In this diagram from his book Successful Drawing, Andrew Loomis (1892-1959) shares some tips for lighting a sphere.
Sunlight and overcast light present different challenges In overcast light, there's no clear light side and shadow side, nor is there a sharply defined edge to the cast shadow. In the sun, the cast shadow is an ellipse that represents the intersection of the lines drawn in perspective toward the antisolar point.More about fundamentals of drawing and perspective in the book by Andrew Loomis called Successful Drawing, which has been republished in a new edition.
He was an excellent illustrator, but I have no doubt that Loomis's art instruction books had by far the more lasting impact. It's great that all of his books are now back in print. Figure Drawing for All It's Worth remains the "go to" book on drawing the human figure for many, and I still remember my feeling of elation, many years ago, stumbling upon a used copy of Creative Illustration in a used bookstore and thumbing through it with a rising feeling of elation, to be matched years later when I found the original to the mermaid painting Loomis created for the section on color was still in existence, and was shown at the Norman Rockwell museum.
ReplyDeleteI have often thought that you, James Gurney, are our modern successor to Loomis, demystifying the process to help those willing to do the work take their own steps toward the goal of artistic excellence, particularly with subjects that must be imagined. Imaginative Realism and Color and Light, like Loomis's books, belong on every artist's shelf. And I make bold to say that while I never miss your videos, at some point, I hope you will turn your attention again to book publication.
Hey, Master!
ReplyDeleteI love Loomis.
Gurney, Frazetta, and Loomis.
My favorites.
Paulo - Rio
p.s. There's an e-mail.
... and something for Smooth.
Robert Cosgrove:'I have often thought that you, James Gurney, are our modern successor to Loomis'
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you.
It's a beautiful statement for a wonderful person and an artist like James.