Part one - Reflected light

Project: Reflected light


Exercise - Study of light reflected from one object to another

Exercise - Shadows and reflected light and shade

Research point - Patrick Caulfield

Patrick Caulfield's work is in some ways quite simple, many of his pictures use only a few colours, and the shapes of the objects are simplified, as in his White Ware prints. His use of negative space is very interesting, as it makes the detail of the picture the background, rather than the subject. The subject still remains the focus in some ways, as it is much bolder due to the lack of details. However it is sometimes hard to see what the main subject is. In 'Reserved Table' you would expect the table to be the subject, however the focus is the lobster in the background, because the colours pop out.

I really like his later works, such as 'After Lunch'. In this, Patrick Caulfield's style contrasts simplified objects with one very realistic object.

For my drawing in the style of Patrick Caulfield I have used negative space in an otherwise quite realistic picture. I think now that I should have used a less realistic, more cartoon-like approach on the bricks of the fireplace, to make it more like Patrick Caulfield's work. I am not overly happy with the results this time, but hope to experiment with negative space more in the future.

Check and log

• What are the difficulties in separating cast shadow from reflected light and shade?

The difficulty depends a lot on how complex the shapes of the objects are. if the shapes are regular it is easier to see and predict where the shadows will fall and where the reflections will be. If there are a lot of grooves or different curves then it gets trickier. Cast shadows are easier to see and depict, as they have a more obvious direction and cause, but reflective surfaces can show reflections that you wouldn't expect.

• The reflected shadow and light follows the contours of the objects. How have you shown this in your drawing?

On the metal tin you can see that there is an almost straight white line on the side facing the jug/tankard type object. The white line moves with the grooves in the tin. The same happens on the jug, as the white line follows the curve of the object, and where there are shadows there are darker sections.