Shadows, Part 14 Coloring Cubes, part 1

I am finally back from Germany and getting caught up with all that I haven't done in a while. Next week I'll post updates on certification classes, but for now I wanted to post another tutorial, as I think everyone has been waiting for more examples of how to shadow.

This will have two parts, as it would be a very long post otherwise. If you have not followed along with my posts about shadows and shading, you should probably start by clicking here, then scroll back to the first post.

Basic Shadows from a Cube
This is probably easier than talking about shadows on a round object, but I realized that I haven't covered this yet in all my shadow posts. A cube is a simple, flat shape, so the coloring can be simple, or, it can get very complex.

Remember, light travels in a straight line. Any object which blocks the light will block it in a straight line.

The side of a cube that is closest to the light will be the lightest. However, we need to show a slight color difference between the top and the side. The front is colored only a tiny bit lighter than the top, just to show that the light is strongest from the front.

Next, we need to think about the shadow the box casts on the ground. If you remember from this post on cast shadows, the object will cast a shadow shaped like itself. The corner points out, so we have a pointed shadow.

The edges closest to the front will catch the light more, so we add a little bit of Opaque white or a white colored pencil along the front edge. In real life, our shape would not have black lines defining the edges, so this strong highlight along the edges becomes very important.

Here is the final example of how I applied coloring shadows onto a birthday present. Today is my 30th birthday, and already I have been given some very nice gifts, so this tutorial is my Thank You!!

It is easy to see where the light is coming from in this picture. On the edge closest to the light I left a lot of areas white. With the deep blues and greens the image appears to be more dimensional, since I have a full range of contrast (contrast, part 1, 2, 3)

Notice how I softened the far edge on the cast shadow, since I really don't want people to focus on the shadow. I also made sure that the bow left a shadow as well. This can be tricky, so don't overthink it, just make a couple of lumps and a thin shadow that could represent the ribbon end.

Image: Drawn with a 0.25 mm Multiliner SP onto color laser copier paper. Sketch markers used: YG41, G21, G28, B32, B34, B37, N1, N3, Blender