something quick for doofusy coz she wanted a tutorial i did but it was from like 2007 and i would die
anyway;
fluorescent lights - fluorescent lights are made so they don’t cast shadows. the light is generally cool, so shadows are soft and almost grayish, and there aren’t many of them. they barely create any cast shadows, so they’re soft light, or form shadows. they’re made specifically for this, since they’re usually used in schools where it’s a pain in the butt to have shadows cast on your hand for writing and other stuff. since the initial shading is soft, anything in the background is even softer; there’s not a lot of contrast going on in a room with flurorescents.as a note, form shadows are created by light slowly not being able to shine on something. for example, your arm would have a cast shadow on it because it is curved, and light is gradually unable to hit it
cast shadows are created because something is in the way of the light. if you put your hand in front of lamp and made shadow puppets, that would be a cast shadow.tungsten/non-fluorescent lights - give off warmer light than fluorescents. they create cast shadows, which is why they’re usually used in life drawing classes. in this picture there’s just one light source, to keep it simple.
non-fluorescent lights have a shorter range than fluorescents, so there are more shadows, and they’re sharper. things like the side of kolya’s face, under his legs, and behind him are all blocked from the light by his body, so the shadows are noticable. in contrast, the shadows in the background are already in the dark, so they continue to be form shadows (as the remaining light from the lamp is not strong enough to reach them)
glowy stuff - in the case of glowy stuff, in this case, a clock radio or something, the type of shadow is generally form. glowy things generally have a limited range that they can reach, so most shadows will be created because the light is no longer able to reach it. it’s more of a case of highlights than anything else!
the most important part of working with different light sources is knowing the difference between cast and form shadows, and how and why they’re created. in all three examples, regardless of whether the shadows are cast or form, places like the side of kolya’s face and under his legs are in shadow. this is because the light cannot reach them, due do them being 3D shape that curve. it helps to remember that the majority of organic shapes are rounded and curved, while a lot of manmade things have sharp, straight edges and faces
(i am sorta braindead rn so i hope this is a bit helpful lol)
(via artutorials)
