DIG1111 Digital Character Design DIG-1111-Professor Cesar Santalo: February 2016

Drapery and folds.

Tutorials:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAIR3c8Q4oE

Fold Types:
Pipe
Diaper
Spiral
Drop
Zig Zag
Half Lock
Inert

Chiascuro: effect of contrasted light and shadow created by light falling unevenly or from a particular direction on something.

Chiaroscuro and Rembrandt Lighting
by Rolando Gomezreturn to our main tips page

Many well known photographers take concepts and ideas from other artists, some study images as well as paintings in their goals to achieve better quality photographs that are compelling. Perhaps that is why there are only four basic types of lighting, fundamentally, and in those four types one is named after Rembrandt—one of my favorite styles of lighting often seen in photographers’ images of models for the Victoria Secrets catalog, Maxim and other magazines.

The key in Rembrandt lighting is creating the triangle or diamond shape of light underneath the eye usually furthest from the camera lens. One side of the face is lit well from the main light source while the other side of the face uses the interaction of shadows and light, also known in college Art 101 classes as chiaroscuro, to create this geometric shape on the face.

By simply turning the model and not moving the light source, you create chiaroscuro or more chiaroscuro. Note in these two images the more defined Rembrandt lighting on the left image, than on the right, both still are examples of Rembrandt lighting. Both images have chiaroscuro, which in Italian means the interaction of shadows and lights, but because there is more chiaroscuro on the image on the right, the model is more flattering and the image has more impact than the one on the left.

How hard or soft the shadows are that help create the triangle or diamond under the eye are not important, what matters is the illusion of depth it creates, a technique successfully practiced by painters. Top photographers understand how we normally see the world in a three-dimensional realm, and know that CCD chips or film, see the world in a two-dimensional realm--look for those shadows, no matter how subtle they are. In the two images below, though very subtle, chiaroscuro and Rembrandt lighting coexist, so don't be fooled into thinking chiaroscuro or Rembrandt lighting can only be created with harsh lighting. Always keep in mind, the farther you move your light source from the subject, the harder the shadows, the closer the light, the softer the shadows.

The image on the right has a subtle Rembrandt triangle on the right (left side of face facing you) and the image on the left has a Rembrandt triangle of light on the left (right side of face facing you). In addition, the image on the right has chiaroscuro around the face, hair and breasts--all with natural light. The image on the right is photographed with exisisting, open shade.

To help recreate the illusion of the third dimension, top photographers use chiaroscuro and its more formal forms like Rembrandt lighting to achieve pleasing results that add impact and form to the photo. It’s not a secret, it’s a photographers being cognizant of light and shadowss and how they interact around their subject, and if artificial lighting is used to light the subject, top photographers know how to use their modeling lights to allow the photographer to “see” the light as well as the shadows.

If you’d like to improve your glamour photographs while adding the illusion of the third dimension then learn to look for chiaroscuro, the lights and darks and how they interact. Simply turning your subject in the light, without moving your lights can make the difference in a photograph and if you look closely, you’ll see not only chiaroscuro, but Rembrandt style of lighting will naturally appear in your images without you even thinking about how to create it—the results, you’ll have images with impact that have taken concepts and principals from famous painters and even well-known photographers.
©2004 Rolando Gomezreturn to our main tips page

Homework due: 02/18/16

Chiaroscuro drawing of folded drapery or clothing.

Illustrator vector drawing

DIG1111 Digital Character Design DIG-1111-Professor Cesar Santalo

Thursday, February 25, 2016

No class today, February 25th

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Week 6-Chiascuro, Drapery, defining shape and muscle

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Week 5-Deconstruction of figure.