S3U

Creativity / Drawing and art / Grade 6 / ca690

Use Value and Overlap for Depth

Plan a simple still life with light, dark and overlapping shapes.

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Value is lightness or darkness. In a simplified drawing with one light, the lit side can be lighter and the side away darker. Overlap is another depth clue: an object in front hides part of one behind. These are drawing models, not rules that every artwork must follow.

Worked example

With a lamp at the upper left of a matte sphere, place a light area toward that lamp and a darker area toward the lower right. A cast shadow falls on the surface away from the light. Real reflections can make the pattern more complex.

A ball overlaps the front of a box. A light source is marked at upper left. The ball is lighter at upper left and darker at lower right, with a cast shadow to the right.
Use a simplified light model, then explain your drawing choices.

A Pencil Still Life

On paper, draw a box and a ball that partly hides the box. Mark a light source at the upper left. Make three labeled value patches: light, middle and dark. Shade the ball using those values and add a cast shadow on the surface away from the light. Explain one overlap and one value choice. No upload is needed; assess these observable choices, not a preferred art style.

Question 1 In the example, where is the light source?
Question 2 In this simplified model, which side of the ball faces the light?
Question 3 The ball hides part of the box. Which appears in front?
Question 4 Where does a cast shadow belong in this drawing?
Question 5 Which is a fair check of this activity?