As your resource for creative education, the Wacom team is excited to share an introductory mini unit on exploring light, shadows, and highlights.
This unit was inspired by the presentation of Sarah Honeywell, a digital arts, photography, and art history teacher at Columbia Heights High School. Her presentation at the 2024 NAEA Convention, on Grisaille painting techniques, reminded us of the importance of starting at the beginning to support student artists with digital painting.
The activities in these lessons will prompt students to observe how light creates shadows and highlights on objects and how to recreate this in digital art. Students will manipulate light to take a photo for their reference image, then digitally paint the image demonstrating their understanding of colour scales, gradients, layers, shadow, and highlights.
This is lesson one of a four-lesson series, and can be used independently of the other lessons.
Mini-Unit: Exploring Light, Shadows, and Highlights
Introduction to Lesson One
In this lesson, we delve into the fundamental aspects of digital painting, focusing specifically on the interplay between light, shadow, and highlights. Your students will be guided towards exploring the art of utilizing light sources to infuse depth and dimension into their digital artwork.
The primary objective of this lesson is for your students to develop the ability to identify and manipulate light sources. By doing so, they will create shadows and highlights that add realism and depth to their digital paintings.
This lesson is designed to be adaptable for students ranging from middle school to high school levels, ensuring that it caters to a diverse range of skill levels and interests. With a duration of 60 minutes, the lesson provides ample time for your students to engage in hands-on activities while also allowing for meaningful reflection and discussion.
Overview of Lesson One
Prior to the lesson, you will need to gather a variety of items for your students to photograph and provide a range of lighting options. These preparations will allow your students to experiment and explore with different materials and techniques.
The lesson begins with a brief mini-lesson, during which you will introduce the key concepts of light, shadow and highlights. Through examples and discussion, they will learn how these elements contribute to the overall composition and visual impact of a digital painting.
Art value shading practice by McKenzie Martin
During the lesson, students will examine artworks, analysing the direction and intensity of light. This prepares them to take their own photos, applying what they have learned about light and shadow to their work.
After the introduction, demonstrate how students can select an object and use different lighting setups to take several photos. This hands-on activity allows them to experiment with light sources and angles, observing how these affect shadows and highlights.
Independent Practice and Assessment
In the independent practice phase, students will apply the concepts they’ve learned by photographing objects and experimenting with lighting setups to achieve their desired effect. They will reflect on their choices, making adjustments to enhance the visual composition of their work.
As part of the assessment, students will analyse artwork to identify light sources and the placement of shadows and highlights. Prepare a few examples from well-known artists in a slide deck. Students will upload three of their own photos, marking similar elements to show their understanding of how light and shadow create depth and dimension.
The lesson concludes with a review and reflection session, where students can share their experiences and observations with peers. Guided questioning will prompt reflection on the effectiveness of different lighting techniques, encouraging students to consider how they can apply these methods in future projects. This reflective process helps students consolidate their learning and gain deeper insights into their artistic practice. .
Interested in the full lesson plan?
An overview of Lesson Two in this mini unit will be posted to this blog soon! If you are interested in getting a more detailed lesson plan, along with teaching resources for this lesson, you should join our new Wacom Creative Educators Facebook group launching June of 2024! Members will get exclusive access to resources like lesson plans and other fun opportunities. Stay tuned to this blog or follow our Wacom Education Facebook page for updates and access once the Facebook group goes live!
Feature image for this blog post by Av Creations on Unsplash
