Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
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"Try to visualize the forms as simple sylinders and spheres."

Be careful that you don't give the core a sharp edge unless the form has a sharp edge. Conversely, keep the cast shadow sharp next to the form that is casting it, slowly softening it as it moves away from the source. Look at cast shadows as opportunities for making lines going over the form, describing the surface.

The core tone, which is created by the area between the direct light and reflected light that does not get any light, is a potent tool in describing how forms fit into one another. The core functions as a broad tonal line that helps delineate the form's surface with its changes in sharpness (describing the suddenness of change in the surface).

The core helps to emphasize the corners of the form. As you move the light sources, you will see how this core describes the form in conjunction with the reflected light.

The cast shadow works hand-in-hand with the core. The primary difference is that the cast shadow has a sharp edge and the core has a softer edge since the core is created by the turning of the form, while the cast shadow is created by forms blocking light from other forms. The cast shadow changes in relationship to how far it is from the object that is casting it. It is sharper and darker closest to the object and softer and less intense as it moves away from the object. It also functions as a line that describes the contour of the form.