Chapter
Light
11.0
Light, whether natural or artificial, helps us to see the things around us. It's presence helps
to see the shape, colour and texture of the objects. When light falls on an object, its different
faces or parts are illuminated differently. The surface which is directly facing the light
source receives maximum light and hence has lightest value.
In a design we can create the effect of light by changing the values. A variation in values from
lightness to darkness gives us an idea of which part of the object is facing the light source
and which part is opposite to the light. Difference in values also tells us how much light is
absorbed by a surface and how much is reflected. The difference in illumination and the
surface finish of the material results in zones of different values. A part which does not
receive any light is the one with the lowest value.
Light and the surface finish of the materials on which it falls, also play a vital role in creating
the effect of space in architecture. A glossy surface (metal, glossy paint or glazed tile) will
reflect more light as compared to matt surfaces such as wood, plaster or unpolished stone.
Differently coloured surfaces also reflect different amount of incident light. A white wall
would reflect more light falling on it, while a dark blue/black wall would reflect less amount
of light.
Here it is important to mention that since light is a form of energy, dark surfaces which
absorb more sunlight become hotter due to absorption of more energy, as compared to
white or light coloured surfaces.
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Shading of an object
Various shading techniques can be used to create the depth or form perception of a 3
dimensional object and to show the surface finish or texture in a drawing by using various
values starting from black to white.
The shading creates the following effects:
1. Gives feel of depth or thickness.
2. Gives an idea of texture or surface finish of the object.
3. Indicates the area illuminated due to presence of light or dark area on the surface
of the object due to its absence.
Value Scale or Greyscale
Value scale refers to the range indicating the gradual change of values from black to grey to
white. A value scale helps to compare different values i.e. the darkness or lightness of a
colour. A value that is on the upper part (lighter side) of the value scale is known as being a
high key value whereas a value that is located on the lower part (darker side) of the value
scale is known a low key.
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Images with low key lighting contain darker values, whereas high key lighting has lighter
values.
Different parts of the object indicate the effect of light in the
following ways-
1. Highlight – The part with maximum illumination. It is created due to the reflection of
the light source from the object's surface. It is the spot or the area on the object's
surface which is directly facing the light source.
2. Light tone – It is created in the area of the object which is receiving light directly from
the light source.
3. Dark tone – The area on the object's surface which in not directly facing the light
source.
4. Reflected light – It is created in the area on object's surface where the light that has
bounced off from the adjacent surface illuminates the shadowed area.
5. Cast shadow – The shadow of the object on the adjacent surface.
Depending upon the colour and texture of the object’s surface in addition to
intensity of light falling on it, there might be some mid tone zones created on the
object, which are values between light and dark.
Shadow – Area not receiving any light.
Core shadow – The darkest area on the object's surface where the object's plane
turns away from the light.
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The surface finish or the texture of the material plays a vital role in creating the effect of light
on its surface. A glossy surface reflects more light and thus the values are lighter in its case
as compared to a matt surface object of similar type. Also the highlight or reflect light areas
can be clearly seen in case of glossy surfaces as compared to matt surfaces.
Blending
Blending, also known as smooth shading is a technique of creating seamless or gradual
change in colours or values in a design.
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Cast Shadows
The shadow created by an object on the adjacent surface due to light rays falling on it is
known as a cast shadow.
The factors that affect the size, shape and type of cast shadow of an
object are:
1. Type of light source
2. Distance of light source
3. Angle of the light rays falling on the object
4. Direction of the light source
5. Texture and the transparency of the material
6. Surface on which the shadow is being cast
Type of light source
The light sources can be of two types-
Natural Light
As the natural light sources (The sun and the moon) are at a large distance from the object,
the light rays falling on it are parallel to each other and hence create a shadow with clear
sharp edges and equal to the width of the object.
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Shadows of Objects in Natural light
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Artificial light
The light rays coming from an artificial source, particularly a point light source, such as a
candle, a light bulb etc, where the light source is close to the object and hence the light rays
fall on the object from a point and diverge, creating a shadow which appears widening or
diverging.
(If the light source is at a large distance from the object, the light rays may seem parallel to
each other and create a shadow which is similar in shape to that created by a natural light
source).
Distance of the Light source
The distance of a light source plays equal importance in defining the shadow. If the light
source is at a large distance, its rays will fall parallel on the object whereas if the light source
is closer to the object, it puts dispersing rays on the object.
Angle of the light source
Angle of the light source with the object determines the angle at which the rays are falling
on the object and hence define the size and shape of the cast shadow. For example the size
of shadow of a person in sunlight at 8 AM will be longer than the shadow at 11 AM.
Direction of the light source
The light may fall on the object from any direction such as-
Front
Back
Overhead
Left side (Also known as conventional lighting)
Right side
Transparency of the object material
Transparent, translucent and opaque objects have different cast shadows.
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Surface on which the shadow is cast
The shape and the profile of the surface on which the shadow is falling determines the
shape of the cast shadow as illustrated below-
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Shadows of objects seen from above
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Shadows in Natural Light
Cube Cylinder Cone
Cone Prism Sphere
Hexagonal Prism Cuboid
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