Whether you want to create a still life or a pet portrait, painting a three dimensional object on a two dimensional canvas has invariably been a challenge. To do it convincingly whilst retaining the freshness in the picture is even harder. Beginners frequently grab the tube of black to show shadow effects on an object, but here lies disaster. Shadows, just like lighter areas, are full of reflected light. They are just as much a result of the object around them as the intrinsic colour of the object itself.
When contemplating a three dimensional object, the colours in the lighter areas are in general warmer, whilst the colours in the shadow areas are cooler. An orange, for instance, will have shadows that tend towards blue and a red ball will have shadows that lean towards green. This is due to fact that shadows will contain a certain amount of their complimentary colour within them. The highlights can also vary as a result of their source, a light source from a bright blue sky will acquire a blueish tint to the highlight with an artificial light commonly yellow in tone.
A product of it’s environment
All objects will to some extent reflect the colours around them. Smooth surfaces will plainly reflect a great deal more than one that is textured or absorbent. Imagine of a white ball on a white table cloth, light will hit the top of the ball creating a lighter spot and a corresponding dark shadow on the cloth on the opposite side of the ball. However, the cloth itself will reflect back some of the light up and against the ball so that the side of the ball that faces the cloth will also have a lighter area where it’s closest to the cloth. The shadow area on the ball falls between the main highlight and the reflected light of the cloth. Painting a still life with fruit is one of the best ways to practice these theories.
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