The text discusses techniques for shading a human face, specifically focusing on areas such as the nose, eyes, and lips. It describes the interaction between light and shadow on these facial features to create a realistic appearance, using concepts like half-tones and reflections. Additionally, it advises on the importance of proper lighting when drawing a head from a bust or from life.
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On the bridge of the nose, there is a reasonably bright light, though not quite the white of the paper used for the tip of the nose, which usually receives the brightest light. Thus, between the two eyebrows, at the root or beginning of the nose, there is a half-tone, which brightens as it passes over the nasal bones, descending a bit stronger below at the height of the nostrils, then diminishing again to leave space for a bright and narrow light on the most protruding part of the nose tip. This is followed by a rather strong shadow, which forms the shape of the end of this organ, then a half-tone that appears all the brighter because the nose casts a shadow on the upper lip, and it is on this shadow that the bottom of the nose stands out in half-tone and even in reflection, because the underside of the nose receives light reflected by the top of the upper lip: the same principle applies to the bottom of the face, which receives light from the chest. The wings of the nose are spherical: to shade them, the same principle applies as for the eyes.
The strongest shadow of the eyes slightly blends into the cheek and onto the lower eyelid, on the side of the tear duct. There is usually a reasonably bright light under the lower eyelid. The cheek, supported by a bone called the cheekbone (os jugal in French), presents a projection that receives more or less light: the greatest light on the cheek is thus under the eye, then the receding part merges into the half-tone. This latter shade joins the shadow on the contour of the face. The same applies on the lit side, except the lights are less vivid and the shadows less dark.
The lower lip, slanting downwards, is always in shadow; but this shadow appears darker at the top of the lip because of the contrast with the bright light on the upper lip; the base of this lip, on the contrary, stands out in relief on a fairly strong shadow that receives from above the mouth opening; the opposition of this shadow makes the base of the lip appear less dark; moreover, the spherical lower lip presents a projection that is lit and reflects light onto the base of the upper lip. The lower lip turns vertically and horizontally. The part that is on the lighted side of the head receives a very bright light, which weakens as it extends over the part on the shadow side. On the almost unlit side, the shadow at the bottom of this lip is very dark; it is less dark on the other side. This shadow is fairly dark at the bottom of the lip, takes its shape, and blends into half-tones to pass into light.
Next is the hollow between the lower lip and the chin: this hollow, at the bottom near the chin, is more or less dark, depending on how more or less swollen that part is. The top, near the lower lip, receives a small reflection. Under the chin, which is bright at the top, this light, descending, slides from the sides, dimming, and the bottom of the chin shines quite strongly, forming the shape of the chin, meeting at each side. Below this shadow is a reflection from the base of the face bright on the neck. On each side of the mouth, below the extremities of the upper lip, are reasonably bright lights cut into near the mouth opening, which lose themselves and blend into half-tone at the bottom of the face, along the contour of the lower lip. At each of these ends outside the upper lip, there is a shadow, but this shadow is not equally dark everywhere. The two ends of this lip are very dark, as in the opening; then there is a small oblique reflection, followed by an equally oblique shadow, which merges in half-tone and passes into the cheek. This shadow greatly contributes to making the mouth smile: the stronger this shadow, the more the cheeks seem to swell, and when one smiles, the corners of the mouth lift (see p. 83), the cheeks are rounder and form a hollow near the corners of the mouth. The more one smiles, the more the corners of the mouth rise and the shadow becomes strong.
Method of illuminating a head.
When drawing and shading a head from a bust or from life, one must first take care to light it well.
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