Art College Crash Course, Lesson 15: The Laws of Light and Shadow

Or: why your drawing looks like a pancake, and how to fix it.

You've practiced for months, and your drawings still look flat. Usually it's not your drawing skills. It's the light.

Step 1: Know your light

Light changes the mood, the shape and the depth of everything you draw. There are four kinds to know:

• Direct light: a strong, single source, like the sun or a flashlight. Sharp shadows.

• Diffuse light: soft and spread out, like a cloudy day. Gentle shadows.

• Ambient light: the general light filling the whole scene.

• Reflected light: light bouncing off nearby surfaces. It's why shadows are almost never pure black.

Step 2: Shadows aren't just black

A shadow mixes the object's own color, the surrounding light and light bouncing in from nearby. Look at any shadow on a sunny day. It's probably a little blue, from the sky.

The four parts of light on an object: 1. Highlight: the brightest spot, where light hits straight on. 2. Core shadow: the darkest band, where the form turns away from the light. 3. Reflected light: a soft glow inside the shadow, from light bouncing off the ground or nearby objects. 4. Cast shadow: the shadow the object throws onto other surfaces.

Step 3: Why your art still looks flat

1. No clear light source. Shadows go every direction. Pick one light and stick to it.

2. Pure black shadows. They kill the color and the form.

3. Not enough range. If everything is middle gray, nothing pops. Use real darks and real lights.

4. No glow in soft things. REAL: light passes a little way into skin, leaves and wax and glows back out. Artists call this subsurface scattering. It's why ears glow red when the sun is behind them. Without it, characters can look like plastic.

Step 4: Shortcuts that work

1. Start with one light source. Add more later.

2. Think in 3D. Wrap the light around the form, like you're shading a ball.

3. Push the contrast. Darker darks, brighter lights.

4. Warm light, cool shadows. Under warm sunlight, shadows look cooler and bluer. Under cool light, shadows look warmer.

5. Look at real life. Put an apple on a table next to a lamp and just watch.

Final thoughts

Lighting is one of the biggest differences between a beginner's drawing and a pro's. Choose your light, skip the pure black and make your shadows colorful.

Try this

1. Set a ball, an apple or a mug next to a lamp in a dark room.

2. Draw it, finding the highlight, core shadow, reflected light and cast shadow.

3. Move the lamp and draw it again.

Up next

Lesson 16: Walk Cycles. How to make a character walk without looking like a wobbly noodle.

What's your favorite lighting in an animated movie? Tell us in the comments.

The revolution will not be graded.

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