Shadows, The Secret Of Light!

Artist Quinten Gregory is the host and instructor for this guide to using shadows in paintings to suggest light. After a brief introductory discussion of the importance of shadows for bringing realism to paintings, as well as working with perspective while making shadows, Gregory paints two scenes, one in oil, the other in watercolor. In doing so, he demonstrates how shadowing works and shares the techniques involved in making shadows look real. In the first picture, that of a country road bisecting a stand of trees, Gregory shows viewers how to darken the sides of the trees to create the illusion of directional light; while in the second picture of a farm, with a mountain range in the background, he shows viewers how to show the mountains casting a shadow on the barn in the plain below. Good close-up work and solid instruction make Shadows, The Secret of Light a good introduction to a crucial concept in art. Recommended. (See BREW IT AT HOME for availability.)