Leonardo da Vinci spent his entire life studying light and how it should be used in painting.
If da Vinci had not painted a single picture, he would have been remembered as a talented scientist, inventor and writer. In fact, it was the combination of art and science that made Leonardo a great artist.
Light is at the very heart of art.
He invented the chiaroscuro technique (juxtaposition of light and dark), which uses contrasts to give volume to forms.
Da Vinci wrote: “The picture will look good when the distribution of light and shadows is correct ... If the artist does not use a shadow, then we can say that he is avoiding his glory; real connoisseurs of art will not appreciate such work.
Leonardo had voluminous notes on how to apply light and shadow in painting. In this article, we present some of his recordings, which can be useful not only in painting, but also in working with lighting. Working with light is of great importance to artists, photographers, designers and lighting designers.
Perhaps 500 years from now, modern lighting designers will want to clarify some of the conclusions about light and why it behaves the way it does. But how to use/apply light remains as relevant today as it was in the 16th century. Modern lighting engineers use lighting standards in their work, and the masters of the past could rely only on their experience and knowledge.
10 notes by Leonardo da Vinci on light in art:
1 - Drawing from nature
In order to paint from Nature, your window should face north so that the light doesn't change much. It is important that the subject is in a wide beam of light that falls from above - this is especially important in portraits. After all, the people we meet in life are illuminated by light from above. You can hardly recognize a familiar face if the person is lit from below.
Let segment AB be a window. Point M is its center, C is the model. The best location for the artist in this situation would be a point slightly to the side, between the window and the model (point D). In this case, he will be able to see the object partly lit and partly in shadow.
3 - Drawing shadows
Drawing proper shadows will require more skill and knowledge than just drawing the outlines of an object. Of course, contours are important. But knowledge about the nature, quantity and quality of shadows, their properties require a deeper study. Natural natural shadows are smooth, and the boundaries are difficult to distinguish. They need to learn how to convey in the paintings as in nature, so that it is not noticeable where they end. The shadows should be as if mixed, intertwined one into the other, like smoke dissolving into the air.
4 - White objects on a different (dark) background
A white object will appear even lighter on a dark background, and vice versa, darker on a light one.
This effect can be seen by watching falling snow. While the snow is falling, it appears darker against the sky than when we look at it from the window. It is darker indoors than outdoors, so the snow will appear whiter in this case.
5 - Color of light and shadows
No object will have its true light until it is illuminated with light of the same color. This effect can be seen in autumn golden leaves reflecting light from each other. And the opposite effect appears with objects of different colors.
The color of a shadow from an object will never be pure unless the object opposite the shadow is the same color as the object that casts it. For example, in a room with green walls, a figure in blue clothes is placed, on which light from another blue object falls. The illuminated part of the figure will take on a beautiful blue color, and the shadow from it will be a dirty shade, as it will be “spoiled” by the reflected light from the green wall.
6 - Reflected light color
If, A is a light source, B is an object on which light falls, then E will not be able to receive the original light from the source, A, but only reflected from B. Let B be red. Then the light it reflects is red, and it mixes with the red object E; and if E is also red, you will see how the color becomes even more beautiful, it becomes redder than B; and if E was originally yellow, then you will see a different color, a mixture of red and yellow.
7 - Incident light and shadows on the object
Trough A does not receive light from the area of the sky labeled G-K. Point B is illuminated by the sky zone H-K, point C is illuminated by the zone G-K, and D is the widest zone F-K. Thus, the chest will be as light as the forehead, nose and chin.
8 - Why do shadows on a white wall turn blue in the evening?
Shadows from objects from a setting reddish sun will be bluish. This is due to the fact that object 1 takes on a hue from object 2, from which the light is reflected. Thus, a white wall (colorless) is mixed (contaminated) with color from an object that reflects light (in our case, it is the sun and sky).
Since the sun is redder in the evening (color temperature changes) and the sky is bluer, the shadow on the wall will not be illuminated by the sun, but will only receive reflected light from the sky. That's why it turns blue. And the rest of the wall that receives light directly from the sun will get its reddish warm hues.
9 - Color and volume
What is more important - that the figure abounds in the beauty of flowers, or that it be shown in relief? Painting seems surprising to the audience, because it makes a flat image seem three-dimensional. The beauty of color is the merit of the masters who create them. An object may be an ugly color, but surprise with itself, because it seems to be three-dimensional.
The transfer of volume is more important than color for a flat image.
10 - Lighting on one side
Light falling from one side gives better relief to objects in the shadow than flooding from all sides. The comparison can be seen on a terrain illuminated by the sun on one side and shaded by a cloud, illuminated by the diffused light of the air.
The cut-off pattern gives more volume to the object than the light-tone pattern.
Light in the works of Da Vinci
Lady with an Ermine (1489–90): This portrait was painted a few years before the Mona Lisa. Made in the chiaroscuro technique. It shows the light contrast of light and shadow, which gives the figure depth.
Mona Lisa (1503–06): This portrait uses the sfumato technique, from the Italian word for smoke, with smooth transitions where brush strokes are not visible. The master achieved this effect thanks to a large number of thin layers of transparent glaze with a small addition of color pigments.
Last Supper (1495–98): The canvas, 9 m long, should be considered as an extension of the room where it was painted. The light in the room falls from the high windows to the left of the picture. Therefore, there is a feeling that the very scene of the picture and the figures seem to be flooded with light from one place.
The three-dimensional form of objects is conveyed in the drawing not only by surfaces constructed taking into account perspective cuts, but also with the help of chiaroscuro.
Light and shadow (chiaroscuro) is a very important means of depicting objects of reality, their volume and position in space.
Chiaroscuro, just like perspective, has been used by artists for a very long time. With the help of this tool, they learned to convey in drawing and painting the shape, volume, texture of objects so convincingly that they seemed to come to life in the works. Light helps convey the environment.
Artists still use the rules for the transmission of chiaroscuro, discovered in the Middle Ages, but are working on their improvement and development.
We can change the light of artificial sources according to our desire, and natural lighting changes itself, for example, the sun either shines brightly, or hides behind the clouds. When clouds scatter sunlight, the contrast between light and shadow softens, the light in the light and in the shadows even out. Such calm lighting is called light-tonal. It makes it possible to convey more halftones in the drawing.
There are many different states of sunlight that can greatly change the same scenery and even affect your mood. The landscape looks joyful in the bright sun and sad on a gray day. In the early morning, when the sun is not high above the horizon and its rays glide over the surface of the earth, the contours of objects are not clearly revealed, everything seems to be shrouded in haze. At noon, the contrasts of light and shadow intensify, bringing out details clearly. In the rays of the setting sun, nature can look mysterious and romantic, that is, the emotional impression of the landscape largely depends on the lighting.
Color perception is also largely dependent on lighting. If with the help of linear perspective we convey space in a drawing, then in painting one cannot do without taking into account changes in the color and tonal relationships of nature as they move away from the viewer or light source. Dark objects at a distance acquire cold shades, usually bluish, and light objects become warm.
The nature of illumination also depends on the height of the sun above the horizon. If it is high above the head, almost at the zenith, then the objects cast short shadows. Form and texture are weakly revealed. When the sun decreases, the shadows from objects increase, the texture appears better, the relief of the form is emphasized.
Knowing these patterns of building light and shadow can help you solve creative problems in depicting a landscape or a thematic composition.
Now for some practice.
own shadow- This is the darkest part of the subject and is located on the side that is not illuminated.
Penumbra is the transition from light to shadow.
Reflex- This is the reflected light and shades from neighboring objects.
Light- illuminated part of the object.
glare is the brightest part of the subject, illuminated more than the light on the subject.
drop shadow is the shadow of the object.
There will always be a glare, light, penumbra, shadow, reflex, falling shadow on the subject - and in this sequence.
And you need to know that if the light is on the left, then the shadow will be on the right. If the light is on the right, then the light will be on the left.
Let's move on to an example. In the color example and black and white, the light will be on the left.
Step 1. First, we draw the axis of symmetry and the base, then we outline the plane of the table.
Step 2 With the help of auxiliary lines, we build a cup and outline ellipses.
Step 3 We complete the cup, draw the handle and complete the ellipses.
Step 4 The drawing is done in pastel. With brown chalk we mark a highlight as the lightest spot on the object, then with brown and orange chalk on the right side of the cup we make a reflex. From the reflex we draw a shadow. The strokes will be denser.
First, we cover this area with a little blue, since the blue color is also a reflection from the blue drapery in the background, and it reflects in the shadow on the subject. Then we apply brown and orange on top.
Thus, we get the darkest area on the cup. Then from the shadow to the glare we make a penumbra. From above, make a light brown shadow inside the cup. Then we go to the handle and outline the shadow there. On the right side on the table, draw a falling shadow and begin to hatch the table with green chalk.
Step 5 We finish drawing the cup, draw the light part, shade the tablecloth with green, and make the front part of the drapery more saturated green, since it is in the shade. And we complete the background in blue.
In the even-white picture, you can also see how the transition from light to shadow occurs.
Surely, each of you has experienced a slight sadness and apathy on a cold cloudy day, which instantly turns into causeless enthusiasm in bright sunny weather. Perhaps the whole point is the lack of vitamin D, which we produce in the sun, but there is another secret. Depending on the lighting, the color palette of all the objects around us completely changes. In clear weather, we see rich colors and harsh shadows, which are synonymous with dynamism and positivity; on cloudy days, shadows are washed out and a feeling of peace or even a little sadness is created by reducing the contrast. In addition, the actual color of objects depends on the temperature of the light, which also affects our impression of the landscape around us.
Often they pay attention only to the tonal modeling of the form, depicting the same color in the shadow of an object as in the light, only with a difference in tone. This is a serious mistake because the color is always changing. It is impossible to draw both light and shadow with the same pigment!
To create a realistic image of objects, you must remember the following axioms:
1. If the lighting is warm, then cold shades will appear in the shadows, and vice versa, if the lighting is cold, warm shades will appear in the shadows.
For example, if we are painting a landscape in bright sunlight on a cloudless day, then there may be warm shades in the shadows, since daylight is most often white, bluish or lemon-colored and is considered cold light. At sunrise and sunset, sunlight tends to be warm, bright yellow or orange, so cool bluish and bluish hues appear in the shadows.
C. Monet “Rouen Cathedral: portal and Saint-Romain tower: morning effect”. C. Monet “Rouen Cathedral: portal and Saint-Romain tower: noon”. C. Monet “Rouen Cathedral: portal and Saint-Romain tower: effect of the sun, end of the day”
In the same way, if we draw a still life with an electric incandescent lamp, then the shadows will noticeably cool down, you will see shades of blue, purple or even green. Also, in the flame of a fire or candle, which give warm lighting, cold shades appear in the shadows. However, when using a cold light fluorescent lamp (from 4000 K), the shadows will become noticeably warmer, as with cold moonlight.
Van Gogh “still life drawing board, pipe, bow and sealing wax” .Van Gogh “Starry night over the Rhone” The following tables will help us deal with the temperature of light.
2. Shades appear in the shadow that are opposite on the color spectrum to the local color of the object.
This simple means that in the subject's own shadow we can see shades of the complementary color. For example, you are painting a still life with a red apple, a peach, and blue grapes. The complementary color for red is green, for yellow is purple, and for blue is orange. That is why in the shadows you can observe shades of green, purple and orange, respectively.
Paul Gauguin "Flowers and a Bowl of Fruit" Paul Cezanne. “Still life with drawer extended”If we turn to the color wheel, then these pairs will be: yellow and purple, green and red, blue and orange. And intermediate between them, respectively.
3. An object illuminated with warm light, having a warm local color, becomes even brighter and more saturated in the light, and an object having a cold local color becomes closer to an achromatic color equal in tone.
And an object that has a cold local color becomes even brighter, louder and richer.
For example, we are drawing an orange lit by a lamp with warm light. In the light, the orange area will appear even brighter and more saturated than it is, while in the shade the orange color will not only become noticeably colder, but also lose color. This effect can be achieved with blue paint. Many people know that complementary colors placed side by side on the canvas reinforce each other. But not everyone knows that complementary colors, when mixed with each other on the palette, neutralize each other. If we illuminate this orange with cold daylight, then in the light its color will become more faded, while “burning shades” will appear in the shade.
Van Gogh "Still life with a basket and six oranges". P. Konchalovsky "Oranges" These simple rules allow you to predict which color will appear in the shadow or in the light and choose the right shades for mixing. That's all. Happy drawing!
Chiaroscuro - gradations of light and dark, the distribution of colors of different brightness or shades of the same color, which makes it possible to perceive the depicted object as voluminous, surrounded by a light and air environment. Chiaroscuro can be conditionally divided into several parts. Consider this situation using the example of an ordinary cylinder and a prism. If it is artificially illuminated, then the gradation of chiaroscuro will become clearly visible: a glare on a glossy surface or a bright light on a matte surface, penumbra, own shadow, reflex, falling shadow. The reflex is lighter than its own shadow and darker than the penumbra.
The saturation (density) of the incident and own shadow of the object depends on many factors. A significant role here is played by the distance between the object and the light source, the brightness of the light, the color and tone of the surrounding objects in space, the purity of the air, the time of day, etc.
In real conditions, the own shadow is never completely black, since in this part the surface is illuminated by reflected light from other objects. The ambient air, saturated with dust particles, which scatter light rays in all directions, has some influence on the illumination. Reflected light in the shadow part of an object is called a reflex.
The intensity of illumination of the surface of an object facing the light source also depends on various conditions, for example, on the angle of inclination of the light rays to the surface, on the saturation of the air layer, on the physical properties of the illuminated surface (matte or shiny), on the material from which the object is made, and etc. It is almost impossible to fully take into account all the phenomena that affect the intensity of light and shadow.
One can only single out a number of general provisions (rules) in the depiction of chiaroscuro and the falling shadow of an object, which should be taken into account when drawing from life or according to representation, when drawing up a composition. Own shadows on objects are usually depicted as lighter than falling ones, due to reflections (reflexes) from the ground and surrounding objects. For the same reason, the top of the own shadow is slightly lighter than the bottom.
For round objects, the transition from light to shadow is gradual, see Figure 21.
If the object is flat-faced, then the transition from light to shadow is clearly demarcated by ribs, see Figure 22.
Objects with shiny surfaces in the illuminated part have a particularly brightly highlighted place - a glare.
The drop shadow weakens as it moves away from the subject and the light source. The border of the shadow is sharper, the closer the light source and the smaller the shadow itself. If the shadow is large, then the boundaries of the part remote from the object become less clear, blurry.
Figure 21 - Gradations of light and shade on round objects
Figure 22 - Gradations of chiaroscuro on faceted objects
3.5 Color relations of local colors
"No body is ever completely
does not show its natural color
Leonardo da Vinci
local color object are pure, unmixed tones, which in our view are associated with certain objects, as their objective, unchanging properties without taking into account external influences, for example: the orange color of an orange, the white color of snow, the yellow color of gold.
Space, object environment, change the colors of objects. The object color in a realistic picture never appears openly, it is always covered with an air layer, a modeling or falling shadow, a play of reflexes, it is always a complex system of shades ( shade - a slight deviation of the color from its main color tone).
In painting, the artist depicts the color of an object by color relationships (a system of spots) - light and shadow, general illumination, reflexes, creates objects in the environment using the laws of color science: heat-holding of colors, perspective color change, color of an object in light and in shadow.
Shade color scheme:
The object's own color is slightly darker in tone + opposite in tone + blue (if the lighting is warm).
Figure 23 - The color of the shadow on the red object.
The color of the shadow can never be the same as the natural color of the object. Without the addition of the extra color, the shadow would be the same as the subject's background color, only slightly darker. The color of the shadow has a reduced intensity and saturation - all thanks to the added additional color.
Figure 24 - reflexes in painting
reflexes
The local color of an object is affected by its environment. When a green drapery is next to a yellow apple, a color reflex appears on it, that is, the apple's own shadow necessarily acquires a shade of green. Shadows and penumbra on light objects always contain a reflex.
Depicting reality with paints, it is necessary to take into account the influence of colors on each other, that is, to write with color relationships.
It is important that the color relationships correctly found in the picture help to see the beauty of reality and the beauty of the work itself.
When choosing color relationships in decorative work, the size of the parts of the picture, their rhythmic arrangement, the purpose of the thing and the material from which it is made are taken into account. In decorative work, artists also take care of the harmonious ratio of colors, and the real colors of objects can be changed to symbolic ones. The coloristic unity of all elements of ornaments is achieved with the help of color contrasts or nuances.
The difference between a flat and three-dimensional image.
Drawing materials
Drawings are usually performed on paper of different grades, cardboard. The whole spectrum is used graphic materials: pencils, charcoal, sauce, sanguine, sepia, various crayons, including various types of pastel crayons, ink, ink, capillary pens, etc. Graphite pencil is more often used in educational drawing.
The image is a reflection of the spatial structure of one object (original) in the spatial structure of another object (carrier).
Chiaroscuro- the distribution of illumination observed on the surface of the object, creating a scale of brightness . Light is one of the main visual means: the transmission of the form, volume, texture of the object and the depth of space depends on the lighting conditions. An object is visually perceived only when it is illuminated, that is, when chiaroscuro is formed on its surface due to different illumination. Depending on the position of the object in relation to the light source, the type (texture) and color of its surface and a number of other factors, chiaroscuro will have one or another brightness. There are the following chiaroscuro elements: light, highlight, shadows, penumbra, reflex.
The chiaroscuro elements of an object and an image are often called tones. Thus, the highlight is the brightest tone, and the shadow is the least bright. The eye distinguishes a significant number of tones. The wider the tone scale, the less they differ in brightness from each other, the less contrast the object is perceived; the narrower it is, the greater the differences in brightness between tones will be, the more contrast the object will be.
Light, glare, midtones, shadow, reflex - uh it is precisely those expressive means by which the artist conveys the volume of the object in the drawing. From how these elements are distributed chiaroscuro in the figure, the perception of the shape and volume of the depicted objects depends.
Light- brightly lit surface. However, no matter how brightly it is lit, the light is still tinted, albeit quite easily. To determine how intense the shading should be, you can put, for example, in a still life, a sheet of white paper for comparison.
glare- a bright spot on an illuminated surface - pure, reflected light. The glare is the brightest spot in the drawing, sometimes it can be the color of paper (but if you draw a still life from several objects, each of them may have glare of different intensity. Or maybe not at all - depending on the lighting and materials).
Semitone- boundary illumination, the transition from light to shadow. Halftones appear where there is indirect lighting, the rays fall on the surface of the object at an angle. As you understand, there can be many such transitional tones. In the literature, different names may come across: demi-light, penumbra. This is because the eye perceives a very large number of tones - hence the gray scale you use can be very wide. On round surfaces, the transition between halftones will be soft and imperceptible, without sharp borders. On rectangular objects, light and shadow can lie on adjacent faces, without any transition between them. ). Penumbra- a faint shadow that occurs when an object is illuminated by several light sources. It also forms on a surface facing the light source at a slight angle.
Shadow- unlit or dimly lit surface. Shadows can also be more or less intense. Distinguish between own and falling shadows.
drop shadow - this is what we call a shadow in everyday life, the object casts it on other surfaces.
own shadow - the unlit side of the object itself. Usually in the drawing, the own shadow is darker than the falling one. Even if the actual lighting is weak and the shadows are not too intense, the artist often enhances his own shadow so that the shape of the subject is better read.
Reflex- Appears in its own shadow. Reflex is reflected light from nearby objects. In painting, the reflections will be colored, reflecting the color of objects around. But, regardless of the color, the tone of the reflex will necessarily be lighter than the shadow. The brightness of the reflection will also be different, depending on the surface. On glossy objects there can be very bright and light reflections, on matte objects they are almost invisible.
So, on each depicted object must be present: light, glare, penumbra, shadow, reflex. It's in that order. And each element chiaroscuro its role.
Light and shadow- the most expressive means of drawing. They are equally important for the overall result. In the course of work, you need to constantly monitor whether light or shadow have disappeared from the drawing, have not turned into halftones. If this happens, the drawing will appear gray. Although, this may be exactly the effect you need - for example, if you are painting rain or a foggy landscape.
Semitones important for volume. The more halftones, the more voluminous objects. Although, whether to use semitones or not - again, depends on the task. For example, posters, comics or graffiti drawings can easily do without halftones at all.
Glare and reflexes bring the image to life. Depending on how you use them, they can either add realism to an image, or vice versa. An incorrectly placed highlight or reflex can destroy the form, even if other elements of light and shade lie correctly. At the same time, each object does not exist in the image by itself. It is important to distribute light and shadow throughout the drawing. To determine where the main highlights and shadows will lie, try to look at what you are drawing, squinting, as if from under the eyelashes. Objects that are closer are usually illuminated more, they have the brightest contrasts. Far - to a greater extent will consist of semitones
