After reading this post about warm and cool shadows I started thinking about other rules of thumb about shadows (regarding both core shadows and cast shadows).
Let’s open these up for discussion:
- The cast shadow is always darker then the core shadow.
- The shadows are better kept simple to create more interest in the lighter areas (even though sometimes we might observe a very strong reflected light).
- In painting, never ever use white in the shadows, it makes the shadows less transparent.
The first 2 rules I always embraced as gospel.
The third I follow as that was what I was told. It proves useful when painting objects in a black shadow box, but when painting a white object on a white background it creates a very dramatic lighting effect and takes away from the “milky” surface, which is not always desirable.
Some examples of mister Bouguereau: