Art course in Paris (2014)→ Week 4

Drawing by Timothy Stotz

Last week we studied tonality using a sphere. This week was about modeling a form. Our body is not a sphere and has lot of irregular shapes. Tim taught us how to think about broad forms for shadows and to look for terminators. The value for each part has to be compared to the value of another form, i.e. we learnt to observe how dark or light one form was compared to other.

We start by looking for planar division of masses and then planar division of shadows. Look for cast shadow, and form shadow. Shadows always cut across a form and are defined by irregular structures. He asked us to go slow and to stay organized.

Steps for creating shadows:

1. First, check the overall angle for the shadow and draw a straight line
2. Next, look for irregularities and draw them
3. Then, look for small local shadows
4. Lastly, cross hash the shadow area. Keep the value scale of the entire drawing in mind while shading.

Tip: Start with the central part of a figure

That was all about tonality!