http://www.artstyles.org/abstract-acrylic-painting/
Professional painters’ help with lights and shadows please:?
(Using acrylic paints, abstract) A man is standing atop crossing roads, his back facing view. In front of him is a dark cloud with a lighting bolt amidst a clear sky.
What would be the correct placement of the lights and shadows here; would the distant points be lighter, what about his back, darker? and the roads in the foreground behind him?
Thank you.
In this case, I would think the lightning bolt is your light source, so shadows will fall away from it accordingly. The man’s silhouette (his back, facing viewer) will be the darkest value in the painting, and the bolt will be the lightest.
The man’s shadow will fall down the hill toward you for a short way, then disappear into the shadow on the side of the hill facing the viewer where the lightning’s light will not reach. The roads and the clear sky will be middle value so as not to distract from the focal point.
Makes sense in my imagination, how about you?