ramonn90

Learning To Paint Simple Shadows & Draw Perspective – My Process Video and Brushes!

Added 2025-07-18 14:45:52 +0000 UTC

Hey everyone, here are some quick, practical notes on each practice I did over the past few weeks.

1. Cheesecake
I believe the value in this practice is how, in one single layer with multiply blending mode, you can define the overall shadow silhouette with a single tone, and then use that silhouette later in a new layer to add slight variations of darker tones. This helps keep different shadow tones separated in case you want to adjust without compromising previous work well done. You'll see that application when making the shadows on top of the cheesecake, where the strawberries and cream are. These shadow variations are done with a soft-edge brush because the reference shows a smooth transition between shadows, without hard edges.

2. Statue
I apologize because I thought I was recording the beginning of the process, but I accidentally didn't. Nevertheless, the value I find in this practice is how I shift from curved-edge anatomy toward sharper, straight line artwork. If you see the shape silhouette of the statue, you'll notice that the practice has straight lines where the reference does not, for example, the traps, forearms, and feet. I did this because I was trying to see how much I could change the anatomy into something more squared without losing the organic look the body has. Why? I think I'm searching for unconventional ways to simplify reality into something odd.

3. Office
I used to draw compositions with a fisheye perspective, and when I saw this casual office with that view, I felt good to try again. I developed a certain weakness for casual office environments from Japanese animated movies in which they depict these scenarios with such beautiful paintings. What you can take from this practice is mostly the drawing, as I believe it's the toughest part. Start by understanding where your horizontal line is, and from that point guess how the perspective is applied to the big shapes, starting with the floor, ceiling, walls, then doors, and finally objects smaller than doors. By targeting shapes by size, you have some kind of order to approach this intimidating challenge. I recognize many artists struggle with perspective, so these sorts of practices with a reference really help.

4. Hands
The useful approach for this practice is how I vary the range of colors in the skin. When dealing with paintings that have multiple colors, make sure to define shapes first with flat values and sharp edges, then make color variations whether in the base or the shadow, ensuring these variations share similarities in terms of value. For example, if you add different types of orange, try to keep these oranges close in value. Don't use a very bright one next to a dark one within the same layer; make those refinement-value tones later in an extra layer when creating volume. This way, you can have a wide range of tones without creating chaos in terms of light and shadow.

5. Apple
I was quite distracted during this process and missed the beginning; I'm sorry. Luckily for you, this was one of those easy pieces in terms of drawing. I'd say it's a light version of what I previously attempted with the statue, basically shifting curved shape silhouettes toward straight lines to show a different perspective of something very casual.

6. Cat on the Roof
The value in this practice is how I drew a reference with a complex background and a subject (the cat) as a focal point in perspective. I usually don't mix subjects like animals or humans with environments because it takes some effort, as both need to have a certain quality for understanding. But I've noticed this is an issue for many artists, how to position body shapes in scenarios. This practice was not very complex for me, but I believe it’s not easy for others. Trying out these kinds of challenges can help you understand three-dimensionality with a moderate level of perspective, which you can later apply to more complex compositions.