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Playing with light and darker tones

Value scale

A value scale is made out of different tones of a color. Not musical tones, but lighter or darker version of a color.

Below is a scale from light to dark. This may have gray tones but you can use any color for a scale.

Toonladder-lauwpauw

Scale

Draw five spaces next to each other of 5 by 5 centimeters (or inches). Or just download the stencil.

For this assignment, it is fine if you have a 2H, HB and a 2B pencil. Only HB will also work. But this gives you a fewer possibilities in the deep tones dark and very light ones.

toonladder1

Pencils

Pencils are available in different hardnesses. For more information about pencils read the blog post about pencils.
Start by the patch in the middle, and color it with your HB pencil. Do not press too hard on your pencil, but color it with a normal pressure, just like you would normally write.

Put all your lines in the same direction, you can use another piece of paper to make sure you do not draw over the edge.

kladpapier toonladder

Caution: Do not wipe your finger. Why not? Your finger is greasy and it will stain. If you want to wipe all, do it with a tissue, cotton swab or a feather.

Use your 2H pencil (or HB) and color the patch to the left of the middle plane in an even tone, but just a bit lighter than the middle plane. If you have put irregular stripes with your strokes, try to update patches from the lighter areas. Do not go over the darker spots around because they will only get darker.

 

Layers

Pencil creates a little layer of graphite on the paper and the more you are going over it, the darker it gets. Try on a scrap of paper: put a dark stripe with a lot of pressure on the paper. Then you hold the pencil lightly and let it go gently on the paper. Go over it with your pencil multiple times. If you go on long enough you will find that you end up with a very dark tone.

Then you take the 2B pencil, and you will make the 4th plane left a little darker. Think about what you just read in darker colors, it is not necessarily to have a very dark tone in the beginning, but build it up. Again, use your scrap paper to make sure you do not color over the edges.

 

Space and depth?
kubus-nummers

Super fun this scale, but what’s the use?

Once you’ve practiced with different tones you can use them as a sort of cheat sheet when you want to draw shadows or use darker and lighter tones. Suppose you want to create a drawing of a cube. Before you start look closely at your subject and look where the light and dark tones are. When you take into account that the darkest tone is at a certain place, you will notice the different tones of the scene. E.g. the top is the lightest tone. The shadow on the table is very dark but not darkest (no. 4). The plane that receives almost no light is the darkest tone (no.5).

In this way, you can make clear to yourself how dark or how light something should be.

Basic shapes

Have you seen my post about basic shapes? If you have drawn the basics shapes you can use them right now to practice using light and darker tones. You don’t want to ruin your drawing? Paste your drawing on the window, there lay another drawing sheet over it and draw your design. No stress. No basic shapes drawn, lost, or not at hand? Download the stencil, easy

No basic shapes drawn, lost, or not at hand? Download the stencil, easy peasy!

A basic form is 3D, that is to say, that it exists in the space, and when the light is on, there are also shadows on the object. There are different types of light: light from the side, from above, etc.

For now, let’s decide the light comes from the side. If you want you can put a lamp on a cube-like shape as an example.

Shading

Begin by shading the cube with a pencil. The top has a very light gray tone, the front a slightly darker tone and the side where you look obliquely on the darkest tone. Again, use a scrap piece of paper to make sure you do not draw over the edges.

 

Sphere

cilinder

The sphere is hard to color when you are just starting out, you’ll first need a few guides.

Draw the lines of the preview on the right on your globe.

Shade the bottom edge with the direction of lines you drew on the sphere, this lower edge is the darkest. Going up the tone will become a light tone, try to make a gradual transition.

 

– this video is in dutch but will be updated soon. –

 

 

The cylindercilinder-grijstonen

If the light comes from the left, there will be a light spot and it will gradually become darker on the right. The plane turns away from the light source. Until it is fully seated in the shade. The top is equally lit.

 

 

Transitions
cilinder-tonen-inkleuren

The boundaries between the tones are of course invisible, so you are going to have make a nice transition. This can be done by shading gently against the border of one patch, and try to raise the difference between the lighter and darker tone.

You can practice this on your scale or on a new sheet of paper.

 

Examples

Put your cylinder so you can make the best use of your wrist, this way you have the most control. As you can see in the video. Use the bending of your wrist to get the best results. You are making the shape 3D by using dark and light, but this way you also have pencil marks which indicate the shape.

Use the bending of your wrist to get the best results. You are making the shape 3D by using dark and light, but this way you also have pencil marks which indicate the shape.

– this video is in dutch but will be updated soon. –

 

Cone
kegel-nummers-lauwpauw

The cone has the same principle as the cylinder but is tapered at the top.

 

 

How light or dark a form and where the shadow this also depends precisely on the light source, the position, and intensity of the light.

kegel-grijstonen-lauwpauw

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