So, how exactly are you good with shades, shadows, light sources in drawing? I've always had trouble with those sort of things so I was wondering if you could give me some advice other than "practice." Also, are you an animator or what exactly is your art profession? I'm an art student soon to be taking her Masters, but I still want to know.
i think some good advice is to grab some objects you have, and maybe a flashlight, and move the light around these things and see what parts cast shadows and which parts attract light. shadows and light sources all come from understanding that what you’re drawing is a 3 dimensional object. the more you start to understand the shapes that make up forms (like the human face, what cloth folding means, etc) the more you will start to see your art as an object that casts shadows instead of just a flat drawing. practice will only get you so far, a lot of art is thinking hard about what you’re drawing.
Here are some images that visually explain what I mean. I wouldn’t even draw these myself bc time is short and there is always so much I want to draw, BUT looking at them and studying them is a valid form of practice just as much as drawing is.
^^^^ this is the same head, shown at three different angles, but the head is made of the same basic shapes each time. In each photo can you identify the light source? if you can, great! now think, Why do you know where the light is coming from? Its because even though these are 2D photos, the object in the photo has a very clear 3D form. Apply that knowledge to your art! If you can’t tell where the light source is coming from, start to analyze which parts of the face are highlighted and which parts are in shadow. Reality tells us things that are brighter are closer to the light, things that are darker are obscured by some other form which is why shadows are cast. Shadows happen when the light is unable to reach part of the form because something opaque is obscuring the light from passing through!
Here is another great image from RobynRose on deviantart that shows how light from different angles casts shadows on different parts of the face and body. This happens because we are 3 dimensional forms!
When it comes to finding visual refs to study from, another awesome resource is senshistock on deviantart. Its literally a god send for art refs. They do great poses, have amazing diversity with their models and are an overall great resource!). I also recommend pinterest boards that people have already made. its a really quick and easy way to find a large amount of tutorials and visual explanations on like any art topic you need help with! The only downside with pinterest is if you’re going to use any specific image as a direct reference for a piece, make sure you can hunt down the source creator for that tutorial if you plan on sharing it anywhere! Pinterest is often a helpful but creditless place lol.
So, you say you’re tired of being told to just practice. Well, thats super fair! But realize part of bettering your art is paying attention to the way things look all! the! time! Pay attention, detailed attention to everything around you when you’re not drawing. And by paying attention I mean like, walking into a room and identifying the light source, is there more than one light source, is there any kind of secondary light source, etc. Now, its not that I’m consciously doing these things 24/7 but it’s more of like, a mode of vision.
Art is just as much about understanding, thinking, and problem solving as it is making things look pretty and knowing which colors to pick. ESPECIALLY when it comes to shading and light sources, that stuff requires serious thought. So, when you are ready to practice some more I recommend using a reference photo to practice (being told using references is cheating or shameful is the biggest lie young artists are told. its so damaging) and when you have your reference photo, don’t just copy what you see, think about WHY it looks the way it does. Why is there a shadow there? whats blocking it? why does the clothes fold the way it does? what is it being pushed or pulled against? All these questions become clearer the more you start to visualize what youre seeing as something that is 3 dimensional instead of 2 dimensional.
Sorry that was so long, I really hope it helps not just you but others.
ALSO my degree is in animation but I rarely animate for fun / for work / in my own time. I consider myself to be a visual development artist for animation (character design, color scripting, and background art are some of my favorite things to do!) as well as a freelance illustrator.
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