Basic Perspective Drawing (Cap 8)

8
SHADOWS AND REFLECTIONS

Despite their initial appearance of complexity, shadows and reflections obey
the same immutable rules of perspective illustrated in the preceding sections
of this book.
Shadows are determined by the source of light, the shape of the object, and
the surface on which they are cast.
Reflections are simply an extension of the object image onto another plane or
set of planes within the perspective view.
SHADOWS
The position of the light source is the critical factor in determining the final
shape of the shadow cast in perspective, as summarized below and explained
further on the following pages.
LIGHT SOURCE PARALLEL TO THE PICTURE PLANE

When the light source is parallel to the picture plane, parallel rays will remain
parallel and define the cast shadows according to how they are blocked by the
object.
The length and shape of cast shadows are determined by the intersection of
the ground plane, with light rays crossing the corners and edges of the object.
Here, the ground plane lines are parallel to the picture plane.
LIGHT SOURCE IN FRONT OF THE VIEWER
LIGHT SOURCE BEHIND THE VIEWER AND

PERPENDICULAR TO THE PICTURE PLANE
LIGHT SOURCE BEHIND THE VIEWER BUT NOT

PERPENDICULAR TO THE PICTURE PLANE
RADIATING LIGHT SOURCES
MULTIPLE SHADOWS
When there is more than one light source, there will be a corresponding
number of shadows.
Where the shadows overlap, the density of the shadows will increase
correspondingly.
SHADOWS CAST ON VARIOUS SURFACES
REFLECTIONS
A reflection is simply the mirror image, or equal and opposite extension of,
the original object and its perspective system. Drawing parallel reflections
requires only a simple extension of the object through the reflecting surface,
while angular reflections require more complicated calculations.
Sketching Shadows
PARALLEL REFLECTIONS
When the object and the reflecting plane are parallel to each other but not
parallel to the picture plane, there are two ways to find the position of the
reflection:
Use diagonal vanishing points (top, right) to determine the perspective
of the reflections. (To use diagonals, see Chapter 5.)
Use measuring points and a scaled picture plane (bottom, right) to mark
off the equivalent lengths of the reflection. (To use measuring points,
see Chapter 4.)
If both the reflecting plane and the object are perpendicular and parallel to
the picture plane, the reflections will follow the same rules as those on the
previous page.
ANGULAR REFLECTIONS
It is a relatively simple matter to find the reflection when the object and
reflective surface are parallel to each other, as shown in A and B. However,
when the object and reflecting surface are at anything other than 90 degrees
or 45 degrees to each other, the vanishing point of the reflection will be

different from that of the object or its diagonals, as in C.
To find the vanishing points of an angular reflection, follow steps 1-6.

1.
Find the vanishing point for the mirror via the station point. Here, the mirror
is 50 degrees off the picture plane.
2.
Find the two vanishing points of the object. The object is angled to the picture
plane at 30 degrees and 60 degrees.
3.
Find the angle of the object to the mirror by subtracting the 30-degree angle
of the object from the 50-degree angle of the mirror; this new angle is 20
degrees.
4.
Find the vanishing point of the reflection by doubling the 20-degree angle of
the object to the mirror.
Since the angle at which light strikes a mirror (angle of incidence) is equal to
the angle of its reflection, this 40-degree line, which is 70 degrees off the
picture plane when extended to the horizon, will establish the left vanishing
point for the reflection.
5.
To find the right vanishing point for the reflection, draw a 90-degree angle at
the intersection of the station point and the line leading to the left reflection
vanishing point. (In this example, the right vanishing point for the reflection
falls beyond the page.) You can also find the vanishing points for lines
perpendicular to the mirror using this method.
6.
To mark the width of the reflection, connect lines from the corners of the
object to the mirror's right vanishing point. The point at which these lines
cross the reflection's perspective lines marks the corners of the reflection.
REFLECTIONS TAKEN FROM A PLAN

The object is parallel to the picture plane, so its single vanishing point will be
the same as the center of vision.
1. Draw the plan above the picture plane. Here, the picture plane doubles
as the horizon line. In laying out the plan, make sure the angle of the
object and the angle of the reflection are equal and opposite.
2. Establish the distance from object to observer by setting the station
point.
3. Establish the height of the observer from the ground line.
4. To find the mirror's vanishing point, set the 65-degree angle for the
mirror at the station point.
5. Connect the lines between the station point and the key corners of the
plan. Mark the points where these lines of sight cross the picture plane,
then drop lines down into the view to mark off the proportions of
receding planes.
REFLECTIONS OF SLOPING PLANES
Because the object in this example is parallel to the picture plane, the 20degree slope (A) can be measured directly off the image.
The slope in the reflection can be found by measuring a 20-degree angle from
the measuring point (B). The height of the slope in the reflection (C) will be
marked by the height of the object extended to the mirror and then to the
reflection's vanishing point.
In many setups, the slope can be determined by slicing off a rectangle.

(See Chapter 6.)
The details of complex sloped planes can be transferred to the reflection by

connecting the sloped plane axes to the mirror plane at the appropriate
points.
REFLECTION ON A TILTED MIRROR

To find the vanishing points of a reflection on a tilted mirror, follow these
steps:
1. Set up the vanishing points for the mirror by establishing its right and
left vanishing points on the horizon.
2. Using the measuring point, find the vertical vanishing point for the tilt
of the mirror. Here, the angle is 70 degrees.
3. Draw the object. Note that it is 90 degrees off the ground plane, angling
it 20 degrees off the tilted mirror.
4. To find the angles of the reflection's vertical lines, add another 20degree angle to the angle of the mirror at the measuring point. This
establishes the vanishing point for reflections on the vertical vanishing
line.
5. Adding a 90-degree angle to this reflection angle will give you the
vertical vanishing point below the horizon for the perpendicular angles
of the reflection.
Note that the reflection is in three-point perspective.

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How are shadows determined?

What are the different types of light sources and how do they affect shadows?

8

SHADOWS AND REFLECTIONS

LIGHT SOURCE PARALLEL TO THE PICTURE PLANE

LIGHT SOURCE IN FRONT OF THE VIEWER

LIGHT SOURCE BEHIND THE VIEWER AND

LIGHT SOURCE BEHIND THE VIEWER BUT NOT

RADIATING LIGHT SOURCES

SHADOWS CAST ON VARIOUS SURFACES

or 45 degrees to each other, the vanishing point of the reflection will be

To find the vanishing points of an angular reflection, follow steps 1-6.

REFLECTIONS TAKEN FROM A PLAN

REFLECTIONS OF SLOPING PLANES

In many setups, the slope can be determined by slicing off a rectangle.

The details of complex sloped planes can be transferred to the reflection by

REFLECTION ON A TILTED MIRROR

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