DRAWING SKILLS
PART 1
Project 4 Reflected light
Part 4 Check and log
What are the difficulties in separating cast shadow from reflected light and shade?
On shiny objects the reflected light and shade overrides the shadow areas and has a tendency to flatten out the drawing. It is only from reading the shape and then understanding that it is reflective that it is possible to recognise the form. In my first drawing (1.4.1) the brass vase, because of its shape, reflected a double self portrait, similar to the light fitting in the Arnolfi Wedding. Only by careful observation of a reflective surface is it possible to bring out the form of the object as the reflections remove the form shadows.
Figure 1 (1.4.4) Colourised version of vases Felt pen and photocopy
The reflected shadow and light follows the contours of the objects. How have you shown this in your drawing?
Both my drawings show the reflected shadow and light following the contours of the objects. The brass vase in the first drawing (1.4.1) has a distorted reflection of the other vase and a two curved reflections of the room behind me. In the second drawing (1.4.2)the reflection of the canister follows the contours of the Kettle similarly the kettle reflection follows the contours of the canister. I think the second drawing works better than the first as everybody expects a kettle to be shiny whereas I would I feel need to introduce some colour to bring out more of the brassiness of the vase. I have tried to do this below.
I learnt a great deal from carrying out this exercise. At first I thought the drawing was not as strong as the pears in project 3, but the more I looked at it I could see how the brass vase was destroying the form shadow on the other vase and the shadows on the table top.
Another thing I noticed by comparing with the Kettle drawing was that if the light was moved more to the front it would get rid of the Arnolfi wedding effect.
My Learning Log 