DRAWING & SHADING CUBES & BOXES : How to Draw Lights and Shade Shadows of Cubes

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THE CUBE.

Generally three faces of the cube are in light and three in shadow, and six edges separate light from shadow and form the dividing line of light and shade. Fig. 4 represents a white cube placed against a gray background and a piece of charcoal resting against the cube. The light comes from above, behind, and at the left of the spectator.

The light.

The front light face is lightest at the front edge and gradually becomes darker as it recedes ; it is lighter than the top face. If the cube is perfectly clean and its faces are equally white, and the light comes from such a direction that the top face and the front face reflect it equally to the eye, these faces will appear equally light, and the edge separating them will be invisible. If the top face reflects more light to the eye than the front face, it will appear the lighter.
The shadow. — The shadow side of the cube is darker than the foreground and background, lighter than the cast shadow, and much lighter than the charcoal ; it is darkest at the front edge and gradually becomes lighter as it recedes. It is also darker near the bottom where the dark cast shadow reflects dark.

The cast shadow.

The cast shadow is darkest and sharpest nearest the cube. The charcoal seems to cast a shadow within that of the cube ; but as the charcoal is wholly within the shadow of the cube and receives no direct rays, it is evident that the darkening of the cast shadow near the charcoal cannot be due to the same cause that occasions the cast shadow of the cube. No object which is in the shadow of another can cast a direct shadow, for it receives no direct rays of light. It does, however, receive indirect rays, and when they are strong an object in the cast shadow, like the charcoal in the present case, may cut off these reflected rays so as to darken the cast shadow near the object, and thus practically produce the effect of a cast shadow. The cast shadow of the cube is darkened in this way in two distinct directions, and variety in the cast shadow is often due to this cause.

Light reflects on foreground.

The front face of the cube reflects light to the foreground. If the foreground were smooth, this light would cause a distinct reflection bounded by two vertical lines ; but as the foreground is rough paper, the reflections of the edges of the face are not seen, and the foreground is simply lightened under and near the face.