Painting Shadows and Highlights - The Basics

This type of color theory was popularized by the Impressionist artists who would commonly refuse to use black paint on their pallets. They didn't need to use black because they saw all sorts of colors in shadows. They were very color focused. This tutorial only touches on the basics of painting shadows.
Download: www.last.fm/music/Anomal+Anima...

[@poetryjones7946]

Excellent video. I especially love that you get right to it instead of blabbering aimlessly for the first 10 minutes as so many of these KZbinrs seem to do 😆 Got great benefit from your simple and concise demonstration/explanation. Thanks for posting.

[@nathanieldrain907]

As a beginner, this is by far the best tutorial I've seen. Thanks for this. Subscribed.

[@DG-mv6zw]

Massive help, Michael. Clear and concise and something we can really use on a practical level. Perhaps you could do some tutorials on how to sketch tonal values in landscapes/still lifes and how to convert them into the correct hues (preferably in soft pastel). I really could be doing with the help. So glad I came across your tutorial. I'll be spending the crest of my day watching any others you've made. Thanks again, mate. Really appreciate artists like you who take the time to help those of us who are dying to create something but run into so many fundamental problems.👍

[@CandypinkHeart]

the best shading video that makes simple sense thanks.

[@solidsnakeeathe]

I had been struggling during a few days, but now it's all simple man, thank you so much really

[@bryanbryan6108]

For

[@Nana1959.]

Thank you for your simple explanations and demonstrations. Not a lot of unnecessary talk, right to the point. Thank you!

[@ElisabethDonati]

I love short and sweet and simple explanations. Thanks. I like 'purple' also!

[@treasuretroves5497]

Appreciate this so much! Wonderful tutorial. Cleared up so many things for me. Thank u so much. Best video I've seen so far on shadows and shading. Takes me to the next level.

[@mykilee5108]

I totally thought you were stoned, and looking at the comment section, glad to know I wasn't the only one- it made the lesson much more enjoyable knowing it was done with a free spirit. The information was absorbed with enthusiasm from my end. Thank you.

[@MichaelSchmittMasterMadCraft]

Far out myan!

[@cindysmith2379]

Your the first person I can understand when it comes to shadowing. Thank you so much

[@mjjeter7169]

Many thanks for this great tutorial. I took notes, and will certainly use your teachings to do shadows appropriately. Also, I will make myself more familiar with the color wheel!

[@BabyChili1]

Thank you so much! I was just adding black to the color. I can't wait to start painting! 🤗

[@olia3333]

Thank you for short and yet clear explanations and nice demos.

[@ABlackCountryWoman]

Thanks, Mike - I knew, instinctively, never to use black from the tube, but I had no idea which colors to use for shadowing acrylic color - I never thought to use the opposite colors on the wheel, to shadow a color object! I was using Umber...even tried Payne's grey which I KNEW wouldn't look good...very strange & unnatural...I am so excited to practice painting shadowed & highlighted spheres, right now!! Again - thanks SO much!!!! Subscribed & will recommend to my friends.

[@roxanner8]

THANK you so much. Being a beginner Im always looking to discover how things are done. YOU hit it out of the park for me today, thank you!

[@janey2562]

Great teaching. No artist provides me this info.explicitly. It's the first time I learn about the use of opposite colors for shadows.

[@stephengreico2810]

Great advice my man “Have fun!” So tough to do but do right

[@7pal101]

When you know what your are teaching you make it simple and easy to understand. Great job thank you.

[@AkelisRain]

This is the best video on shadows, no more adding blacks for me. Thank you!

[@christinebyrne9923]

This sure created beautiful rich colors! I'm eager to try it. Thanks for sharing.

[@jennifernelson4903]

This is absolutely THE BEST, most simple explaination I have EVER read n unfortunately I've read books about shading n didn't get as much understanding as I got in your short video! THANK YOU THANK YOU! I am now a subscriber. Too bad I can only like this once!

[@tonimaiorano8602]

Awesome !!!! I feel as though I learned a lot about color and using the color wheel. Thank you so much for sharing

[@sarahmurphy6759]

used this with my students. you do not appear stoned!

[@cloroxsenpai2277]

😂 wtf

[@deviqntbxnee4713]

Well that explains it 😃

[@germanaderius4053]

Would you be surprised tho ? 👀

[@zychleak6894]

wtf

[@mrssethcohen]

That answered questions I've been asking for too long, thank you. That was lovely.

[@kelliejamel]

Yep! Easy to follow for a beginner like me. Informative and very helpful. Thanks Mike!

[@NumbaOneBuddhaSmoka]

You made this so much more SIMPLE for me THANK YOU

[@kathykaura7219]

"Look how soft that's gettın', Ah yea *snicker*" 😉

[@aasmartist]

I was looking for such a video for a long long time. Finally I found one. Thanks a lot

[@TheHumbuckerboy]

It would also have been good and informative to see a demonstration of cast shadows from each of these coloured balls unto different coloured grounds !

[@eve9929]

For a beginner like me this has been a real help, thanks!

[@danutakania2369]

Your tutorial will be very helpfull to me. Thank you.

[@sambright6856]

Very well done. I like that you also speak to watercolorists.

[@annewatman677]

This is really good. I wish you did more on acrylic painting. I struggle more with highlights than shadows.

[@nitinh2499]

Great video! Very helpful 👍🏼 Thanks for a clear, concise demo.

[@judicollins1779]

Excellent tutorial for this beginner! Thanks. Judi

[@tahminahussain583]

Loved the way you explained that. Thank you!

[@Louisianagirl_1126]

Thanks Michael for this video. You need to do more.

[@watercolourswithronniemoor4670]

Loved this. So clear and simple

[@paulb4061]

Really useful especillay the blue. I wish someone had explained the colour wheel to me 50 years ago! Paul Stratford Upon Avon UK

[@zitavillanueva8894]

Great demo. Now I know how to mix shadow colors.

[@nigeldonaldson1647]

good basic advice, and very helpful. shadows are very deceiving & hard to figure out for their colours, as often as not

[@GabriellaConstance]

OMG thank you so much this video was so helpful!!!!!!!!! I have just gotten back in to painting and had to do shadowing in a portrait and used black (because i couldn't remember anything from art in school) and it completely ruined my painting and I was about to give up when I found this video it honestly makes so much sense now and I really appreciate the help! I'm gonna try some shadowing tomorrow before I get back in and try fix up my portrait! Thanks again!

[@MichaelSchmittMasterMadCraft]

Of course. I am so glad to help. Yellow and purple make a great shadow color for many skin tones.

[@GabriellaConstance]

Thanks!

[@relaxvideomusic]

Thanks

[@igorpontes9954]

That was good Bob Ross kind of tutorial, dude. I can see that you try to use the same tone as him, good call.

[@semacohen]

Very helpful. Thank you. Your light was giving a glare, but very helpful.

[@ocriodain]

great tutorial Michael

[@squishy8758]

Thanks! I really liked the video and I'm excited to get started on my painting

[@darleneweir793]

Best tutorial !!! Thank you

[@dianefleming8534]

Basic but easy to understand approach for a newbie like me. Thanks for this great video. I changed the intensity of my computer display to be able to appreciate the colors more...your video lighting is a bit strong at at times but that is not a show stopper. Out come the brushes and paints for a little bit of practice!

[@punishedsnake6141]

Diane Fleming We are all so glad you basically approve more or less.

[@patriciareyes1108]

This was awesome!!!! Thank you!

[@petercope6474]

thanks a lot for this info , I found that it helped me a lot to understand how too paint shadows which I have never really had much joy with before but watching your demonstration worked for me , thanks again for your time man.

[@ivaprosser7493]

Love this I understand now why my shadows always looked out of place. Thank you

[@Soltice-ty2nf]

Me too

[@IFRSKIES]

Nice video. Good delivery of the subject matter.

[@theycallmeken]

This is so what I needed. Thanks 👍🏾

[@missthompson2314]

Beautiful!! This is extremely helpful!

[@Emnaandmehdi]

I love this guy,he helped me so much!(coming from a BEGINNER artist) :)

[@lallope]

excellent using the color wheel and demonstrating how complementing colors create excellent shadows. I have had a very hard time teaching this to students, they run for black. Excellent not using black and demonstrating it. hues and imitations/ substitute colors are another thing.

[@carlottawinters6124]

This was a very helpful video. Thank you!

[@hamdikhalifa]

simple and clear. thanks for this video!

[@arazahraworld5116]

just find out bout your channel, its old i know but still gonna say thanks, now i am sharing this with my students.

[@valerie1white]

This was so helpful to me!!! Thank you!

[@pinkswift1D]

thank you for this I always wonder about the shadows on paintings

[@angelamaxwell59]

Thank you Michael that was very helpful!🎨👍🌈

[@DS40764]

TY. This concept was never really explained to me and I was just thinking about that recently when implementing a shadow for a tree- I used dark green/brown. green red combo would have been better

[@michaelstruss2545]

When adding the lights and shadowing you can do this when example the red ball is dry?

[@TheJustIF]

thanks for the video 👍 It was very nice to watch, this is a very soulful video 😌

[@davidfonseca7061]

Thank you Michael your video is clear nd informative , I would be grateful for a reply to my query which is for the highlights since ur using a combination of yellow and white does this go on top of the base color or mixed into it

[@hekmatadam6972]

great lesson, god bless you

[@SparksIsSparky]

I've been watching so many totorallys to show me how to paint and every time i see them paint i look at there hands and see how clean they stay while painting and then i look at my hands (I'm painting while watching this vid) and then i wonder "HOW DO THEY KEEP THEIR HANDS SO DAMN CLEAN OMFG!!!!" Xp

[@miacrivitsgoei5398]

Great video. Thank you.

[@bernegozzi12]

Thank you so much, good job

[@BlueTeaArt]

Thank you for this useful information

[@brookebricks1053]

and what would be the colour of the cast shadow?

[@shereentimmerman4164]

Thank you for sharing this.

[@MichaelSchmittMasterMadCraft]

Shereen Timmerman No problem. I'm glad it helped you.

[@raymondcara8034]

Great video!

[@artieross9537]

Great video.

[@elviraberry2942]

TY for the excellent video.

[@goodtime4reboot]

Good info, can always learn more...

[@fritzlehmann28]

Thanks for Video. Very helpful for me!

[@Soltice-ty2nf]

Wow!! This is the best video i have seen. I have a lot of problems with shadows. How would i transfer this knowledge when i have to do skin color palets?

[@vidyawitch]

Thank u so much. Very good information.

[@DahHar117]

Would you paint the shadow cast on the table/plane/surface the spheres sit on with the same color?

[@normalaurent4960]

Very nice video, thank you!

[@appleknocker56]

Just learning which colors to use for shadows & ty for this video as was going to use orange to shade some place on blue pants! Now going to try Burnt Umber. My question is must you use a cool shadow w a cool color? If you use a warm color for a shadow to a cool color will it look strange? Ty

[@MichaelSchmittMasterMadCraft]

There are warm colors in shadows sometimes. It depends on your light source and any bounce light coming off of subject. Regardless you can paint whatever you want. If it works it works. Shadows just require a correct value of light for your brain to register it as a shadow. Color comes after value.

[@total3211]

Thank you!

[@YVZSTUDIOS]

Very well explained! :^)

[@kalakardayal]

Its very helpful thankx for this video

[@noemieb3260]

Thank you so much !

[@fabrizio483]

You can make a great black with Ultramarine and Burnt Umber... you can take towards warm or cold depending on the proportions.

[@MichaelSchmittMasterMadCraft]

+Fabrizio Aldonne That is a great point. I love playing with those colors on skin.

[@najaraeatsyourface]

I am now a fan of you I wish we could hang out and just paint the day away you seem like and awesome dude yo. forever be a fan now

[@awonawon8340]

Sooooooooooo beautiful

[@ilinkadrieu2637]

thank you, i struggle so much with shadows,

[@JoannaDinMitchew]

Thank you, great tutorial (very stoned yeah hehe), but where did you get the purple from? :)

[@MichaelSchmittMasterMadCraft]

I don't know where I got the paint but I remember it was the pigment Ultramarine Purple.

[@jamesdougherty2271]

Read Betty Edwards book on "Color Theory." Complete all the exercises, which gives one a good understanding and application of color theory.

[@Shoreline4Iron]

Thank you, it helped!

[@zxcvbnm6669]

Great video

[@leesa5118]

Hi Michael, I never had the opportunity to go to art school or anything so every step in my understanding of painting has been a slow one! Your video was very, very helpful for me. Can I just ask you, is this theory also used for cast shadows? I know you have to use different colours depending on what the shadow is on (ie grass, water etc), but I can't quite get which colours to use!

[@MichaelSchmittMasterMadCraft]

leesa5118 Cast shadows are actually not too complicated. First see if you can cast a shadow onto the shadow surface by holding a stick/pen in front of the light source. If a shadow from the pen appears on the surface that depends on how much white you should add to your shadow color. If there is no shadow I do not suggest to add any white to the paint unless the surface itself is white. Now for glass and water there are elements that alter the shadow. Both substances like to bend and bounce light. Often you will catch light reflecting into the center of the shadow in the shadow of a glass of water. Now the color of the cast shadow will depend on the color of the light source and the color of the surface the shadow is on. This is very easy to see when you set up a white still life. Contrasting colors will still apply here. In a white still life a yellow/orange lamp will project blue/purple shadows. Other elements can also effect the color. The object casting the shadow can add color if it is reflective. Naturally there will be color from the casting object anyway. However, if say you were painting a glass Christmas ornament then it will add much more color to the cast shadow. Shadows are what your eye can NOT see. Shadows are confusing to the human eye. Naturally they will look muddy. An instrument called a color picker will help you when your eyes are confused. You can make one out of cardboard. Squinting your eyes will help you see the value of your shadows. I am very glad to hear how much this helped you. I hope this mini tutorial helped you as well. Take care. - Michael

[@leesa5118]

Yes it has! Of course in the art world, one question leads to another so i continue my journey tapping into the experience of generous artists such as yourself! Thank you once again.

[@avalueddeke6348]

darker shade of the color can make a shadow effect

[@alaaadam3996]

Thanks for this 💙 It's really helpfull

[@sekai2410]

Nice video.. Thank you!

[@Sahgee]

this was very helpful! can you please do a quick demo on creating shadows of a white object? such as the shadows of teeth or a white ball in a white background or a white wall? thank you so much if you can do that

[@MichaelSchmittMasterMadCraft]

+Sahgee Totally.

[@Sahgee]

+Michael Schmitt (Master MadCraft) thank you SO much. you're the best and i value the time and effort you put into your videos. :) thank you sir.

[@MichaelSchmittMasterMadCraft]

Sahgee Oh wow. Thank you