40

Part I: Figure Drawing 101

Figure 3-14: Looking at the Rembrandt lighting.

The name Rembrandt lighting came about in part because some of the self-portraits of the famous, classic, Dutch painter Rembrandt incorporated this type of lighting. Although this lighting doesnt have any specific narrative character types, its versatile usage is perfect for a wide array of drawing and photography.

Scoping out shadows

Into the twilight zone you go! I call your attention to two types of shadow forms: form shadows and cast shadows: Form shadows (also known as core shadows) are a result of a light source hitting a three-dimensional form. As I show in Figure 3-15, form shadows have softer and wider transitions into the lighter side of the object. Use the flat side of a soft 6B to 8B pencil or extra-soft vine charcoal to create the edge of the form shadows and the smooth transition of the shadow. Hold the pencil close to the tip of the head and gently balance both sides of the pencil with your thumb and middle finger as a pivot point while applying pressure to the tip of the pencil with your index finder. Cast shadows are a result of one object casting a shadow on another object. The two objects are usually on different planes. As I show in Figure 3-15, cast shadows usually have sharp, narrow shadow shapes. The larger the object thats casting the shadow, the darker the shadow is. Having a soft 8B pencil with a sharp point to etch in the shadow shapes is useful. If the shadow shapes are dark, apply pressure to the sharp pencil point to fill in the shadow shape. In addition, pay close attention to the edges of the cast shadows. The farther away the cast shadows fall from the object casting the shadow, the softer the edges become. So how does this apply to drawing the figure? Observe in Figure 3-15 how the combined harmony of shadows brings out the realistic dimension of the form. As you observe, pay close attention to which shadows are labeled as cast versus form. Also note the contrast between the soft versus hard edges of the shadows.