Shading adds depth to art projects.
Shading in drawings and paintings allows objects to appear three-dimensional on a two-dimensional plane. As light hits an object, a value of lightness and darkness, or highlight and shadow, are expressed in gradual increments, offering the depth necessary in a realistic artistic project. Manipulating the light will assist in understanding how shading is important to a drawing or painting art shading project.
Standard Rules
Standard Rules of shading apply to most art projects. Highlights, or the place on the object closest to the light source, appear as the brightest area. Light areas are the result of indirect light extending beyond the highlight area. Shadow areas are the opposite of the light area, producing darker areas on the object. In the center of the shadow, the core shadow, the darkest area on the object darkens gradually away from the shadow area. Reflected lights, or secondary light sources, define the back edge of an object. Reflected lights appear in the shadow portion of the object. Cast shadows are created from the deepest shadows under and to the side of the object. Cast shadows offer a three-dimensional sense of place to the object and are not on the object itself.
Texture
Different textures may alter the normal shading technique. Objects with different surfaces, such a metal, may reflect light in a different way that a wooden object. According to Art Studio Chalkboard, "Objects with heavy texture will have slow gradual changes in value unless the plane abruptly ends. Reflective surfaces have sudden, extreme changes in value."
Value Scale
When creating art shading projects, consider how light affects the highlights and shadows on an object. One of the best ways to learn about value is to draw or paint a grayscale. Grayscales explore intervals of pure black to pure white in 10 percent increments. Once the concept of a grayscale is learned, artists should create a value scale in color using tints of black and white mixed with various separate colors to see how value is applied in color. When mixing paints to create a gray or value scale, always work from light to dark. Moving from light to dark uses less paint when mixing colors.
Still Life
Many artists learn shading techniques by creating a still life, or a painting or drawing of inanimate objects. Lighting applied at different angles explains the effects of light reacting to the subjects of the art project. The light source may also stay in the same position, while the artist moves to a different position, taking notice of how the effect of the light changes on the object.
Chiaroscuro
The chiaroscuro method of value was invented during the Italian Renaissance. This method for creating the illusion of a three-dimensional solid form follows a strict set of rules for placement of highlights, mid-tones and shadows. Artists learning shading should apply light to a circular object. The strongest reflection of light, or pure white, becomes the highlight on the object. Shades of value become gradually darker as the light reflects less from the highlighted point. Behind and under the object, where there is no direct lighting, appears black. Values closest to the object in the "cast shadow" are solid black. Shadows lighten as the "cast shadow" moves away from the lighter areas. However, in the shadow area of the object, a lighter value is created by indirect, refracted light, or basically, a bend in a light ray.
