SHADOW: Shadows in perspective necessitate your determining the position of a light source and a

vanishing point for the shadow. Establish a light source either on or off your drawing paper. This is a
simulated position and direction that indicates the location of a real light such as the sun or a light bulb.
Locate a vanishing point for the shadow vertically below the light source on the horizon. Draw visual
rays from the simulated light source to the corners of the object. Extend the rays to the plane on
which the object rests. Draw lines from the vanishing point of the shadow to intersect the visual rays
from the light source along the ground line. The shadows will follow the contour of the plane or object
on which they fall.

Figure 5-27 shows the location of a light source, shadow vanishing point, and shadows in perspective.
Perspective Practices, Continued Reflections, shadows, and shade in perspective Realistic
perspective drawings drawn either mechanically or by freehand may require the use of
reflections, shadows, or shading. REFLECTIONS: Reflections occur when you view an
object on or near glossy or shiny surfaces such as glass, polished metals, or water.
Reflections appear not as a scene in reverse, but as though you were below the scene looking up.
When drawing reflections, the station point and the horizon line are the same as the ones used to
initially draw the object. Horizontal widths remain the same and project downward defining the
width of the reflection. Vertical height is the only dimension left to calculate. To define heights
in a reflection, revolve the object to reflect below a surface as far as it projects above it. When
the object is close to the horizon, the reflection is nearly a duplicate of the original
scene. When an object is set back from the horizon line, the scene appears abbreviated. Figure
5-25 illustrates how the horizon line, station point, and vanishing points are the same for the
object and the object in reflection. Figure 5-25.—Reflections in perspective.
Perspective Practices, Continued Reflections, shadows, and shading on perspective (Continued)

SHADING: Without shading perspective drawings fail to believably portray reality. Shading
finishes and embellishes drawings. Shading helps to describe object outlines and simulate
tactile surfaces. Shading on technical drawings should be kept simple and limited to clarifying an
object or a picture. When done correctly, shading improves the presentation of display
drawings, patent drawings, and industrial pictorial drawings. Working drawings are
ordinarily not shaded. Figure 5-28 shows various shadings on different objects.
Shades And Shadows
1. The drawings of which an architect makes use can be divided into two general kinds: those for
designing the building and illustrating to the client its scheme and appearance; and "working
drawings" which, as their name implies, are the drawings from which the building is erected. The
first class includes "studies," "preliminary sketches," and "rendered drawings." Working
drawings consist of dimensioned drawings at various scales, and full-sized details.

2. It is in the drawings of the first kind that "shades and shadows" are employed, their use being
an aid to a more truthful and realistic representation of the building or object illustrated. All
architectural drawings are conventional; that is to say, they are made according to certain rules,
but are not pictures in the sense that a painter represents a building. The source of light casting
the shadows in an architectural representation of a building is supposed to be, as in the "picture"
of a building, the sun, but the direction of its rays is fixed and the laws of light observed in nature
are also somewhat modified. The purpose of the architect's drawing is to explain the building,
therefore the laws of light in nature are followed only to the extent in which they help this
explanation, and are, therefore, not necessarily to be followed consistently or completely. The
fixed direction of the sun's rays is a further aid to the purpose of an architectural drawing in that
it gives all the drawings a certain uniformity.

3. Definitions. A clear understanding of the following terms is necessary to insure an

understanding of the explanations which follow.

4. Shade: When a body is subjected to rays of light, that portion which is turned away from the
source of light and which, therefore, does not receive any of the rays, is said to be in shade. See
Fig. 1.

5. Shadow: When a surface is in light and an object is placed between it and the source of light,
intercepting thereby some of the rays, that portion of the surface from which light is thus
excluded is said to be in shadow.

6. In actual practice distinction is seldom made between these terms "shade" and "shadow," and
"shadow" is generally used for that part of an object from which light is excluded.

7. Umbra: That portion of space from which light is excluded is called the umbra or invisible
shadow.

(a) The umbra of a point in space is evidently a line.

(b) The umbra of a line is in general a plane.

(c) The umbra of a plane is in general a solid.

(d) It is also evident, from Fig. 1, that the shadow of an object upon another object is the
intersection of the umbra of the first object with the surface of the second object. For example, in
Fig. 1, the shadow of the given sphere on the surface in light is the intersection of its umbra (in
this case a cylinder) with the given surface producing an ellipse as the shadow of the sphere.

8. Ray of light: The sun is the supposed source of light in "shades and shadows," and the rays are
propo-gated from it in straight lines and in all directions. Therefore, the ray of light can be
represented graphically by a straight line. Since the sun is at an infinite distance, it can be safely
assumed that the rays of light are all parallel.

9. Plane of light: A plane of light is any plane containing a ray of light, that is, in the sense of the
ray lying in the plane.

10. Shade line: The line of separation between the portion of an object in light and the portion in
shade is called the shade line.

11. It is evident, from Fig. 1, that this shade line is the boundary of the shade. It is made up of the
points of tangency of rays of light tangent to the object.

12. It is also evident that the shadow of the object is the space enclosed by the shadow of the
shade line. In Fig. 1, the shade line of the given sphere is a great circle of the sphere. The shadow
of this great circle on the given plane is an ellipse. The portion within the ellipse is the shadow of
the sphere.

FIG-1.

Notation
13. In the following explanations the notation usual in orthographic projections will be followed:

H = horizontal co-ordinate plane. V = vertical co-ordinate plane. a - point in space.

av = vertical projection (or elevation) of the point. ah = horizontal projection (or plan) of the
point. avS = shadow on V of the point a. ahs = shadow on II of the point a. R, = ray. of light in
space.

Rv = vertical projection (or elevation) of ray of light. Rh = horizontal projection (or plan) of ray
of light. GL= ground line, refers to a plane on which a shadow is to be cast, and is that projection
of the plane which is a line.

14. In orthographic projection a given point is determined by "projecting"'it upon a vertical and
upon a horizontal plane. In representing these planes upon a sheet of drawing paper it is evident,
since they are at right angles to each other, that when the plane of the paper represents V (the
vertical "co-ordinate" plane), the horizontal "co-ordinate" plane H, would be seen and
represented as a horizontal line, Fig. 2. Vice versa, when the plane of the paper represents H(the
horizontal coordinate plane), the vertical co-ordinate plane V, would be seen and represented by
a horizontal line, Fig. 2.

15. In architectural drawings having the elevation and plans upon the same sheet, it is customary
to place the "elevation," or vertical projection, above the plan, as in Fig. 2.

It is evident that the distance between the two ground lines can be that which best suits
convenience.

16. As the problems of finding the shades and shadows of objects are problems dealing with
points, lines, surfaces, and solids, they are dealt with as problems in Descriptive Geometry. It is
assumed that the student is familiar with the principles of orthographic projection. In the
following problems, the objects are referred to the usual co-ordinate planes, but as it is unusual in
architectural drawings to have the plan and elevation on the same sheet, two ground lines are
used instead of one.

17. Ray of Light. The assumed direction of the conventional ray of light R, is that of the diagonal
of a cube, sloping downward, forward and to the right; the cube being placed so that its faces are
either parallel or perpendicular to II and V. Fig, 3 shows the elevation and plan of such a cube
and its diagonal. It will be seen from this that the II anil V projections of the ray of light make
angles of 45° with the ground lines. The true angle which the actual ray in space makes with the
co-ordinate planes is So9 15' 52' This true angle can be determined as shown in Fig. 4. Revolve
the ray parallel to either of the co-ordinate planes. In Fig. 4, it has been revolved parallel to V,
hence T is its true angle.
FIG-3.

FIG.4.

18. It is important in the following explanations to realize the difference in the terms "ray of
light," and "projections of the ray of light."

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Drawing reflections in perspective drawing
Reflections in perspective are drawn as shown in the images below.

A reflection of an item is produced when the incident rays strike a reflective surface and then
reflect to the viewer's eye.

The reflection appears to be the same height as the original item, if the original item is vertical.

Therefore, reflections in perspective are drawn by measuring the height of an object above the
reflecting surface, and then plotting a point an equivalent distance below the surface.

The basic technique is shown in the following animations.

Shadows
Light produces shadow, and the source of that light is important to the painter. The type of shadow is
influenced by the light source, which can be high, low, to one side, in front or behind. The intensity of
the light source will affect the tonality of both shading and shadow, and its proximity to the object will
affect the intensity of the shadow.
The spectrum of colour can vary, either naturally or artificially, from red to yellows to blues. These
colours can be a major influence on the nature of the shadows, shading and the character of the
painting.
Other influences are tone, colour and texture. A light-toned object on a darktoned surface will have
much shading but little or no shadow. This phenomenon is often used for portraiture. A coloured object
on a coloured surface will produce coloured shading, often with intriguingly coloured shadows, and will
be subject to the tonal influences mentioned above. In the case of texture, imagine the difference in
shading between that of a polished ball bearing and a tennis ball, then the kind of shadow that each
might produce on surfaces of polished glass and velvet. There are two forms of shadow: the shape cast
by the light and the shading on the object. In each case the object will be revealed as a solid by the issue
of darkening tones on the side away from the light source, and will produce a specifically shaped
shadow as a result of the same light that reveals it.

Essaouira Fort, watercolour on Saunders Waterford CP 140lb (300 gsm), 11x20in (28x51cm).
I used the shadow of the building behind me as a framing device for the bottom of the painting. The
strong side light was also used to show up the architectural forms. The lighting changed considerably
while I was painting, so I fixed on the light and shadow patterns that would best describe the forms

Uses of shading and shadows

To reveal form
The more complex the form, the more important the tonal analysis of the form itself and the surface or
surfaces it is adjacent to. This is noticeable in architectural renderings such as balconies; shadows from
trees can indicate undulating surfaces and walls. In fact, the use of strong tonal contrasts will generally
aid the depiction of complex building forms. When working en plein air it is sometime necessary to
exaggerate these contrasts in order to make the image work.

Compositional
I use shadows to link the various disparate elements, especially in still-life paintings. In landscape
painting, the shadows of trees stretching across the foreground or middle distance will link the leftand
right-hand sides of the painting. Deep diagonal shadows in the foreground can be used to stop and
frame the painting, thereby reducing the tendency for the image to ‘dribble’ off the bottom of the
picture.

To create atmosphere
Strongdeep shadows can create drama in all kinds of subject matter. Lighting that produces profound
shadows also produces atmospheric buildingscapes, hence these are best observed early in the day or at
dusk. I produce my sketch ideas at these times in order to capture the light, then execute the work later,
confident I have the lighting I want.

Girl with Red Scarf, watercolour on Saunders Waterford CP 140lb (300 gsm), 131⁄2x91⁄4in (34x23.5 cm).
In portraiture, particularly with a young face, the shading needs to be subtle. Abrupt changes in tone will
considerably age the face. The colours I used were permanent rose, lemon yellow and phthalo blue. To
ensure clean clear tones I used stains

Diagrams
This basic diagram shows the difference between a shadow and a reflection. A is the shadow,
determined by the height of the light source and its direction. These two elements can vary, giving
longer or shorter shadows continuing at different angles. The width of the shadow is consistent, due to
an even light, such as sunlight, and tangential to the base of the object. B is the inversion of the object
where a is the same length as b. You cannot see the top of the object in the reflection. All tone (shading)
and decoration will be reflected

The basic shadow diagram with tone applied.

Note that the tone of the shadow is no darker than the darkest shading on the object, even if the object
is white
This illustrates what happens when there are two or more light sources coming from different
directions. In this case two light sources have produced two shadows, or umbras, u. The darker area
where they cross is a penumbra, p. The intensity of the umbras and penumbras is relative to the light
source

When the sun’s rays are almost parallel a phenomenon known as objective parallax occurs. The outsides
of the shadow are paler than the central core. Also, the darkest section of the shadow is adjacent to the
object. This helps to explain why there is lighting on the dark side of a cylindrical or a spherical object.
If there is a concentrated light source the shadow is likely to fan out, as indicated
Shadows can be used to describe forms in adjacent objects. In the left-hand diagram the shadow of the
column is determined by the angle of the light source, A, and the direction of the light source, B. In the
diagram on the right is a window elevation; the shadows have been projected at an angle of 45 per cent.
In order to calculate the extent of the shadows I drew a section with downward projections at the same
angle

Shadows can be used to describe forms in adjacent objects. In the left-hand diagram the shadow of the
column is determined by the angle of the light source, A, and the direction of the light source, B. In the
diagram on the right is a window elevation; the shadows have been projected at an angle of 45 per cent.
In order to calculate the extent of the shadows I drew a section with downward projections at the same
angle

When viewing buildings and their reflections obliquely, two-point perspective comes into play. First
establish an eye level, then plot the vanishing points 1 and 2. Once the buildings above water level have
been drawn, the corner nearest is projected downward so that the line a – b is the same length as b – c.
The rest of the perspective can then be worked out. Note that at eye level you can see the top of the
quay, whereas in the reflection that is not possible. I have also shown the shadow projection with A
being the angle of the light source (sunlight) and B the direction where they meet is the extent of the
shadow as indicated by the dotted line
When viewing reflections on a horizontal plane such as water, certain points should be noted. C shows
how angled objects are reflected. B shows that in still water the inversion is the same in height as the
object. A shows how perspective extends the reflection in rippled water. D indicates the reflective
nature of ripples, where 1 shows the background, 2 the sky and 3 the foreground. In E the face of the
ripple facing the boat reflects it. Note how the light rays to the eye get wider as the ripples get nearer.
This goes some way to explain why ripples get larger as they get nearer, which equals perspective

Coloured shadows
This shows the results when two sources of light with different temperatures are used to light an object.
The blue light creates an orange shadow yet the orange light produces a blue one. The effect is
particularly strong if there is no other ambient light
This grapefruit shows both shadow and reflection. Owing to reflected light from the surface of the table,
the underside of the fruit is lighter than you might think. The small dark area under the fruit is a
penumbra
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