Shading and sepia values for woodburning

[Irish]

Let's start with a little discussion about highlights and shadows in still life set ups.

Highlights are created when the light source directly hits an element. The more direct the line of sight from the light source the brighter the highlight will be.

Shadows are created when something is in the way of the light source and so blocks some or all of the light from hitting the element. The amount of shadowing can be determined by how closely the two objects align with the light source.

Shadows are also created when the object or element curves or turns away from the light source. The greater the curve or angle to the sides of an element the darker the shadow can become as that area loses the direct lighting.

Curved elements gradually work from a higlight to a medium tone to a dark shadow. Sharp angles as in the sides of a book will have one surface with a highlight tone and the surface or side away from the light source at a distinctly different shadow tone.

Elements cast shadows onto their surroundings where they block the light from those areas.

Let's look at a photo ... that makes all of this easy.

In our photo we have a pistol and two deacon's pipes resting on two stacked books. The light is coming in from your upper right. Notice the inside of the pipe bowls - they are solid black because no light can reach inside that area. It's the same for the inside of the pistol barrels. There is a large shadow on the cloth under the pistol and the back sides of the books have medium shadows.

The barrel and forearm area of wood of the pistol both show bright highlights. There is a wide range of mid-tone shadows throughout the photo.

shadows-1.jpg

Susan

[Irish]

I have turned the photo to a grey scale, getting rid of the color helps distinquish the different tonal values (darkness of each shadow).

I can find out where my light source originated by finding one area that has a very bright highlight, a medium shadow and a dark shadow that all fall in a line. In this photo that is in the wood area under the barrel. Note the three circles. By drawing a pencil line through those lines I can mark the direction with which the light hit that wood.

If I need to find the exact point of the light source I will find multiple areas with the three shadow tones. Where the pencil lines intersect will give me the exact center of the light ... this is for still life setting.

For what we will be doing all I need is a general location. So I have added a sun spot at the end of my pencil line to note the light source.

shadows-2.jpg

Susan

[Irish]

There are a few general rules to establishing shadows in a drawing. These are not hard and fast rules, more guideline ideas.

The first is that those areas that are turned to face away from the light source are the darkest shadows. Notice in the top left circle in this photo how dark the sides of the back books are. Again, the inside of the pipe bowls are extremely dark shadows.

Those areas that are covered by another element, therefore are blocked from the light source, will have dark shadows. The bottom left circle shows where the gun barrel blocks the bottom book.

Those areas that are pushed deeply into the background area and blocked, even slightly will have dark shadows. Notice the right hand circle and the side of the book where it is covered by the pistol handle.

shadow-3.jpg

Susan

[Irish]

Areas that curve will have multiple shadow tones. The barrel, the forearm wood under the barrel and the pistol grip are curved areas. Notice how all three have a highlight spot or line, medium toned shadows then dark shadows. The shadows become darker the farther they fall in the curve as the curve takes that element away from the light source.

shadow-4.jpg

Susan

[Irish]

So far we have talked about shadows created because of the position of an element in relationship to the light source. Also to be considered are the shadows that each element casts onto it's surrounding areas.

The pistol has shadows on the barrel, wood and grip and it casts a shadow on the books that support it as well as the cloth floor of the scene. The placement of a cast shadow is dependent of the direction from which the light hits that element.

In our photo since the light source is upper right the elements cast shadows that flow from the element towards the lower left of the scene.

shadows-5.jpg

Susan

[Irish]

A cast shadow can tell you how far away from the surface on which the shadow lies the element is. In this photo notice that the end of the barrel is directly of the cloth floor. So all of the cast shadow in tight, close and touching the barrel's end.

The trigger guard is free floating above the book and cloth floor. It's shadow only touches the trigger guard and the end points of the trigger. Otherwise those shadows seem to be free of the actual element that creates them.

shadow-6.jpg

Susan

[Irish]

OK ... Tomorrow we will start work on the line pattern and use these simple rules to establish the shadows, shading and highlights for our wood burning. I hope you will be surprised at how easy finding the shadow areas of a simple line pattern can be.

In the mean time please post any questions, thoughts or comments!

But while I am still at the photo still life I want to add several thoughts. Many wood burners work directly from photographs, either our own or those taken by our family and friends.

Tonal value is a term that refers to how much white, black or gray any element has. Highlights are white and are the bright or white tonal values, dark shadows are black and are considered a dark tonal value. Greys come in many shades from very pale to very dark and fill in the tonal scale.

Home photos, especially those taken indoors, can have several problems for the wood burner. First is that most, if not all, are taken in full color. Color has tonal value of it's own separate from the shadows created by light sources.

A dark red jacket is darker in tonal value than a pink sweatshirt. Yet if the person where the pink sweatshirt is standing in a shadowed area of the scene the tonal value of that sweatshirt can be the same as the dark red jacket in full light. The shadow in the scene adds black to the pink of the sweatshirt and pushes that color into the dark range.

So it can be confusing working with color photos. There is a simple answer ... greyscale the photo in a graphics program. This removes all of the color information and leaves only the tonal values. You can refer back to the color photo later when you are ready to add coloring to your project.

The second problem with home photos is there are often several light sources ... AH! If you have your camera flash on that is one light source. If your scene is indoors there may be table lamps on so let's add several more light sources. Then there is the natural light coming in through the windows ... Double AH!

Whenever possible set your scene so that you have some control over the light sources, especially when indoors. Try using light sources - lamps and windows - that are behind you and your camera. Turn off the lights that are behind your subject. This will eliminate some of the confusing double shadows that an object can have because of multiple light sources.

And, my last thought for the evening ... did you know that shadows come in colors ????

Here are two threads that go into depth about tonal values.

Mule Deer WIP

Pheasant On Birch

Susan

[Mottles]

Hey Susan, GREAT to see you back and free of your Fox Chapel committents although probably not for long.
I think it's great you are doing this tutorial and I'l be watching for sure. I love the pattern and time permitting I'll give it a go.
Boy do I remember those two threads I learned so much on both of them. Pheasant On Birch was my first pyrography on wood, prior to that I only burned on gourds. I remember how helpful you were with your suggestions and praise while I was working on the pheasant.
This current thread should be in everyones pyrography study book to keep on hand for reference.
Thanks again, Susan for this tutorial.
Kathy

[Irish]

Hey Kathy! Your thread was a blast and well worthy of reading. Glad you will be joining in on this one as you have a great deal of knowledge to share.

Here's the pattern for the pistol photo.

Susan

[Irish]

I have made a simplified tracing of my pattern. I have left out the fine line detailing as the grain of the wood, the feather lines and the veins in the leaves. I want general areas of shape, not individual little sections.

Example, a bird's shoudler is covered with numerous tiny round feathers smaller than the diameter of a pencil eraser. But at first glance you do not see all those small feathers. Instead you see a general shape and texture to the shoulder area. So I have grouped all those feathers into that general shape.

As I work on both the shadow drawing then the wood burning I will continue to treat that shoulder as if it were just one piece or element. After the shading is completed on the burning I will then go back to add the fine feathers over the tonal burns.

Before I begin any shading I take time to really explore the pattern. What is in the design and where does each element lie in relationship to the other elements.

I have a wood slat bird house - that's my largest element. That bird house lies in the middle range of the design as there are elements in front and behind.

Added to the bird house are two roof struts - they lie in front of the bird house wall. Twining along one strut is a grouping of berries, these lie above the strut and are foreground to the struts. Behind, in the background, is a grouping of acorns.

There are also three branch perch posts at the bottom that were added so in front of that same wall.

There is a post that supports the bird house. It would be anchored to the center of the bird house floor so it must lie behind the wall. Behind the post is a grouping of holly leaves and two acorns. These are the most distant elements in the design.

Sitting on top of the bird house branches are two birds - a gold finch and a nuthatch. They lie in the foreground above everything else.

Below the bird house is a branch of holly with a chicadee. The holly is above the post and the perch branches so this entire area is foreground.

... NOW!... The most important clue for position in this design is the tail tip of the gold finch. It lies in front of the wall but behind the chicadee holly. So the chicadee and holly must be the most forefront elements in this pattern.

I count at three separate levels in this design - a clear foreground, middle ground and background. Each of those levels have layers within them.

shadow-levels-small.jpg

Here's a link to a thread that goes into depth on levels and layers in relief carving:
Levels in Relief

Susan

Thank you, Bob and Claudio, for posting the full sized version of the levels pattern in Fox's Free Carving Patterns section!

(Just had to sneak in a little relief carving lesson, didn't ya, Susan!)