Shadow Shapes on the Head

     When I looked at the 2 head drawings that you did for homework, I was looking for a good understanding of proportion based on the information given in class (2 points), and the ability to make a convincing representation of light and shadow on form through the use of form and cast shadows (2 points). You generally demonstrated a good understanding of proportion. 

     Here is a great resource for all of your head drawing needs: http://www.anticz.com/heads.htm

     Your shadow shapes could use some simplification and precision. Let’s take a look at a detail from a figure painting done (from life) by contemporary Classical Realist artist, Christina Grace Mastrangelo. She is an American, but she studied the techniques of the Old Masters in Florence for 3 years. The work that we're looking at is originally in color, but for the sake of simplicity, let’s just look at in grayscale. I am showing you this so that you can see how many values can define many planes:

     Look at the highlight on the forehead (the plane on the head that is lightest in value)- it is the plane that is perpendicular to the light source, and therefore receiving the greatest amount of light.

     Now look at the plane directly below the highlight- we can see that that plane turns under, thereby receiving less light.

Then we see that the planes beneath that turn up again, and they receive almost as much light as the highlight.

     Of course, as an observer, one does not have to analyze the picture plane by plane to see that this is a realistic depiction of a man's head, but it is good for us (as growing representational artists) to do a bit of analysis so as to understand how to better create the illusion of form in space effected by light.

     So there it is, different values of light creating form, as you did for your first head. 

     See more of Mastrangelo’s masterly work here: http://christinamastrangelo.com/

     The second head that we did for homework was meant to be the ultimate simplification of form. All you really need to give the illusion of form are a light side and a shadow side, and the proper edge control of the shadow shapes (soft edges for form shadows, hard edges for cast shadows). Look here:

     To get a clearer picture of what I’m talking about let’s look again notice how first the planes on the bridge of the nose turn away from the light gradually, creating a soft edge. ALL THE “SOFT EDGE” IS, IS A SERIES OF PLANES RECEIVING LESSER AND LESSER AMMOUNTS OF LIGHT. That nose CASTS a shadow on to that cheek, and the shadow it casts has a hard edge, because there are no planes turning away there, the shadow is just cast down- there it is- no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. Then once again there is a form shadow, as the cheek also turns away from the light:

     Lets look at another example just to drive the point all the way home: the bulb of the nose, or the point of it, that sticks out the farthest- it has a soft edge as it turns into shadow, because there are a number of little planes there turning little by little away from the light. But then that nose is a form itself, that blocks the light from falling on the upper mustache area above the upper lip- it CASTS a shadow- bam! There it is- cast down- hard edge.

     So remember - everything you draw or paint, as smooth as it my appear- is just a arrangement of planes, large and broad, or small and subtle. Master the way that light effects those planes, and you will master light and shadow shapes.

     “You’re not painting a head. The head is just an excuse to paint the light.” – Andrew Loomis