Chapter 2 | MODELING

If we were to end up in a world without shadow, it would seem that nothing had any mass. any substance. (Roberto Casati, The Discovery of Shadow, 2004)

Shadow is used in drawings, among other things, to model shapes. This gives them mass and makes them appear three-dimensional instead of flat (image).

It is good to practice modeling with fine lines (hatching).

Exercise 1: Take a look at the two vases. In the left vase the shadow is created by side light from the right, in the right vase by side light from the left. Try to copy both vases with hatched shadow. Start with light horizontal stripes and then a little darker in the same direction (parallel). Try to keep the outline on the light side ‘blonde’.

Exercise 2: Draw two more vases. Choose sidelight from the left or right. This time experiment with different directions of the lines on top of each other instead of parallel as in exercise 1. Keep the boundary between light and shadow as vague as possible. The darkest part of the shadow lies in the middle of the shadow (core shadow) and not at the edges. Try how light you can make the outline on the light side without losing the shape of the vase.

 

Exercise 3: draw the following two pistolet-like shapes roughly. The hatching here follows the curves of the shape. Make it look like the lines already start around the curve instead of being glued tightly to the outline. Make sure the outline on the light side is blonder than on the shadow side.

 

Of course you can also draw shadows/gray tones without hatching lines, using a rounded pencil tip or the side of your pencil tip. See the lesson Handy Drawing Tips Chapter 1, Level 1. To make the shadow darker, press gradually a little harder. Swiping with your fingers or a cloth is nice and fast, but the shadow quickly becomes blotchy and you have less control.

Exercise 4: Give a block and a sphere a shadow side without hatching (images). Do not draw hard lines anywhere. Use a 2B pencil or softer.

 

 

Such a streak-free way of drawing shadows is used, for example, in this circular portrait.

In three-dimensional shapes with flat surfaces the boundary between the shadow side and the light side is clear (left). In round/organic shapes there is no strict transition between light and shadow (right). Take this into account in the following exercise.

 

Exercise 5: Choose/draw one or more of the following shapes as lightly as possible. Model them by experimenting with shadow, as if they were three-dimensional sculptures. You can either hatch (exercise 1 to 3) or work without hatching (exercise 4). Keep the light side of the shapes as blond as possible. Always choose a light direction first. It is tempting to quickly start wiping with your fingers, but try to do it with just your pencil.

This watercolor drawing of the moon was made in 1610 by the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei. He studied the moon through a telescope. Thanks to the shadow, he was the first scientist to discover that the moon was not a flat disk but a sphere with mountains and craters! It’s especially visible on the border between light and shadow. That was a sensational discovery at the time!

In a drawing of my (at that time) 7 year daughter quietly reading on her bed, I used a lot of modelling with shadows.

For very precise and virtuoso modeling with hatching, from parallel to crossed and curved, it is good to study prints by old masters. Here is a detail of a famous print ‘Big fish eat the little fish’ by Pieter van der Heyden after a design by Pieter Brugehel from 1557. More about this print in the lesson Animals, chapter 7, level 3.

QUESTION: in which of the following hollow tubes does the shade match? Only one of them is right! The solution is found in chapter 4.