Understanding Hightlights and Shadows

Airbrushing-Understanding highlights and shadows by Tom Banks

Understanding Highlights and Shadows

We have seen Highlights and Shadows every of our lives, since the day we were born. Ask yourself this......when was the last time you EVER said, "Hey, look at that highlight. Look at those shadows. Look at how they interact with each other." Chances are, you have never done it unless you were in an art class.

This is exactly why highlights and shadows are so difficult to paint. Our minds already know EXACTLY what they are supposed to look like. If what we paint does not fit our subconscious, pre-conceived notion of what it's supposed to be, then the illusion fails.

What are highlights? What are shadows? What do they look like? How do they behave and interact? What do they actually signify? These are all questions that you must ask yourself and consciously understand the answers.

Highlights are reflections of light. Shadows are a reduction (not absence!) of light. They are transparent, you can see through them! This is key. I am holding my hand above the airbrush, casting a shadow down onto it, There is still enough light to see the airbrush!!!!

There are brighter parts to highlights, and darker parts to shadows. Hot Spots are points where light catches and reflects just a bit more than the rest around it.

Shadows will start off dark at the source, or base, and then gradually fade away.

Highlights indicate that there is a change in depth. They say "Hey! Look at me! Pay attention! Something is going on here." But they don't say HOW MUCH of a change there is. Notice how the top of my hand is highlighted (almost appears white), then gradually fades into my natural skin tones.

Shadows determine how much of a change in depth there is. The greater the change in depth, the larger, darker, more pronounced the shadow will be. Look how much bigger the shadow is under my hand, compared to just my finger.