The art of chiaroscuro
Patrick J Jones explores the mysteries of light and shadow, and demonstrates how to harness their atmospheric properties
Welcome to part seven of my eight-part workshops for ImagineFX on drawing the figure. Today we’ll be drawing Alana, while placing the focus on chiaroscuro. This is the composition of light and shadow to create depth, but more importantly, mood. Having explored depth using value in part five we can now build on that knowledge and delve deeper into the artistic realms of darkness.
Chiaroscuro creates an emotional atmosphere in both art and film. Think of the films that engaged us with their skilful play of light and dark. A few that come to mind are Blade Runner, Eraserhead and Sunset Boulevard. These type of movies are sometimes referred to as Film Noir,
meaning ‘ dark film’, but their moody lighting can be seen in centuries-old oil paintings such as the startling An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump by Joseph Wright, painted in 1768, which is housed in the National Gallery in London.
Films with artistic light are often the collaborative work of a director and a cinematographer. When I first watched Apocalypse Now I was entranced by the cinematography and how it created a constant mood flowing from one scene to the next. As an artist it felt like the emotional and gestural flow through great figurative art.
Single light source
In the two photographs at the top of this page we can see how clearly the figures stand out from the background. They are well defined, dimensional and atmospheric in tone, and for that reason they hold our attention. This is due to the single directional light source and a dark, uncluttered background. My lights are positioned high to recreate an artificial afternoon sun, in a dark studio background. One benefit of artificial light is that it’s unchanging and remains constant with no dimming due to passing clouds.
However, you don’t even need to buy a lighting setup if you want to create a chiaroscuro photoshoot. All that’s needed is a sunny day and a dark background. An old abandoned factory with a hole in the roof will give you the right light, or any indoor space with an open roof. Add a cell phone on a makeshift tripod and you can create a professional photoshoot.
And so with our model posed we begin our own chiaroscuro adventure of shifting emotional shadows and light using our humble charcoals and pencils. Let’s get started…
1 The beauty of living separate lives
Here we have our wonderful photo and pose to draw from. But how can a drawing compete with such a great photograph? Well, it doesn’t have to. Photographs and drawings live separate lives in the world of art. With that thought in mind we’re free to interpret rather than copy the photo.
2 Plotting structures in the composition
With my willow charcoal I plot out the figure with two major structures: a long tube for the upper torso and a ball for the hips. Working from big shapes to small I add the scapula (wing bone) and below the scapula I indicate the serratus and latissimus bulges as a converging V-shape.
3 Taking a holistic approach
I continue adding smaller structural shapes to define areas such as the hip bone. Structural shapes are simple versions of anatomy. If I were to draw the intricacies of each anatomical shape as I go, the drawing would get so complicated that I might lose the sense of the whole figure.
4 The power of structure
From here we begin to reap the benefits of strong structure. As I go over the drawing’s simple shapes again it’s easy to add smaller anatomical details such as the ribs, the sacrum pad above the gluteus, and the two serratus notches visible at the left of the breast.
5 Spotting flickering changes
I smudge the charcoal into softer forms. In life drawing classes I have my students step back at this stage and glance back and forth at the model until they see every flickering change between their drawing and the pose in order to make adjustments. Time spent analysing forms early is time saved later.
6 Assessing my progress
With all due diligence done I step back again from the art for a final assessment. This doesn’t mean I want exact proportions, I’m simply making sure the anatomy and interlocking forms work both structurally and gesturally. With everything working to plan I start to pencil on top.
7 The figure has become overly gestural
I’m strolling down easy street now as I continue pencilling over my self-approved structure, or so it seems… In my quest to make every line more gestural I’ve made the raised scapula too rounded. Keep in mind that structure and gesture are a fine balance of back and forth, which can fall apart at any time.
8 The magical chiaroscuro
Now on to the subject at hand: the magical chiaroscuro. I’m thinking of the single source of light and how it tumbles across the forms as I blend with my fingers. To study the power of chiaroscuro use your bedside light and turn any model around. Notice how the strong light and shadow changes as you do this.
9 Creating a sense of sfumato
I make the shadows darker than I need so I can judge the light better. Note the misty quality of the shadowed leg. This is called sfumato and gives us both atmosphere and a clearer focus toward the more contrasting upper figure. Often what we don’t show is more interesting than what we do show.
10 Straights on the curves
I’ve finally addressed that pesky scapula by drawing a straight line across the upper curve. Placing straight lines on top of curves can add authority to a line. This is something I do more often on the male figure to add a more rugged look, but this approach can work on the female figure, too.
11 Bringing in detail, but the drawing’s not done yet…
After a round of tissue blending the drawing becomes a lighter affair. I add some head ornament with an eraser, then pencil in detail. I could call the drawing finished at this stage, but it’s a little too bright and breezy. I feel I need to add more depth, mood and atmosphere.
12 The chiaroscuro effect
With a block of square compressed charcoal I lay in a gestural abstract background. Artists, most notably Caravaggio, often kept their backgrounds dark, and sometimes black, to bring the figures forward for the ultimate chiaroscuro effect. The echoing texture also adds suggested movement to the figure.
13 Placing texture against flesh
I continue texturing the background with tissue, shammy leather cloth and kneadable eraser, turning my hand as I make shapes to avoid repetition. Texture not only adds interest, it can also make flesh seem softer by contrast. At this point I use a paper stump to soften some edges.
14 The product of an artist’s hand
Here I call the drawing finished. The photograph is already a distant memory, a component that has been put aside to live its own life elsewhere. The drawing stands alone now, a new-born creation of organic line, tone and gestural energy that can only come from an artist’s hand.
15 Welcome to the Blood Temple
As long as the light comes mostly from powerful single source the figure will appear to be carved from light and shadow, regardless of time or place. For my oil painting, Blood Temple I worked with chiaroscuro to create the mood of a misty twilight scene.