Lumos... The Darker Lights

Today i am going speak about drawing on dark background or surface which is also known as reverse drawing. To create a dynamic image we can use strong contrast in drawing. One effective way of creating strong contrast is by using white material or media on dark or black surfaces. Any white media will work. Ink, charcoal, oil pastels, chalk pastels, and colored pencils are all types of white media that could be used. You combine this white media with a stark, black background and you've got instant contrast. 

The process begins with a light sketch, mapping out the shapes of lighter value. We should start with the process which is largely dependent on recognizing the relationships between the light and dark shapes. Even with light pressure, the white charcoal makes strong marks, so some control and precision is required even at this early stage.

We can begin the process of adding white charcoal to fill in the shapes  only when the shapes of lighter value are established on the drawing surface. Beginning in the locations where the light is strongest, adjusting pressure placed on the pencil according to the intensity of the light. Small circular strokes are made with the charcoal pencil in order to produce even gradations of tone and value.

It’s easy to forget light is an intruder in the indigenous darkness. Light requires energy; darkness is the default. when we draw, a white piece of paper represents a blinding light. We darken almost every part of our subject until the page is covered with a variety of values. Only the brightest highlights are left white. The method of shading inverts the natural state of darkness and actually  hinders a students understanding of how light actually operates.