Light & Shadows for Beginners

Light & Shadows for Beginners

$35.00
( )( )( )( )( )10 students attended this class

# 1.50 hours

3 - 30 participants

1.50 hours online

3 - 30 participants

room
Nicole Adamson

While studying art in college, I was constantly told by my peers and family that it was impossible to have a career in art because of the extreme difficulty of finding a job. It was my dream since high school to work in the entertainment industry as an artist. After obtaining a fine arts degree, I put myself through a technical school that would help boost my skills and art knowledge in the industry. After finishing my coursework at Gnomon (and a few Art Center classes), I started showing my work at conventions. In 2015, I landed my first art job for Fandango. From there, I worked on comics and videogames as a concept artist. Currently, I have started an art blog called “Drawism.com” that helps artists navigate the mental and technical obstacles of the creative process. The classes I teach are for anyone who wants to better themselves as an artist in both technical skills and the way artists think. As I’ve come across my own issues in navigating the creative process (and there’s a lot!), I’ve found ways that make creating art a positive, enjoyable experience, while making it as easy as possible. I want to share my artistic knowledge and experiences to help others improve their art in positive ways. Depending on my clients and the work I do, I mainly work in digital art but am trained traditionally using a wide range of media from markers, pen, and graphite, to gouache and watercolors. I also have a bit of experience in photography and graphic design. As a concept artist, I’m also trained in drawing all sorts of subjects, from characters and environments, to creatures and vehicles. My work can be seen at www.n-adamson.com or www.artstation.com/level-7 I'm happy to share my techniques and knowledge in the classes I teach.

This class is an introduction to drawing light and shadows. 


We will learn how to make your 2D drawings look 3-Dimensional. You can use whatever materials you like, (either digital or traditional media). I will be teaching this class in Photoshop. 

First, we will discuss how to identify a light source and in which direction light is coming from. Learning the properties of light is key in understanding how to light objects and cast shadows. We will also learn different types of light sources. I will show you how both artificial and natural lighting affects objects, as each is unique in how light is cast and when each of these light sources are to be used. In this class we will learn how to shade and light objects using a simple value scale. I will show you how to create a gray value scale from light to dark and apply those values to simple shapes (cube, cone, cylinder, and sphere). ONCE YOU MASTER HOW LIGHT & SHADOW AFFECTS THESE SHAPES YOU CAN SHADE ANYTHING. We will only be working in black and white for this class, no color. We will learn how to create our own light source(s) which will be especially useful when creating your own scenes or drawings and lighting them from imagination. I will show you how shadows are cast from basic shapes & how they are cast across different surfaces, as this will make your drawings more believable and realistic. You will learn how to apply the techniques taught in this class to more complicated objects and to your own work. Understanding how light and shadows work will help you achieve more realistic and striking images that will successfully make your drawings come to life while creating a strong and necessary foundation for your artistic skillset!


Materials

If using : 
  • Traditional Media :  Blank white paper and either a pencil or colored pencil (dark color or black).
  • Digital Media : Whatever program you feel comfortable drawing with.

Available Schedules

Reviews

room
Nicole Adamson

While studying art in college, I was constantly told by my peers and family that it was impossible to have a career in art because of the extreme difficulty of finding a job. It was my dream since high school to work in the entertainment industry as an artist. After obtaining a fine arts degree, I put myself through a technical school that would help boost my skills and art knowledge in the industry. After finishing my coursework at Gnomon (and a few Art Center classes), I started showing my work at conventions. In 2015, I landed my first art job for Fandango. From there, I worked on comics and videogames as a concept artist. Currently, I have started an art blog called “Drawism.com” that helps artists navigate the mental and technical obstacles of the creative process. The classes I teach are for anyone who wants to better themselves as an artist in both technical skills and the way artists think. As I’ve come across my own issues in navigating the creative process (and there’s a lot!), I’ve found ways that make creating art a positive, enjoyable experience, while making it as easy as possible. I want to share my artistic knowledge and experiences to help others improve their art in positive ways. Depending on my clients and the work I do, I mainly work in digital art but am trained traditionally using a wide range of media from markers, pen, and graphite, to gouache and watercolors. I also have a bit of experience in photography and graphic design. As a concept artist, I’m also trained in drawing all sorts of subjects, from characters and environments, to creatures and vehicles. My work can be seen at www.n-adamson.com or www.artstation.com/level-7 I'm happy to share my techniques and knowledge in the classes I teach.