How to Draw Diffused Light from a Single Point

Let Copic Markers help you learn how to draw diffused light from a single point and add depth to any piece you create. Marker blending techniques are a great way to make your drawings pop and create meanings. Your work will never be the same!

Materials:

• Copic Markers

Instructions:

1. Light from the sun hits all objects from the same direction- Your shadows will be consistent if the sun is shining in your composition.
    
2. In this diagram of a holiday centerpiece, the light from the sun is casting highlights and shadows in one direction. However, what would happen if it were dark and the light source was a candle?
   
   
    
3. Light from a single source radiates out and casts shadows in a circle- Objects in a dark space set next to a light source will have highlights in the directions close to the object.
   
   
    
4. On the centerpiece, the bottles on either side are casting shadows in the opposite directions because the light is between them.
    
5. Keep in mind- The contrast will be stronger the closer you get to a single light source. In our diagram above, all of the objects are close to the candle, so everything has a good contrast. If there was another bottle on the other side of the table, it would be more shadowed with softer/darker shading because it is far away.

Here is another way to shade with a single light source:

1. In this image, the window acts like the candle. Because the light is coming from the window, we know anything close to the window will have highlights, and anything further from window, with have shadows.