Chapter 6, Cast Shadows
From My Upcoming Book: "Energize Your Art"
By accentuating cast shadows, you can fire-up dull artwork. Cast shadows are a product of direct light—whether it be from bright sunlight or artificial sources—and can be used to great effect in creating a sense of dynamic light. Curiously, cast shadows often do more to create light than the light itself. Mastering the use of cast shadows is an essential skill for any artist looking to create commanding and visually striking works.
45 Salvador Dali, Young Virgin Autosodomized by Her Own Chastity, 1954. Wikipedia Commons.
A cast shadow is when an object throws its shadow onto another surface. A good example of it is when you are walking on a sunny day and your shadow is on the ground tagging along with you.
46 Demo on Dali's painting.
Dali makes tremendous use of cast shadows. Above I circled in green some of the prominent cast shadows, but not all of them. You might find some I missed.
In the simple line drawing below, I outlined a ball and its cast shadow on the ground.
47 Michael Newberry, line drawing of a ball and its cast shadow.
It is important that the outer edge of the cast shadow diminishes as it moves back and sharpens as it comes forward. When I draw a cast shadow, I think of it rotating around an object as if it’s in orbit.
48 Michael Newberry, demo of an orbit.
49 Michael Newberry, cast shadow sketched in.
When shadowing a cast shadow, it is important to see the middle tones inside of it. In general, those tones get darker as they get closer to the edge of the shadow and the object. As you shadow it, it is also important to spatially differentiate the front and the back of the cast shadow. Here, I show the shadow dimming as it moves back in space.
Below is cast shadow on a folded material.
50 Michael Newberry, cast shadow on an irregular surface.
Often, there are many cast shadows in one painting. Adding spatial depth is a nice touch. This is done by diminishing the shadows’ tonal differences.
51 Michael Newberry, diminishing tones through depth.
Becoming proficient in the use of cast shadows is a game-changer for any artist. Try it! Take a dull piece of art and experiment with adding cast shadows. The results will pleasantly surprise you…they may even amaze you!
Available Spring 2023 on Amazon.