Drawing Fundamentals 2.0: Light and Shadow: The Sphere

While this little sphere might seem simple, the more I learn, the more convinced I become that the vast majority of the concepts involved in advanced atmospheric drawing are each contained, in some small way, in a drawing of a sphere. From surface texture to edge quality, focal point, the orchestration of highlights, lost edges, hierarchy, controlling your reflected light, turning your shadows…It’s really one of the most compact lessons in artistic technique, and it’s both enjoyable and rewarding to draw. This lesson and demonstration in light logic (the parts and behavior of light and shadow) and simple geometric forms is both my personal favorite and the one I consider most indispensable!