Light and Shadow in Drawing

Book excerpt: (back cover) Titles in Barron's Drawing Academy series guide beginning students through a detailed training course in the art of drawing. The books open with basic instruction, then proceed to analyze the details that make up a successfully executed drawing. Drawing Academy titles make fine self-instruction manuals and can also serve as textbooks in formal art classes. LEARNING BY DOING Constant practice teaches you to analyze the characteristics and understand the difficulties you must overcome in developing techniques to produce light and shadow effects. Exercises will teach you mastery of strokes, shadings, and tonal ranges. ANALYSIS It is not enough to practice. You must also learn to see. The Analysis Section following each exercise shows how professional artists resolve difficulties and achieve desired graphic effects in their drawings. You'll learn to profit from others' achievements and incorporate some of their solutions and effects into your own work. SKETCHBOOK A section at the end of each chapter is the sketchbook section. It allows you to analyze the difficulties you encountered and isolate different parts of your overall composition to measure your success in attempting light and shadow effects, tone-building processes, applying tonal scales, and fully developing your draftsman's skills. Available titles in Drawing Academy Series: The Basics of Drawing Line and Shading in Drawing Light and Shadow in Drawing