Finding Volume by Losing Edges

Andy Braitman demonstrates how to find volume in objects in a painting by selectively losing edges in his still life painting.

1. We see volume when something goes from dark to light.

2. Andy begins to sketch in the volume of the vases NOT by drawing the edges of the vase, but by finding the darks and lights that describe the vase.

3. Andy loses the edge of the vase that is away from the light where the vertical dark hits the horizontal dark (where the cast shadow joins the object).

4. On the opposite side of the vase where the light comes in and captures the side of the form Andy pulls the light into the vase and loses this edge as well.

5. As we lose the edges into the shadows and lights we begin to see form and volume.

6. We are looking to paint volume, not draw it!

7. As Andy continues to find volume and form in the objects in his painting, he also finds the points in the painting where the values of the foreground and background are the same. At these points, he also loses the edges.

8. Three points to lose edges:

8.1. Where the light hits the vase and ground and washes out an edge

8.2. Where the shadow on the vase and cast shadow meet

8.3. Where the values of the foreground and background are the same

9. Go around your painting and appropriately find these edges to lose.

10. To enhance the angle of the curve on the vases, Andy may add some sort of pattern that would follow the curves to help the eye see it as rounded object rather than a flat object. This would help “turn the vase.”

11. The objects in your painting will appear more realistic as you selectively lose more edges at these three points!

12. We are inventing this painting and so we need to let light be our guide for how to proceed!