Light, Shade and Rendering Techniques
This domain tests whether you can read and reproduce a full range of values, keep one consistent light source, and use rendering marks that describe form rather than decorate it.
The value structure of a form
- Highlight: the lightest area, where light strikes most directly.
- Half-tones: the transition planes turning away from the light.
- Core shadow: the darkest band on the form itself, at the terminator where the surface turns fully away.
- Reflected light: light bounced back into the shadow side; it stays darker than any half-tone.
- Cast shadow: thrown onto the ground or another object, darkest at the contact point and softening with distance.
- Occlusion: the small very dark accent where two surfaces meet and trap light.
Rendering methods
- Hatching (parallel strokes), cross-hatching (crossed sets), stippling (dots) and scumbling (loose scribble) build tone; blending with a stump or finger smooths it.
- Stroke direction should follow the form; strokes across a cylinder flatten it.
- Keep a nine-step value scale in mind and check your drawing against it.
- Use hard edges at cast shadows and at the focal point, soft edges elsewhere.
Worked example
A sphere lit from the upper left. Place the highlight first, just left of centre and slightly high. Work a band of half-tone around the upper right, then the core shadow as a crescent along the lower right edge, then the reflected light just inside that edge at the bottom. The cast shadow falls to the lower right, densest where the sphere touches the ground and losing sharpness as it spreads. The reasoning: light and shadow are placed in order of brightness, which keeps the reflected light from being drawn too bright.
Traps
Outlining the object, cast shadows pointing away from the light, shadows filled with one flat grey, reflected light made as bright as the lit side, a cast shadow not attached at the contact point, and over-blending until all edges are soft.