice when using directional or diffuse light? The illustration shows that with bright lighting, the penumbra becomes narrower and will look less pronounced. The border between light and shadow is clearly visible. And the falling shadow has sharp edges and looks darker. In diffused light, everything is exactly the opposite. The penumbra is wider, the shadow is softer, and the falling shadow does not have a clear outline - its border becomes blurred.
All these features of chiaroscuro will be noticeable not only with electric light or its absence. When the sun shines on a clear day, the light will be well-directed and sharp. When the weather is cloudy, it will be scattered. Accordingly, this will affect the chiaroscuro of trees, landscape or even the interior of a room illuminated by light from a window.
Conclusion
We can continue discussing this topic for a long time. But the best way is to watch with your own eyes. real world. How are objects lit? How does chiaroscuro change and under what conditions? Ask yourself these questions and find the answers when you observe nature. There is nothing better than nature. Therefore, remembering the patterns of chiaroscuro described above, observe, remember, and make sketches from nature. Then you can confidently put the laws of chiaroscuro into practice.
In this lesson we will clearly look at how to construct a falling/cast shadow correctly using two-point perspective.
Light is important
Light asserts its need for drawing through its value. Value means the darkness or lightness of the tone of an object. In most cases, a darker value is used for shadows, and a lighter value, respectively, for illuminated areas. The value that falls between these extremes is usually called a semitone.
Valeur- in painting and graphics: a shade of tone that determines the light-and-shadow ratio within one color. The value system is a gradation of light and shadow of any color in a certain sequence.
From Wiki.
It is necessary to create the illusion of light in the drawing, since light is the determining factor in distinguishing objects outside world. If we want to learn how to create illusions in drawings, the most important illusion will be the creation of light.
Light is active in two locations - the illuminated side and halftones. Our brain imprints their position and amplifies their intensity, just like the intensity of shadows.
Light and shadow
Shadows are usually divided into “own” and “thrown”. A self-shadow is the shadow of the object itself, while a cast shadow is the result of the obstruction of light in the object. Thus, the shadow “falls” on nearby surfaces.
A self-shadow can tell the observer information about the shape of an object, while cast shadows shape the object and the direction of light.
Cast shadows
The shape of the cast shadow is important, since the observer gets an idea of the shape of the object from its outline. Some artists use this feature if they want to make shadows "speak" in a special way, controlling the light source. However, this approach requires some skill and knowledge of perspective theory.
For most life drawings, the shadows of objects are obvious and can be drawn based on the comparison between positive and negative space. However, if you draw imaginary objects, this skill will come in handy.
In the video below we look at using derivative perspective to be able to create cast shadow shapes as simple rectangles and spheres.
How to use "perspective" to position cast/fall shadows
Let's start by analyzing the process of casting shadows from rectangular objects.
First we will draw a simple rectangle, for this we will use two-point perspective. It is important to include the horizon line in the plan of the painting - for us this will be the “shadow attenuation point”.
Once the rectangle is ready, we will define a light source above the horizon. The closer the light source is to the horizon, the longer the shadows will be.
You can draw a line from the light source to the horizon. The point where these two lines intersect (the line from the light source and the horizon line) will be the “shadow attenuation point.”
Now we can draw three lines from the light source, spreading out to the top corners of our shape. In this case, we mean the three angles closest to the observer.
Next, we'll draw lines from the shadow's fade point to the bottom three corners of our shape. They should be long enough - the same as the lines to the upper corners.
The intersection points help determine the shape of the cast shadow.
We can use the resulting shape as a base to fill the shadow with color.
Drawing Cast Shadows of a Sphere Using Perspective
Now that we've looked at the process of creating cast shadows using perspective using a rectangle as an example, let's look at the strategy for creating a shadow for a sphere. (There are several ways to create a shadow for a sphere, but this is the simplest, in my opinion).
As in the previous example, we will have to define the horizon line, since they will be useful to us in determining the point at which the shadow fades. We will also need to determine the light source and the drop point of the shadow.
Then we will draw a circle, which will later become a sphere. To make it easier to determine the shape of the cast shadow, let's fit a circle into a square.
Let's draw lines from the light source to the two upper corners of the square that fits the circle.
Now let's draw lines from the shadow fading point to the two lower corners of the square.
The resulting intersection points can be used to determine the shape of the square cast shadow.
Now we need to create an oval shape for the actual spherical shadow. First you need to determine where the curves will touch the edges. To find these points, we need to draw lines from the light source to the middle of the sides of the square on each side.
Then, using these intersection points, we determine the shape of the shadow cast from the sphere.
Now you can add color and value to the sphere itself and the cast shadow to complete the design. You have all the guidelines for this.
I hope the article was useful to you! Leave your comments, suggestions and questions!
