Light concepts to follow

 Concepts in light to remember

Mirrored lighting

Reflections in water are constantly changes. Try to keep the reflection itself to a minimum. Use softer edges and lighter shadow colors. Keep edge details soft. Colors will be muted in the reflection. Richer color can be found on the object that is casting the reflection. Movement in water can vary the reflection from crisp to identifying only a vague resemblance of the subject. 

5x7 study of light

Shadows

In strong sunlight, the shadow will have clear dark edges that follow the form its cast upon as it is closer to the object. Colors will be richer within the value of this shadow. As the shadow recedes into the distance it will soften its edges and value lighter. 

Lost edges in shadow help to anchor figures in a painting.  Remember to keep the shadows simple masses.  Establish strong shadow patterns first. Squint the eye to loose the detail and see these shadows easily. In dense shadow landscapes keep the light patterns simple, with soft edges and even abstract. This helps to create depth in the scene. 

Compare the light and dark of a shadow and where is the lightest light.  Do this again for the richest color and the lightest color. This will help to pull the painting together. Color is relative to itself. This concept is important to understand. If you start with your darkest dark & lightest light all the colors that come after are decisions made that directly relate to the original colors you chose. 

Terms to keep in mind

Front lighting; the direction of the sun is behind you the artist and illuminating directly onto the subject. You should not see any or at least very little shadow. Light is duller as it steps back from the subject. Rich color is apparent in the foreground or on the subject itself. 

Side lighting; The sun is to the right or left of the artist. Long shadows appear in this side lighting condition. This is a favorite lighting condition for paintings. This is where it is important to compare the darkest dark to the lightest light and make color notes. These first marks key your painting for you in this light. Edges will be crisp on subjects that have hard edges like urban scenes or man made structures. Rocks could also fall to hard edges in this lighting condition. 

Back lighting; The sun is behind the subject. but in front of the artist.  It causes a rim lighting affect on the subject. This forms a silhouette of the the subject. Local color will be muted, but the rim color effect will  show some rich local color like a halo. This is a great way to study shapes. 

Overhead lighting; The light source here is above the artist. Look for light on the top planes of your subject. Squint your eyes to see the top planes clearly. Are the upright planes dark? Edges soft? This light can be dramatic to the urban scene. Is the light influenced by other planes reflecting color? Observe this lighting condition closely, there can be many nuances.