Mechanics
REFLECTION p
Reflection is movement across surface On reflective materials – water, metals, glass, etc. – light can reflect indefinitely. No only does the light source bounce, but picked-up colors get grabbed up and carried along. The best way to convey a sense of reflection is to echo the same colors and values throughout a drawing, usually in mirror image. The only question is how ‘unbroken’ does the surface appear? Calm water (see photo at right) causes maximum reflection. Choppy waters cause a broken-mirror reflection. Remember: anything that’s wet will reflect. Think of how city streets act after the rain. They behave just like a lake’s surface. Depth of water doesn’t matter. A shallow water puddle reflects just like a lake, even if one is but a film and the other is 90-feet deep. The basic rule for reflection is like that of the ancient Greek world: “as above, so below.” In other words, whatever reflects is pretty much a mirror image, based on surface of the conveying object. Make your reflected angles exactly the same angle as the originating shapes. Angles don’t change, only the Digital photo, Jim Chapman
Atmospheric perspective The basic idea is that things get less defined in color and lighter in value as they recede – because there’s a veil of air between the subject and viewer. Things closer are seen without much atmosphere and therefore appear more crisp and colorful. The photo at right shows how atmosphere obscures the fartheraway objects while affecting the foreground less drastically. Drawings done without at least implying atmospheric perspective usually seem flat. Digital photo, Jim Chapman
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