How to Shade Vases : Adding Shadows to Vases Drawing Tutorial

Shading is a tricky subject…let the follow tutorial guide you through the process of shading vases. Vases are a combination of different shapes that you might already know how to shade, such as the cylinder and the sphere. This drawing lesson from an old textbook might bring clarity to the subject for you. Happy shading!

The Long-necked Vase may be looked upon as consisting of three parts—neck bulb, and foot ; the first of which (as seen in the picture above), b, is a cylinder; the second, c, a sphere ; and the last, d, part of a cone. The light falls from above and from the right.

Step 1

Draw the vase very carefully, and then mark the cast-shadow of the bulb cast on the foot and along the ground-plane. Sketch very lightly with charcoal the outline of the shade on the neck and bulb, and shade it and the cast- shadow of a depth equal to their lightest tone.

Step 2

The neck is cylindrical. its darkest portion will therefore lie away from the edge. Its high light will run in a line down the neck. The bulb is a sphere, and the edge of its shade will run at right angles to the direction of the rays of light. Its high light will be centered in a spot. Mark these high lights and add the darkest portion to the shades. These will be near the right edge, whence they will graduate to the left. Reflection will lighten the lower right-hand portion of the bulb, while that on the left will be dark, turned away as it is from the reflected light.

Step 3

The portion marked a will be found to be dark and to have a clear-cut edge; for this is the shadow cast by the neck along the bulb. For the same reason the shadow of the bulb on the foot will show a clean edge. (see picture below where picture is enlarged)

Step 4

The foot is part of a cone, and if there were no cast-shadow overlying it, the darkest portion would appear removed some little distance from the left edge, whence there would be a gradual gradation to the high light on the right. Now, although the greater portion is overlaid with shadow, these differences are maintained, though in a darker key. The foot as a whole appears darker than either bulb or neck. The highlight runs in a line.

Step 4

Gradate the half tones on neck and bulb towards the high light.

The lip and inside of the neck are shown enlarged. Within, as we might expect, the point b, immediately opposite the light, will be brightest. The shadow thrown by the rim should be clearly drawn. Its darkest portion will be found nearest the edge of this shadow at a, for the other part is lit up by reflected light. (This gives the shading of the inside of hollow hemispheres, such as bowls.) In showing such minute detail it will be found advisable to use smaller stumps. The darkest portions may be inserted with the crayon.

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