One of the primary means by which humans construct their understanding of form (the three-dimensional nature of objects) is by decoding the effects of light & shade (how light falls irregularly on forms). Despite what we see as an object whose color appears to change, we make the assumption that the object is a uniform color and that the variations are caused by its three-dimensionality and it being lit unevenly. In this way, we construct our sense of from certain visual cues. Artists understand this and are able to replicate those cues in drawings and paintings to give two-dimensional surfaces and shapes a three-dimensional feel. One of the artists we looked at who used dramatic light and shade (known as chiaroscuro in Italian) is the artist Caravaggio.
We learned about and then studied from observation, the key features artists look for in a light & shade situation. Those seven key features of an analysis of light and shade are in bold below:
- Locate the light source.
- Knowing the light source you should be able to predict where to look for the highlight (the most well-lit areas of your object).
- Then look for the darkest area, the deep shade. It is furthest away from both the main light source and away from any reflected light. Reflected light is light that bounces off surfaces and other objects and then becomes a secondary light source.
- Look at the area of transition where the light blends with the shade, in some areas it is a quick blend, in others it is much more gradual.
- Shadows are darkest and hard-edged near the object that is casting it and becomes more diffused (lighter and softer-edged) the further away from the object the shadow goes.
