Tone on the head

To add tone to the head we need to know about drawing light. That’s a topic in itself, but here is a quick introduction.

Shine a lamp on an object and you will see broadly two areas: those hit by the light and those cast into shadow. In principle, areas directly facing the light will be the lightest, and areas facing directly away will be the darkest. Between the two extremes you will see a range of mid-tones (or half-tones), depending on how much the the surface turns from the light. The darkest part of these tones is known as the core shadow. In the shadow areas you will see some reflected light, which is light that bounces back into the shadow areas from the object’s surroundings.

The drawing below shows heads in front, side and three-quarter views, rendered into tone. On the left we show a simplified model on which the pattern of tone is easiest to read – an egg shape and cylinder representing the head and neck. On the right we show a more developed head.

The egg is lit from the left, giving us a gradation of tone from well-lit to half-tone to shadow. There is reflected light on the right-hand edge. On the head, the tones are essentially the same. Of course a head is harder to shade than a smooth egg or cylinder. It is a complex form, with ins and outs that catch or impede the light, such as the nose and the recess of the eye sockets, and the nose and chin that cast shadows below.

Planes on the head

In an earlier post we talked about how you can break the surface of an object down to planes. These reduce the form to a series of flat increments. They can also reduce the light to increments of tone. Each plane is a flat surface representing a single tonal value.

When you’re drawing a head, use the planes to help you think about how the light would strike flat surfaces and the gradations of light, half-tone and shadow.

Planes mark changes of direction taken by a surface. We can indicate those changes of direction using the directions of our brush or pencil strokes:

You probably won’t want to leave your head as a purely planar drawing, but simplifying our subjects to its basic forms helps us to apply light and tone. Once we understand the basic patterns, we can break down the planes to create a more realistic drawing. However, the planes are not just there to be scrubbed out afterwards: they should inform every step, and our awareness of them will persist into the finished drawing, whatever its degree of finish.

Shading the head

Here is a step-by-step guide to shading a head. The golden rule is to begin with the whole, and the big issues, before working down to the details. We’re talking about tonal values so I’m keeping this black and white to make them clear. It is written from the perspective of a digital artist painting in Photoshop, but the process should be useful to artists working in other media.

1. Sketch

Sketch out your head. Mark the major planes as these will be useful when you start adding values. You will need to decide upon your light source too. I’m going to stick to the standard three-point lighting described in the previous post. The direction of the main light source is marked with an arrow.

2. Basic tones

Add your basic flesh tone and block in the main shadow areas.

3. Add the next layer of shade

Add your darkest values including the core shadow.

4. Reflected light

Include some reflected light on the far side of the head.

5. Light

Add the light areas. Here I’ve left the sketch layer in, but you can delete it as soon as it is no longer helpful.

6. Blending

Blend everything together. Add any final details, including extra touches of extreme light and dark where needed, such as eye highlights.

(I have compiled these steps together onto a single sheet here.)

Tips

When you model the tone on a head, start simple, and try to keep the pattern of lights and darks clear. Don’t overwork the lights in the shadow areas, and vice versa. Clarity of form is more important than slavishly reproducing every feature you see in front of you, and a real subject may be affected by more light sources than the artist wants. If there is light or shadow that confuses the forms, amend reality in the name of clarity.

Unless you are going for a particular effect, avoid a very strong light source that blasts one part of the head and throws the other into intense shadows.