In part 1 of this series on painting sunshine I referred to an interval of value between the lit and unlit portions of an object. There is a very good exercise which will help you to realize what that interval is.
On a clear day between 11AM and 2 PM make a little setup as illustrated in the photograph:
On a clear day between 11AM and 2 PM make a little setup as illustrated in the photograph:
Paint a square of color on a sheet of paper, not too saturated, not too dark. One edge should be sharp, and paint it small enough to fit in the shadow cast by the cardboard. Place the colored square in the cast shadow, with a sharp edge right on edge of it. The task is to match that color as it appears in the shade and paint it in the light right up against the shadow.
It may be a revelation to you.
Shadows aren't black because they are lit from other, weaker sources, chiefly light reflected from surrounding objects and the ground (warm), and from the sky (cool). Also moisture and particles in the air lighten distant shadows. So the result of the exercise represents what is pretty near the maximum interval.
Well, when you had me do this exercise, back in New York, I thought it would be challenging. Was I wrong! This was intense! You warned me not to use gray. Sure enough the colors turned to mud.
ReplyDeleteAs I remember, we did the shadows in multiple rows & columns. Do you recall the details? Was it different shades of a color each with its own progression of shadows?
George JP Jacobs