Today’s class theme was to get the color of the shadows on the objects in line with the color of the subject in full sun. It was a good day and everyone did a really great job. The first goal is to get the shape stated in the light and then paint in the correct color for the shadow using and lively brush. The color of the shadow is the color of the object it is on except it is darker, less intense and cooler. Try to put your shadows with a really light pass of the side of your brush and try to let the feeling of the underlying color show through also remember to keep the edges of the shadows varied and not just a sharp razor line.
detail of side of the house
figures in the lower right, notice how loosely they are painted. try not to get hung up on the figures details, just a quick sketch will do.
18 x 24 block taped into four sections, with each section having a different color feel, a different requirement for the shadows. Make sure you get the light right before worrying about the the shadows. The shadows are the color of the object they on, not just some purple blue dark, resist the tendency to generalize your shadows.
shadows on yellow green and a grey building, tie your shadows into surrounding shapes
shadows on green, don’t forget to create the light in the trees, warm to cool greens, that give the impression of the light falling from above. shadows on ground are lively and loose, leave some holes in them.
shadows on several different colored building, remember to interlock or create a tie-in with other areas of the painting at the edge of the shadow, scratch some grass marks, put some rough brush or cut in some weeds.
the shadow on the white building needs to feel like it is on a white building not a grey or brown one, make a nice neutral grey first, with burnt sienna and ultramarine blue and then add touches of cobalt violet, cerulean blue or hints of raw sienna to give it variety. Have fun.
Steve painted these inside on a heavily-raining day, so it was great to even think about the sun casting shadows and also a great challenge for us to try!
What a lesson so well developed, and illustrated with your own paintings!. I liked it very much and it has been very useful for my work. Thanks for sharing it.