Shadows

My creative friend Kim thought I could help her with shadows on her quilt she is making.  Though it was great for me to learn more about shadows and use photoshop in more depth, it just served to show how little I know.  It does prove what my life drawing teacher told me - there's so much you can do with imagination but you also need to see figure in situ, even photos aren't as good as they flatten and never show the light and atmosphere accurately.

The trials of working out shadows without seeing the real thing.  Sun is suppose to be at 11am.
Tree is set back from children, not sure how far.

1. partically done by hand but shadows too long for 11am

2. shadows done with psd select to give more hard edge to shadows.  Angle of right side child not in right direction.  Shadows still too long.

3. Shadows shortened and right child shadow now in same direction as others but not sure it's right yet.

4. As always, drop shadows look better when combine with body shadows.  Still the right child isn't right and I don't know what to do with it after 6 goes at position, rubbing out parts, resizing etc.  Can someone go out and photo someone in 11am daylight sitting in same position?

5. there's nothing like a little distance to see what to change.  after going away and doing some sewing it just seemed right to make right child's shade bigger.  not sure if too big though?

 New right child shadow - process

1. select and copy child and save selection then fill in with paint bucket
2. flip vertically
3. rotate

4. position over child 

5. shorten, rotate then cut out what is not what is wanted - this is where i have the problems. - - this is where the problems begin - size, position and how much to cut.  i am having problems with photoshop resizing - have to work out how to use better - or get it near right then adjust by hand - maybe need to work out how to use it's perspective tool.

shadow shortened and turned more

shadow cut away but leaving shadow on feet

shadow then cut away from body fully

Using perspective tool:

 Shadow flipped horizontally definitely not right:

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Now I want to know more about shadows.  I have begun my research.

I also had forgotten about 'about.com' and since I want to write up some colour basics for John this link is useful for both.  about.com colour and shadow theory etc

 



Google images has some good tree shadow pics  tree shadow pics on google search





THE SAGA OF THE SHADOWS CONTINUES

In the end it was Kim who worked it out.  She enlisted the help of two models - her husband and a little manikin, spot the difference,  and two light sources to create the shadows - the sun and a lamp - ingenious.  Here is Kim's explaination of how the shadows at 11am really work with reference to her photos below.

'This was taken at the same time. Notice the shadow looks nothing like the figure. Also, how different the two shadows look, due to the compacting and extending of the figure.

It took until yesterday for the penny to drop as to what we were doing wrong. We were trying to make (and did make) reflections! It is so simple once you think about it. I knew something was not sitting right in the ideas that I and then you, were doing, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

We were looking at the figures sideways on, rather than from above. That is why the curved shape of the figures just didn’t sit well with me. You wouldn’t see the arching of the back from an above shadow. The shadow is blocked light, so all that is relevant, is that the light is blocked. The shadow then becomes the shape of the back area (or whatever extends from it) and would be flat.'

Thanks Kim for the lesson in persistence, investigation and really 'seeing' as an artist's basic tools.   I look forward to seeing the final shadows on the quilt.