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DIRECTION OF LIGHT SOURCES

light direction

One of the qualities of light and shadow is the direction of the light source.  Direct lighting means one source of light is on the object; in this case, the shadows are dark and mostly hard-edged, and more values can be seen as opposed to diffused lighting.  On the same page of your sketchbook,  draw the same object from three different directions of light:  Top lighting, back lighting, and side lighting.  Which is more dramatic?  Which seems more three-dimensional? How do the shadows change?  Where are the highlights? Do you see reflected lighting?  How many values do you find in each drawing?