How To Draw Reflective Light!
In the video above we give a quick introduction to reflective lights, teaching you not only how to use reflective lights but also how to properly paint them. In this blog I wanted to point you guys to some amazing resources where you can do additional research on the topic, some of these are books that taught me all I know about the topic, and other informational sources that could be of use.
Like this book for instance, Vision and Art the Biology of Seeing has to be one of the best, if not the best books I’ve read on color. I appreciate the book's more scientific approach to color, where they break down exactly how we see color so we better understand how to use it in our art. A perspective like this is rare in the art world and even rarer in graffiti. I find myself consistently coming back to the book to double-check certain facts, while also discovering new information I missed my first, and second read-throughs.
Ok this next one is not directly about reflective light but trust me when I say this video will help you understand color better, and as a result, it will help you paint reflected lights. I had seen this video ages ago and it really helped. if you’re new to colors, “The Science of Light and Color” will give you an easy-to-follow guide to how color works.
Another great video to watch is one by the great teacher Marco Bucci. His video on reflective light takes a deep dive into how reflective light functions and walks you through step by step on painting reflective lights. I could not recommend his video enough. His examples in the video are simple, easy to follow, comprehensive and have a practical application to art. You’ll learn a little of the science and a lot of the application of reflective light. Now keep in mind, that you will have to know how to shade, and how to draw forms. If you struggle with either, then this video might be hard to follow since your forms and value will set the foundation of your reflective light.
Art of Wei is another awesome artist who’s taught reflective lights. His video shows a more traditional approach and application, once again, another tutorial great for beginners. Using pencils and basic forms, he shows shading scenarios and demonstrates not only how to shade the form but how reflective light plays a role in the shading process. No matter your skill level, amateur, or experienced, you’ll have no issue following along as he’s not taking any deep dive with intricate concepts. He does a great job simplifying this technique to a basic idea and make the concept digestible as a result.
