How To Draw Travel Place

Light is how we develop our perception of what we see-the way light bounces off of a surface, illuminating a person's features is the way we perceive the shape and contour of a face, or the folds in clothing. But, it isn't just what the light shines on, or how it reflects off of a surface that shows us detail and reveals information. It's also where the light doesn't shine that helps us determine the depth and dimension of our subject, because of the way it contrasts with the areas that are receiving light. The range of value created between the darkest and lightest areas, helps us in assessing the angle, distance and curve of an object.

You can't just add additional contrast and shadow without regard to the direction of your lighting source. If you fake it, your brain will know that there is something wrong, because it creates a conflict or contradiction with reality. And, even though the flash that we use when taking photographs, has revolutionized the opportunity to take those pictures where it was previously very difficult or even impossible, it has also created many problems when using those photos as reference. The flash can flatten your images, by creating harsh and completely unnatural shadows that don't conform at all to the natural contours of your subject. It also creates lightened areas and highlights where they would never have existed under natural lighting conditions. This is because of the way the flash horizontally projects light into areas and recesses that it would never naturally go or be reflected back.

The concept of light is probably one of the most important to understand if we are to add dimension and curve to your pencil drawings. There are three basic rules of light, which will add the depth, contour, dimension, and detail that can add a lifelike quality and character to your artwork.

Everything that goes to where there is less light gets darker
In order to add depth to your drawing, the basic understanding of this rule needs to be clear. Anything that visually travels to where there would be less light should naturally increase in value and get darker. By increasing all of your individual values, keeping them all relative to each other, as they go to where there is less and less light, you will be increasing the depth and dimension in your drawings. When creating your darker values to accomplish this, it is important to remember that there is still a limit to the amount of pressure that should be applied when using your pencils. You always want to allow for the removal of the graphite if it is needed - so if you reach the pressure limit with one pencil, but you still need more value, then move up to the next pencil in the sequence to create the darker value. Make sure that you never use more value that you need, so that you will have a little value in reserve when you need to show where there is the least amount of light.

Everything that comes to where there is more light gets lighter
For example, as you come to the apex of a curve there may very well be, more light. Therefore all of the individual values in your drawing will gradually decrease in value as they come closer to the light. This will greatly enhance the feeling of curve, contour, dimension, and help give it the illusion that it is 3-D. Demonstrating contour and curve is such a benefit to your drawing that you never want to miss the opportunity to include it. This leads to the next rule.