Tutored Life Drawing Blog Week 09: Tonal Shapes (Patreon)

An observed area, or 'shape', of a single tonal value, or narrow range of tonal values play an important role in observational drawing and can be drawn as distinct tonal shape. Learning to simplify complex patterns of tonal values into clear shapes will help make potentially confusing subject more visually 'digestible' and give you more control over the tonal design of your drawing. This lesson covers the basics of observing and drawing tonal shapes. 

Main image: 'Mary'

Tonal Shapes in Light and Shadow

One of the simplest uses of tonal shapes is to split the observed tone into shadow and light. Light and shadow shapes are created by a light source being directed at the subject, describing the subject's form and shape.

This figure is drawn in tonal shapes, with relatively little contour information.

Try to ignore smaller fluctuations within the shadows or lights at first.  The simplest approach uses one tone to block in the entire shadow area. This creates a very graphic result; for some methods of drawing, this is all that is desired, but it is also a useful starting point for a longer effort in tonal values. 

By splitting the shadow and light areas, small fluctuations in tone are easier to control. A common mistake in tonal drawing is over-exaggerating small variations in tone within the shadow or light areas. This creates a 'patchy shading' look, or can result in overly dark skin tones. By splitting the shadow and light up early on, the tonal ranges of each are 'fenced in'. The shadows and the lights should occupy different tonal ranges, and not overlap.

The majority of tonal values in the skin are lighter than any tonal values in the hair. Therefore the lightest hair tones are darker than the darkest skin tones.

Using Tonal Shapes

Try squinting, or blurring your eyes to sampling your tonal shapes. This blurs out local variations. If the shapes are still fragmented, try looking for where they connect. Try to be brave; it can feel like a big commitment to put down a large area of tone!

Observed figure

In the image on the right the tonal shapes are more unified, improving the clarity of the drawing.

Merging shadow shapes into the largest possible units whilst maintaining the clarity of the drawing will help unify the subject. Longer drawings allow for a big-to-small work process. If the big, simple ideas work well early on in the process, additional details will have a solid foundation. When drawing in tonal values this helps compare smaller shadow shapes with less contrast between them.

Tonal shapes also play a role in indicating three dimensional volumes. Shadow shapes are a direct result on light falling on a volume, and the human brain is good at interpreting this by looking at the shadows.

Three dimensional forms rendered by their shadow shapes. Whilst abstract as pure shadow shapes, it is possible to understand the volumes' structure through a familiarity of light and shadow.

Be mindful of the convex and concave edges to shadows. As a cast shadow's edge curves, it is following the surface it is cast on. Form shadows show how forms turn away from the light source.

The Bigger Picture: Tonal Shapes and Composition

Tonal shapes also play a vital role in pictorial composition. To make better use of them, compress the tonal values into limited ranges. Most commonly, this is anything between two to five different tones. Things can get too complicated when working beyond five tones. There are three images below: 

1) A two-tone image, using only black and white, is the simplest way to reduce a composition. This is an excellent way to find the major shapes in an image, or deal with a composition with only one or two different local tonal values.

2) Three tones adds a grey midtone to the two-tone arrangement. There are many tones between black and white, but here there is only one grey. This means picking a threshold for what counts as black and white; anything darker than a certain tone is black, and anything lighter than another tone is white. The grey covers everything between.

3) Using four or five tones starts to open the option of more midtones – a dark, light, and possibly medium grey. This is more helpful for managing lots of local tonal values, especially objects of different colours.

The same composition in 2, 3 and 5 tones.

These simplified versions of tonal arrangements should help with creating clear separations between tonal areas. They should serve as a starting point, possibly as a sketch done before engaging in a longer effort.

Different Uses for Tonal Shapes in Art

Domenico Beccafumi - 'Saint Philip' (Source: New York MET)

This woodblock print uses solid shadow shapes to render the figure. This is a dramatic example of chiaroscuro: a drawing approach that pushes the contrast between light and shadow to render a subject.

The shadow and light shapes are unified into large blocks. This makes it easier for the observer to understand shapes of light and dark as a figure. Only a handful of shadow shapes are left 'floating' – most are connected to the larger areas.

Anton Maria Zanetti the Elder - 'The Apostle Saint James' (Source: New York MET)

This is another woodblock print that uses tonal shapes. The paper acts as a midtone, on with shadow and light shapes are placed. There are two shadow tones; the lighter one creates the large shadow shapes, and the darker tone picks out the details of the darkest shadows, such as the fabric folds. Light tones clarify the structure, especially the orientation of the limbs against the supposed light source.

Even though this print is made in only three tones, plus that of the paper, it has a strong sense of clarity, and is a good example of how to break up complex details into tonal shapes.

Karl Isakson - 'Standing Female Nude' (Greyscale version on the right.) (Source: Open SMK)

The colours in this painting are not strictly accurate to observed colour. Colour hues are synthesised to achieve a stronger effect, such as combining complementary red and green areas. However, if the painting is viewed in greyscale, the tonal shapes show clear shadow and light areas.

It is possible to manipulate colours in dramatic ways if the tonal plan is sound. Seeing past colour to work with tone in this way is a challenge, as it is hard for the eye to discard this element when drawing or painting.

Peter Paul Rubens + Jan Brueghel - The Feast of Acheloüs (Greyscale version on the right.) (Source: New York MET)

This complex composition leans heavily on tonal shapes to ensure that it is clear for the viewer. Arranging so many figures in an environment is a big challenge; this painting was planned and designed by Rubens, who may well have done this by sketching it out in tonal shapes.

The figures around the main table stand out against the dark background, almost creating silouettes, and serve as a compositional focus. Light and shadow is present on the figures, to show form through a light source from the top right. However, the shadows are restricted – they don't get as dark as the background.  Comparitively, the figures on the far right barely stand out against the background.

Key Points to remember about tonal shape:

• Tonal shapes simplify tonal values into broader areas of tone.
• It is possible to use tonal shapes to separate light and shadow into their own tonal ranges.
• Strong tonal shape arrangements may be simplified down to five or fewer tones.
• Tonal shapes play an important role in the clarity of tonal drawings.

Over to You – Seeing and Using Tonal Shape

Recommended Materials: Black felt pen, graphite, charcoal

Further Reading: Week 0: Tone, Week 08: Tonal Values 

Exercise 1: Two Tone Figure Studies

Draw the figure using tonal shape alone. Try to avoid any contour lines, and only draw the shadows on figure. Use the shape to describe the pose and figure as clearly as possible. One of the best tools for this exercise is a black felt pen. This exercise can be done from photo reference or a live class, though it helps if there is a clear, directional light source.

These figures where drawn in felt pen, directly in shape.

Exercise 2: Artist Thumbnail Studies

Using anything between two and five discreet tones, pick some artists' drawings or paintings  and try reproducing them as thumbnail studies. These are small drawings focusing on the major shapes of tones, ignoring details in order to understand the larger ideas underpinning the composition. This is a great exercise for improving your own compositional skills, and learning to compress light and shadow into tonal ranges in different ways.

These thumbnail studies are from paintings by Isaac Levitan (top row), Edgar Payne (bottom left) and Dennis Miller Bunker (bottom right).

Exercise 3: Lineless Tonal Drawing

Drawing with shape can be a challenging step to take. Often linear drawing is a common starting point and comfort zone. In this exercise, pick any subject you like with lots of tonal contrasts, either through strong light and dark shadows, or local tonal values – avoid mixing both to keep things simple! Work in shape alone and avoid drawing with lines entirely.

With this approach, the medium is important, as some materials lend themselves more readily to drawing shapes. Charcoal, conté sticks and graphite sticks offer malleable options that can produce broad swaths of tone. Another great medium for drawing directly in shape is ink, either through thick grey and black pens, or ink and wash.

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Further links

>> Watch the Week 09: Tonal Shape main lesson HERE (Student & Life Tiers)  
>> Watch the Week 09: Tonal Shape demo HERE (Student & Life Tiers)

Find links to the whole Tutored Life Drawing Course HERE