Lighting.
ARTIFICIAL LIGHT
When you set up a subject to draw, it is
helpful in the beginning to control your
light source. The photo on the right
shows a jug lit by artificial light. Can you
tell what direction the light is coming
from, judging by the shadows it is creat-
ing? (The answer is at the bottom of
this page.)
To provide a readily available light
source, you can buy an artist studio light
that you can easily move around with
its lightweight stand. It has a pivoting
head so that you can move the light
bulb up and down to suit your needs. It
is easy to identify the shapes of light
and shadow in this setup. The light does
not change because it is constant—you
control it. Consequently, when you
arrange your lighting setup, you control
the design element of your drawing.
Notice the long shadow to the right of
the jug. If you accurately draw the
shape of this shadow, you will define the
jug because the shadow is an integral
part of the jug. It is like putting a puzzle
together; every piece interlocks with every
other piece.
The lighting source on the jug is coming
from the left.
Lighting Sources
Lighting is an extremely important
aspect of drawing to consider.
Drawing is about what you see and
how you see your subject. Light is the
most important element of drawing
because it reveals the structure of an
object. Only by accurately drawing the
lighting on your subject will you be
able to convey a sense of space and
dimension.