I always get nervous when painting shadows because they can make or break a painting. I always paint them last which means the painting is almost complete. If I decide to add shadows it’s probably because I’m satisfied with what the painting so far.
Shadows require much thought. First and foremost, black paint should never be used. Shadows have colours. Based on the theory of complementary colors, the logical color to use is violet -- being the complementary of yellow, the color of sunlight. In effect shadows contain a mix of colours and it is seeing those colours which can make a painting come to light.
Shadows cast by objects are not a solid thing with even colour throughout. The further the shadow extends from the object that’s creating it, the lighter it gets and the softer or less defined its edge becomes.
For shadows that are not directly facing the light source, it’s important to paint them with softer colours with less defined edges.
My preferred approach to shadows is to paint the entire painting and then adding the shadow with a glaze on top of background to have a variety of colours.
Today I’m posting a painting of an old rusted lock that is still a “work in progress”. I still have to work on the details to make this painting work. You’ll note that the shadows of the boards make them stand out.
The final painting will be posted on my FaceBook page in the next couple of days.
Danielle
Shadows require much thought. First and foremost, black paint should never be used. Shadows have colours. Based on the theory of complementary colors, the logical color to use is violet -- being the complementary of yellow, the color of sunlight. In effect shadows contain a mix of colours and it is seeing those colours which can make a painting come to light.
Shadows cast by objects are not a solid thing with even colour throughout. The further the shadow extends from the object that’s creating it, the lighter it gets and the softer or less defined its edge becomes.
For shadows that are not directly facing the light source, it’s important to paint them with softer colours with less defined edges.
My preferred approach to shadows is to paint the entire painting and then adding the shadow with a glaze on top of background to have a variety of colours.
Today I’m posting a painting of an old rusted lock that is still a “work in progress”. I still have to work on the details to make this painting work. You’ll note that the shadows of the boards make them stand out.
The final painting will be posted on my FaceBook page in the next couple of days.
Danielle
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