Drawing and form

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Light, shadow and form

Lesson 2 of 14 in Drawing and form.

How to Shade Basic Forms - Pencil Tutorial · Drawing & Painting - The Virtual Instructor
Lesson

Drawing form is drawing the behaviour of light across a surface, and it comes down to a small number of reliably repeating parts: the lit area, the terminator where it turns, the form shadow, reflected light inside that shadow, and the cast shadow with its own edge.

litterminator · where it turnsreflected light, alwaysdarkercast shadow
A sphere with terminator, form shadow, reflected light and cast shadow.
Two eggs lit from the upper left, the left one with a bright band in its shadow that makes it look flat, the right one with a dark shadow and faint glow that looks round.
Two drawn eggs, one with its shadow side lit too brightly and one kept dark. Overdo the reflected light and the egg goes flat; keep it faint and it stays round.
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  1. Question 1, locked

    Which of these words means this? “The shaded side of an object, where it turns away from the light.”

    • Tolerance
    • Measurable
    • Still life
    • Form shadow
  2. Question 2, locked

    Which of these words means this? “The shadow thrown onto something else. Harder edged than the form shadow.”

    • Cast shadow
    • Elevation and plan
    • Three-point
    • Specular highlight
  3. Question 3, locked

    Which of these words means this? “The line where light turns into form shadow. The key edge in any drawing of form.”

    • Contour versus cross-contour
    • Negative shape
    • Terminator
    • Line of action

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