How to make a bright highlight in a drawing. Examples in pictures
Majority art schools and drawing courses primarily teach how to draw shadows. Constructing and drawing such primitive figures as a cylinder, ball, cone, cube is a rather tedious and uninteresting task. However, it is tasks like this that are the first step to understanding the shape and volume of a geometric shape, as well as to the ability to depict its dark and light sides - that is, to the ability to draw shadows with a pencil step by step. In future artistic practice, the ability to correctly feel the dark and light sides will be a good help in any drawing.
If you want to make the sketch visual and realistic, you need to give it volume. In this article we will tell you how to draw shadows with a pencil correctly.
Light and shadow
Drawings should be realistic and pleasing to the eye. Therefore, it is necessary to correctly combine light and shadow in them. This will give the drawings contrast, depth and a sense of movement. shadows to make your drawings look more alive, attractive and interesting?
A little theory
Have you ever wondered what allows us to see the shape of objects? Let's reveal a secret: this is a collision of light and shadow. If we place an object on a table in a room without windows and turn off the light, we will not see any form. If we illuminate an object with a very bright lamp or spotlight, then again we will not see its shape. It can only be seen by light that collides with shadow.
Neither light nor shadow falls on objects at random. There are certain patterns. They allow us to guess how the light will be located on the object, on its forms, and where the shadow will begin. And the person who draws needs to know these patterns.
Elements of chiaroscuro
In drawing, the following elements of chiaroscuro are distinguished: highlight, light, penumbra, own shadow, reflex and falling shadow. Let's consider each of them in order.
Glare called a spot of light that is located on a convex or flat glossy surface and is obtained due to the strong illumination of the object.
Light- These are the surfaces of an object that are brightly lit.
Penumbra called a faint shadow. It occurs if an object is illuminated not by one, but by several light sources. In addition, it forms on surfaces that face the light source at a slight angle.
Shadow- these are those areas of the subject that are dimly lit. A falling shadow is one that an object casts on the plane on which it stands. And his own is the one that is on the unlit side of it.
Reflex called a weak spot of light that is located in the shadow area. It is formed by rays that are reflected from other objects nearby.
The depiction of these light gradations allows the artist to clearly depict the shape of an object on a sheet of paper, convey its volume and degree of illumination.
Do these rules work for computer graphics?
Yes. Computer graphics- this is the same drawing. Therefore, how to draw shadows in SAI or Photoshop is no different from drawing them on paper. All the theory and all the rules that work for an image on canvas or paper are also valid for a computer.
Step 1: Selecting the Right Materials
How to draw shadows with a pencil? First of all, you need to choose the right pencil. Of course, you can paint shadows with charcoal, sanguine, gouache, and acrylic. But at first it is better to limit yourself to a pencil.
Used for shadows special pencils for drawing. They are sold in sets. A budget option can be found at any office supply store. There is also special paper for drawing: it is better to choose a denser and tougher one.
There are many types of drawing pencils. There are ones with a soft (M, 2M, 3M, ..., 8M, 9M) lead, and there are ones with a hard one (T, 2T, 3T, ..., 8T, 9T). In sets from foreign manufacturers, M is replaced by B, and T by H.
To depict shadows, a set of 3T, 2T, T, TM, M, 2M and 3M will be enough for you. To depict light it is better to use hard pencils, and for shadow - soft. This way the drawing will look more natural and will be easier to draw.
Let's talk about paper. Too smooth sheets, like the ones we print on, are not suitable for drawing. Don't use paper that is too hard. It will be difficult to draw shadows on it. It is best to use special drawing sheets, which are sold in a folder at office supply stores. How to draw shadows correctly? First of all, purchase the right materials.
Step Two: Linear Sketch
How to draw shadows in a drawing? First of all, make a line sketch of what you want to draw. It is advisable to do this from life, but you can also use a photograph of the object. The most important thing is that the object you choose is motionless. In this case, you will have a lot of time to sketch it.
Take a close look at home environment. You can draw flowers, watches, kitchen utensils, and items of clothing. All of these are excellent subjects for sketching.
If you use a photograph, it is better to print it in black and white. This way you will be able to more accurately depict the outline and shadows.
Step 3: Achromatic Colors
How to draw shadows? When working with a pencil, all of them start with white and end with black, with several shades of gray in the middle.
How to create an achromatic scale? Draw a rectangle: this can be done on a separate sheet of paper or in the corner of your drawing. Divide this rectangle into five equal parts (you can do more, but 5 will be enough to start with), then number them.
The very first square will be white, and the last one will be black. The parts between them need to be painted over with three different shades of gray, dividing them by tone. As a result, you will have something like the palette of your pencil: the first rectangle is white, the second is light gray, the third is medium gray, the fourth is dark gray and the last one is the most dark tone, which a pencil can give.
Step 4: Shadow Theory
How to draw shadows? To do this, it is necessary to understand their nature.
Find the main light source. Observe that the lightest are often closest to the light, the darkest are farther away, and the shadows fall opposite it. Particular attention should be paid to reflections, as they can be the brightest place of the object chosen for drawing.
Step 5: Choosing a Hatching Method
How to draw shadows? Using shading. It is placed on top
Choose the way you will hatch the sketch, depending on the object itself, the light source and There are many types of shadow hatching, and the most popular ones are straight, circular and cross.
Drawing a set is called a straight line parallel lines as close to each other as possible. This method is great for objects without texture and for drawing hair.
For circular shading, you need to draw many small circles. This shading can be used to create interesting texture by scattering circles and adding lines to them. In addition, you can more clearly show the density of the object you are depicting by placing the circles close to each other.
Shading objects by drawing intersecting lines is cross hatching. This method is great for adding depth to a drawing.
Step 6: pen test
Try making shadows. Since your drawing is still initial stage, you should not make them too dark. This way you can easily erase them if necessary. Draw, gradually filling in the places that are needed, and leaving the lightest places white.
As you paint, compare your work to the subject or a photograph of it to make sure you're putting the shadows in the right place.
Step 7: Patience and step by step work
Add shadows in several layers. They must be gradually darkened, layer by layer. There should be a noticeable contrast between dark and light areas. Do not forget to use an achromatic scale: the drawing should not be in the same gray tones.
There's no need to rush. The process of shading shadows is similar to developing black and white film: it must happen gradually. Patience is your key to success and beautiful drawings.
The more you deepen the shadows in the drawing, the less noticeable its contours will become. And that’s right, because in real life almost nothing has a black outline. The same should be reflected in your drawing.
Step 8: Shading the Shadows
Now blend the shadows in your drawing. It is necessary to make them more realistic and smooth. You need to control the pressure so that it is not too strong and too weak. Blend until you are satisfied with the result.
If you don't have shading, you can use a small piece paper. An eraser will help you highlight those places that you accidentally covered up. This could be a highlight, or a contour that is not completely hidden under the shading layer.
The main thing is to remember that most people who draw, including the most famous artists, at the initial stage creative path made mistakes.
- Between your hand and the paper you are drawing on you can put Blank sheet printing paper: this way you will avoid stains on the drawing.
- To avoid dirtying the sketch and correcting mistakes, it is better to use a vinyl eraser. Erasers made from this material do not damage paper and erase pencil marks well.
- Don't use your finger to blend the shading.
- To make the difference between light and shadow more noticeable, you need to use good lighting.
- It is better to hold the pencil at a smaller angle to the plane of the paper so that you can draw with the side of the lead rather than its tip. This will make the shadows more natural.
I bring to your attention a short and educational lesson, which will help you in the future to draw and paint glass objects. Today we will begin to understand what is so special you need to know when you draw, for example, a glass or glass vase. How to fill this vase with water, and then with flower stems.
The most simple rules You will learn about glass images from this article and a short video clip. Perhaps after viewing you will be able to use the paints, pastels or pencils you have on hand to depict a vase with your favorite flowers.
Such a picture or drawing will bring great pleasure it would be quite appropriate for you as a gift for March 8th :).
So let's start to figure it out:
Glass color
Naturally, glass can be the most different colors and shades, but we will start from transparent and colorless glass so as not to get confused.
Glass is transparent, which means it takes on the color of its surroundings.
If the glass is on a blue background, then the substrate will be blue in any of the techniques (oil, acrylic, pencil, gouache). And to be more precise, probably a darker color than the background, than the color of the environment.
How to draw bright carnations
Examples of glass color in paintings
On blue background blue vase
The color of the glass is the same as the background color (Alexander Adriaenssen 17th century)
How to make an opaque vessel glass?
To put it simply, without delving into physics and discussions about high painting there are a few simple things to understand and use:
Determine where the light source is and set a highlight
Knowing where the light is coming from, we can determine where to place the highlight. We draw a conditional beam from the light source. In the place where the beam touches the glass, the brightest glare on the entire glass object is formed.
If the vessel has a convex or curved shape, the highlight may follow the shape of the vessel, or it will break up into several bright dots or features.
Blik stands on dark side vessel - because here the light touched the object, but has not yet had time to dissipate.
Painting technique A la prima
Examples of glare in paintings
How to draw glass? Where to put the highlight?
Highlight on the right side of a glass vase
The highlight follows the shape of the vessel
Highlight on a dark vase
Glare reflex
Since glass is transparent, light will pass through, scatter a little and hit the the opposite side glass object. If you conditionally extend this beam further and stop it on the other wall of the vessel, this is where the reflex will form.
A reflex, unlike a flare, will be a large bright spot of scattered light. The reflex should under no circumstances overshadow the highlight. The reflex is much lower in intensity than the glare, and many times larger in area.
Examples of glare in paintings
How to draw glass? Reflex
Reflex on the vase
Reflex, clearly visible
Reflexes of the external environment
If there are several colored objects around our glass, then they should be displayed in it to a greater or lesser extent. You can decide for yourself how bright the reflection to draw on the glass is.
If there are flowers with green stems in a vase, then surely these green stems will somehow be reflected in the thickness of the glass.
These reflexes are not as noticeable as on opaque objects.
Drawing a beautiful swan
Examples of reflexes in the picture
Yellow, orange, greenish reflections on the glass surface
Glass has thickness and shape
This means that both glare and reflexes will follow this shape. They will also linger a little in this thickness.
It is worth considering that the bottom and curves of a glass object are usually thicker. This means that the shadow and light in such places will be more intense or “thick”. If the glass is colored, then the intensity of its color will be greater on the bends and bottom.
Examples in pictures
The thickness of the glass is a darker feature. The highlight follows the shape of a vase
Video tutorial on how to draw glass
Let's look short lesson and draw a glass vase together :)
To prevent a drawn vector object from appearing flat, shadows and highlights are added to it. The techniques described in the lesson will help you draw a shadow and add volume to your vector drawing.
Shadows, as a rule, are located inside the object and extend along the edge, therefore, it will be convenient to use the " Creating Shapes(Shift+M)" to cut off excess or create new figure based on two existing ones.
To do this, draw two offset circles as shown in the image below. Or other necessary figures. It is important to remember that when drawing a shadow, the main thing is to correctly draw a line inside the object and close it; everything outside will be cut off. Select both items. And grab the Shape Builder tool. Hold down the ALT key and click on the extra area and it will be removed.
If you want to make the drawing more beautiful, create a second shadow outline next to the first. The second shadow will be lighter than the first and this will add volume. After all, the more details are drawn, the more beautiful the drawing.
The color of the shadow and highlight should be, respectively, slightly darker and lighter than the main color of the subject. You can change the color in two ways:
- Double-click on the color swatch and drag the pointer higher or lower.
- Leave the color the same. But change the blending mode. For shadows, “Multiply” is suitable, and for the illuminated part of the object, “Lighten”.
The second method should be used carefully, as any effects may not be read correctly in earlier versions. And for, it’s better to avoid such tricks altogether and change only the color.
Also good effect volume has . This tool allows you to “stretch” the mesh over a shape and paint each of the links a different color. Using a mesh gradient, you can not only create shadows and highlights, but also give photorealism to a vector drawing.
Other ways to draw a shadow
In addition, beautiful shadows are obtained using the Gradient tool. If you put black on both sides and change the transparency value from zero to 50%, you will get a beautiful shadow with a smooth flow. In combination with the “Multiply” blending mode, it will look very realistic, even on a colored background.
For example, an ellipse with a radial shadow was drawn under the ball, which also had to be changed to the shape of an oval. This shadow looks very realistic.
Below is another example of such a shadow. The collar of the shirt stands out a bit thanks to a linear gradient with minimal opacity values.
Folds on clothing or shadows do not have the correct shape, so the Pencil tool is suitable for drawing.
Often, shadows are located along the edges of clothing so that they do not peek outside; we will cut off the excess with the “Create Shapes” tool described above.
A real example of working with shadows can be seen in the lesson
Video lesson: Drawing shadows and highlights in Adobe Illustrator.
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Making a shadow effect on a figure in CorelDRAW X6
How to draw a highlight on an object in Photoshop is always a pressing question. In order to draw a highlight correctly, you need to study the theory of the formation of light and shade in drawing, I will not discuss it, but will devote the lesson to the technical part - assuming that you have an idea where the highlight should be, but you don’t know what it should be and how It's better to draw it.
But before moving on to practice, a little theory.
What exactly is a glare? Conventionally, we can say that glare is the brightest place where a light source is reflected from an object.
What it will be depends on the material of the object itself: if it has a smooth polished surface from which light is reflected, the glare should be bright, its shape follows the contours of the object, and, moreover, sharp corners the light is reflected more strongly.
On less smooth surfaces, the glare is duller; rough surfaces scatter light. This must be remembered before applying the highlight.
The picture from the site render.ru quite clearly demonstrates the type of glare depending on the surface on which it falls.
(to view the picture in full size, click on it)
For glare to appear, the object must be brightly lit and direct rays must fall on it.
How to determine the glare area?
If you are drawing an image from scratch, you need to select a light source and determine the highlights from its location. If you are working with a picture and do not change the light source, select the lightest places in the original image and transfer it to yours.
BUT! Often you come across works that have glare superimposed on them that shouldn’t seem to be there (like glare on car tires). You look at this, you know that there shouldn’t be a glare, at least not this bright, but damn, it looks cool!
Here's the best one for you main conclusion: rules exist to break them, the main thing is not to overdo it.
Here is a selection of several types of highlights - some of them are drawn, some are real.
Let's move on to the technical part.
Always remember to blend highlights into the finished image.
1. Preparing the file for applying highlights
First, I carry out all the operations of retouching and composing the scene: I have a cut out photo of a glass bottle with a metal cap. I draw a reflection for the object (read how to do this in the lesson Drawing a reflection in Photoshop) and break the background into squares, supporting the corners on the bottle. There are highlights in the source material, but they seem inexpressive to me, so I need to accentuate them.
2. Determine the location of glare
As I said above, when drawing from the source, these are the lightest places in the image - they are marked as an area in the picture. 
3. I focus light on the subject
I fill the marked areas with white, blur them a little using Gaussian, and change the blending mode to “ Bright light"(Vivid Light) and reduce the fill to 40−60%. The light areas became brighter, and a small glowing halo appeared around the light spots. I wash it in places where I don’t need the glow - these are the edges of the lid ring, in that place the light will flow along the ring itself.
Using a one-pixel hard brush on a new layer, I paint highlights along the edges of the object.
4. Glowing highlights
On a new layer soft brush white In the supposed places of the brightest highlights, I draw small dots (marked in red in the picture for clarity), add non-monochrome noise (Filter-Add Noise) and duplicate the layer (Ctrl+E).
I blur one take in motion (Motion Blur) at an angle (Angle) of 30-60 degrees (I choose the degree of displacement by eye), the second I blur in motion in the direction opposite to the first and with a lesser degree of displacement. It looked like a star in the place of the brightest highlights. I merge these layers and change the blending mode to “Screen”, fill 60-80%.
5. Using a hard white brush, I once again go through the places of the brightest glow and use the “Finger” tool to smudge the edges. Change the blending mode to “Overlay”, fill 30-60%. I duplicate the layer and use Gaussian blur.
6. Adding lighting effects
1. There is a flash on the object itself:
I find a suitable flash on a black background, change the blend mode to “Screen”, and move it to the place I need. If desired, you can add another one.
Now I don't like the background color, I change it to purple.
I find a picture with an interesting lighting effect and place it above the subject. I change the blending mode to “Screen” and use a soft eraser to erase the edges so that the sharp transition boundary between the image with the glow and the background is not visible. I add reflection from sparks. 
I add more lighting effects, again - don’t forget about reflection.
7. Reflexes
Since the object is illuminated by colored rays, reflections from the rays must be added to it. I duplicate the layer drawn in step 5 and apply a layer style to it with the following parameters:
8. You can also add light to the background and stop there.
The overlay of various lighting effects allows you to achieve a result that is radically different from the source, and no one limits the freedom of creativity.
Choose what you especially liked and get to work.
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Compare the chiaroscuro on the face with the chiaroscuro on the ball. The face and head are rounded, so the same shading principles apply here. Remember! Shadows are created by light. Shadows change depending on where the light comes from. |
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We will look later on how to apply light and shade to the face, since first you need to master some techniques in drawing the details of the face: nose, mouth, eyes and eyebrows.
2. Nose.
Before you start drawing a whole picture, practice drawing separately individual elements faces. It is best to find drawings for exercises in magazines. Each drawing is different from the other, but take a closer look at them. Consider different turns head, noticing how the appearance and lighting of the nose, mouth, etc. changes.
Practice drawing noses using a grid.
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| Let's use this example to study in detail the application of light and shade on the nose. | Draw a 25mm grid (4 cells). Execute line drawing. make sure it is accurate. | |
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| Using a dark tone of No. 1, shade the nostrils and the falling shadow on the left. | Apply shadow #2 to the areas indicated here. | Using feathering, create penumbra No. 3. Shadows No. 2 soften at the same time. |
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We need to make the skin a little darker, so apply the shadow again. |
Blend the tonal transitions again. Don't forget to squint. If you see small light areas, shade them. If you see small dark areas, lighten them using the sharp edge of the rubber band (if the edge is blunt, make a cut; the scrap can also be used as this). |
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3. Mouth.
A closed mouth is easier to draw than an open one. For the latter, I recommend a finer mesh - a lot small parts. Each tooth must be the proper size, shape, and in place.
When drawing the mouth, stick to following rules:
1. The upper lip is usually darker than the lower lip.
2. The lower lip contains highlights.
3. There are light shadows around the mouth.
4. Never outline your finished mouth.
5. The line dividing the lips is very uneven. It is thick in some places and very thin in others. The corners of the mouth are shaped like a quotation mark or a teardrop. It is very important to depict them - the mouth looks like it goes inward, rather than lying flat on the surface of the face.
6. Male lips sometimes they are very light. Their shape is then determined not by outlines, but by shadows above and below.
We will now draw a closed mouth. I recommend practicing with photos from magazines.
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| Study the location of this mouth in the grid cells. Note that it is slightly rotated to the right. See how the last vertical grid line runs through the middle of the upper lip? Your memory will incline you to believe that this middle should be in the center of the picture, and not to the right. |
Always draw what you see in front of you, and not what your memory tells you! This is why using a grid is so important. It allows you to draw shapes exactly where they should be. | |
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| Apply dark shade #1 to the line between the lips and in the left corner where the lips part. | Apply dark gray tone #2 to upper lip and under the lower lip. | Apply Penumbra No. 3 to the lower lip, leaving room for highlight. Make the left side of the lower lip darker, closer to #2. |
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| Using a “sharp” eraser, identify highlights: make a light stroke with the eraser and get a highlight. | Left: 1 - reflected light; 2 - glare. |
4. Eyes, eyelashes and eyebrows.
The entire drawing can be just a background for one eye, so you should pay special attention to drawing the eye.
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| Eyebrows can be of any shape and thickness. First just apply the mold. | Start drawing the hairs. Follow the original in which direction they grow and move the pencil accordingly. | Continue drawing the hairs until they begin to blend in and then use a blending brush. |
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| Finish the hairs, giving them the desired blackness. |
To soften the tone a little, quickly and light movements"take off" |
Never Do not fill in your eyebrows with thick pencil lines. |
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| These lines are fine. They are curved, becoming thinner towards the end, in to a greater extent resembling real hairs. |
This is better, but the lines still look sharp and too straight. |
Eyelashes too Not should be drawn with hard lines. These lines are too hard and straight. In addition, eyelashes do not grow individually. |
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| Eyelashes grow in approximately these groups. Watch in which direction they bend. | Never Do not draw the outline of the eye with such lower eyelashes. | This is how the lower eyelashes should be drawn. They grow from the lower edge of the lower eyelid thickness, and they are shorter than the upper eyelashes. Do you see that some of them are longer than others? The lower eyelashes also grow in bushes. |
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| Redraw this eye onto graphite paper. | The pupil and iris are, by nature, perfect circles. Underestimation of this is the reason why many images of people are implausible. | Erase the mesh. Using a thin line, draw circles in the eye using a thin line. Then refine these circles using a circle template. If you are drawing two eyes, both should be drawn using the same template. Start drawing the eyebrow with a pencil and draw in the pupil. |
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| Apply some of the darker shade (#1) around the outer edge of the iris and around the pupil. Shade your eyebrow. |
Blend the iris to penumbra no. 3. |
Lighten the iris a little with the eraser to make it look shiny and increase the highlight. |
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| Paint the eyelashes with shades No. 1 and No. 2 (the tone above the iris is slightly lighter). | Apply some dark color above the eye. Lightly blend the white of the eye to give it volume. A little lighten the eyebrow (as if drawing hairs). IN in this case the eyelashes are almost not shown - only those that go to the sides. |
6. Apply shadows to the face.
| Some people think that if the hair is drawn last, then this is the finale. Yes it really is finishing touch, but it is far from the fastest. |
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| Apply quick strokes with a pencil in the directions indicated by the arrows. Continue drawing the lines until they begin to merge. Where there are no pencil strokes on the surface of the hair, you can see the beginning of the formation of a “stripe of light”. Draw the lines evenly, avoid scribbling. | ||
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| Blend everything out. Move the blend in the same directions as you did with the pencil. Never shade across the strokes. | Shade some areas a little more. The pencil moves in the same directions. | Using a “sharp” eraser, quickly apply light strokes in the hair (see picture). If something doesn’t work out right away, you can always go back and correct your drawing - adding a tone with a pencil, and removing it with an eraser. |
And here is the finished portrait.