Shading a ball puts everything from this unit together: one light direction, the parts of light, a cast shadow, and smooth tone.
- Choose the light direction and draw a small arrow.
- Draw a circle lightly, and the line of the table.
- Find the core shadow: a curved band on the side away from the light, following the ball's shape.
- Draw the cast shadow on the table, away from the light, touching the ball.
- Fill the whole shadow side with one middle-dark tone.
- Darken the core shadow band, and the contact point most of all.
- Shade the halftones on the light side, getting lighter toward the light.
- Leave the highlight white (or lift it with a kneaded eraser).
- Lift a little reflected light inside the shadow, keeping it darker than the halftones.
Key idea
Shade the values in order around the ball: highlight, light, halftone, core shadow, reflected light, with the cast shadow on the ground.
Why it works
A sphere turns away from the light gradually in every direction, so its values must change gradually too. The core shadow sits where the surface turns away from the light, which is a curved band on one side, not the outline. An outline-shaped ring tells the eye "flat edge," which is why the ringed ball looks like a coin.
Common mistake
People shade a dark ring all around the edge, which makes a flat disc with a dark outline. The core shadow is a band on the side away from the light. The edge facing the light stays light, and the outline can almost disappear there.
Worked example: Check the order
Starting at the highlight and moving toward the shadow, which value comes right after the halftone?
- The order is highlight, light, halftone, core shadow, reflected light.
Answer: The core shadow.