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Transparent and Reflective
Surfaces
Things to look for when Observing and Drawing
Transparent and
Reflective Surfaces
Transparent and reflective qualities are distinct
from other surface qualities in that they interact
with their environment in unique ways beyond just
light and shadow.Transparent allows you to see
what is behind the surface, and reflective reiterates
what is in front of the surface. Windows and
mirrors.They also change the appearance of what
is around them in consistent ways.The following
examples will give you some specific points to look
for when approaching transparent and reflective
surfaces.There are many types of transparencies,
and many types of reflective surfaces, however, so
know these points and actively look to see if they
are true in your subject and adjust accordingly.
Always let your eye be the final judge.
Transparency
Transparent objects used to confuse me when
attempting to draw them. If something is
transparent, it’s basically invisible, right? And how
do you draw something that’s invisible? Clearly (no
pun intended) transparent objects, typically of
glass or polymer, aren’t at all invisible, but it can be
tricky figuring out how to balance out what is
visible behind an object and the object itself.
The first answer is value.
Here I have stacked three sheets of paper, one
white, one gray, and one black. In front of these
sheets I have placed a pane of glass on the left side.
Note the difference in value of each tone of paper
from behind the glass versus not:Glass No Glass
The white sheet at top drops a step in value.
So does the grey sheet.
The black sheet, however, steps up slightly in value.
The first rule of thumb for capturing transparent
surfaces is:
The range of values seen through a
transparent surface will appear more
limited than they truly are.
In other words, dark values will not be quite as
dark, and light values will not be quite as light
when viewed through transparency.This also
means there will never be bright whites or solid
blacks. Save those for other areas of your drawing.
Glass No Glass
Distortion
Window panes are one thing, but we typically
experience transparent surfaces as objects, such as
glasses or bottles or vases, and these shapes tend
to distort the appearance of what is behind them in
subtle but important ways.
Think about a magnifying glass; narrow at the
edges but thick in the center.This changes the light
patterns bouncing off the object as they travel
through the glass and magnifies or enlarges the
appearance of whatever you are looking at through
the glass. Magnification is a form of distortion.
Take a look at these two bottles and identify where
distortion is taking place.
Here we have two bottles sitting in front of two
tones of paper; gray on top and black on the
bottom. If you look where the two sheets meet
between the bottles, you see a crisp line dividing
the two tones.
Now look at what’s happening as this crisp line
travels behind the bottles.There is little difference
in the center of the round bottle on the left or the
flat areas of the cube bottle on the right. At the
edges, however, things start to get a little
psychedelic.
With the round bottle, we are looking through
more glass at the edges than in the center. In the
center, we are essentially looking through two
panes of glass. At the edges, however, we are
looking through a thick layer of glass as the surface
turns away from us. As with our magnifying glass
example, this means that distortion will be most
prominent here.
Similarly, with the cube bottle, the thickness of the
glass is heavier at the edges, creating visual
distortion. Also, when there are sharp changes in
direction of a transparent surface, such as these
corners, there will be distortion happening there as
well.
While there are a number of factors that can create
distortion through a transparency, the two most
common that you will experience can be
summarized as:
Distortions occur according to the visible
thickness of the transparency, such as the
edges of a round bottle…
OR
When there is a sharp change in the
direction of a transparent surface, such as
the edges of a transparent cube.
Solid Transparencies
Does it matter if the transparent object is hollow
versus solid? I would not have created an extra
section on solid transparencies if it didn’t matter. It
does, and for our purposes we are going to look at
one of those bottles now filled with water.
Transparent liquid inside of a transparent
container; let’s see what happens.
Do we have value changes occurring behind the
bottle? Check. (Note how the value of the gray
sheet is darker at the right of the bottle and lighter
on the left; watch for these changes). Is there
distortion happening at the edges? Check.
However, notice the difference in distortion that’s
happening now.When the bottle is full of water,
the thickness of the transparency has changed.
Now, the center of the bottle is the thickest, and is
bending our crisp, straight line down into what
should be the table area. It’s still distorting at the
edges, but now the changes in the depth of the
transparency is creating distortions everywhere.
Here are a few more observations:
Edges have now become very soft, blurry, out-of-
focus.
The water surface at the top is reflecting what is
above it, including the light source, so the water
surface tends to be brighter and higher in value.
Cast shadows will now contain a bright light in
their center.This is due to how light travels
through water or transparent solids.
One more point to make, and I find it the most
interesting:
In solid transparencies, there is a tendency, based
on how far objects are behind the transparent
object, for things to get reversed, a mirror of what
is actually happening behind the object.
Here we have a red square behind the bottle to the
left, and a blue circle behind the bottle to the right.
What do you see happening?
Yep.The blue circle is showing up on the left, and
the red square showing up on the right within the
bottle. A mirror of what is actually behind the
bottle itself.This doesn’t happen in an empty
bottle, nor does it happen to objects that are very
close or touching the bottle from behind.
Key takeaways for solid transparencies:
Edges become soft and blurry
Distortions throughout
Top of water or liquid mirrors what is
happening above, typically including the
light source and therefore brighter and
higher in value
Strong light transfusion into the cast
shadow
Reversal, or mirror, of objects behind the
object when viewed through the object
Reflective Surfaces
Reflective surfaces essentially operate as mirrors;
they reflect back what is in front of them.
However, all mirrors aren’t the same. Ever notice
how you look good in some mirrors, and vice-versa
how terrible you look in other mirrors? No? Pay
attention and you will.
A more extreme example are “funhouse” mirrors.
You’ve seen them.They make you look silly in fun
ways; now you’re a dwarf, now you’re Slenderman.
Oh look!Your entire abdomen just disappeared!
You’re a floating, disembodied head!
Congratulations!
Funhouse mirrors are cool because they don’t pull
any punches.You can clearly see how they
manipulate the information that comes from them
by bending, twisting, and warping the reflective
surface you are looking at.
These same bends, twists, and warps are one of
the first keys to capturing reflective surfaces. When
all objects are built from basic forms like cylinders,
spheres, and cubes, those bends and twists
translate into the same distortions as funhouse
mirrors. And that’s a lot of bends and twists!
It helps to recognize what is being reflected from a
surface. After all, an informed artist creates an
informed drawing. Understandably though, those
distortions can become confusing. So the first rule
of of reflective surfaces is:
See the shapes of value in a reflective
surface and capture those.
Reflective objects also tend to be very smooth with
a slick texture. If you think about the different
objects you’re familiar with that have a reflective
surface, you’ll see the truth in this.
When drawing, this matters at the edges of
objects.With high texture the edges are a great
place to texturize an objectWith reflective
surfaces, these edges become great resources to
show that smooth slick quality. So our second rule
of reflective surfaces:
Keep edges of reflective objects crisp,
smooth, and clean.
Remember how transparencies tend to blur edges
and soften contrast? Oddly enough, reflective
surfaces tend to do just the opposite.
Whereas transparencies tend to mute the value
range of things, reflective surfaces tend to gain
more contrast.Transparencies push toward grey.
Reflective surfaces push towards extreme darks
and lights.
Give more contrast to the shapes within a
reflective surface. In general, shapes will
be very dark or very light.
And the edges of things in a reflective surface? A
highly reflective surface makes everything appear
crisp and sharp.Those reflected shapes will have
clean edges, regardless of what is being reflected.
So:
Keep reflected edges of shapes crisp and
smooth.
These rules for reflective surfaces are general and
best apply to highly mirrored surfaces such a
stainless steel and chrome, but there are a lot of
factors that should be considered when working
with reflective surfaces.The type of material will
change the effects, as will the treatment of the
reflective surface. For instance, a less polished
surface, such as a brushed steel, will have soft
edges and less contrast than a polished surface.
So always let your eyes dictate what to do.
That rule goes for transparencies as well. Know the
basic rules, but always, always, always:
Let your eyes dictate what to do.
In conclusion…
With transparent surfaces:
The range of values seen through a transparent surface will appear more limited than they truly are.
Distortions occur according to the visible thickness of the transparency, such as the edges of a round bottle.
When there is a sharp change in the direction of a transparent surface, such as the edges of a transparent cube.
With solid transparencies:
Edges become soft and blurry.
Distortions throughout.
Top of water or liquid mirrors what is happening above, typically including the light source and therefore brighter and higher in value.
Strong light transfusion into the cast shadow.
Reversal, or mirror, of objects behind the object when viewed through the object.
With Reflective Surfaces:
See the shapes of value in a reflective surface and capture those.
Keep edges of reflective objects crisp, smooth, and clean.
Give more contrast to the shapes within a reflective surface. In general, shapes will be very dark or very light.
Keep reflected edges of shapes crisp and smooth.
And always:
Let your eyes dictate what to do.

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Drawing Transparent and Reflective Surfaces

  • 1. Transparent and Reflective Surfaces Things to look for when Observing and Drawing
  • 2. Transparent and Reflective Surfaces Transparent and reflective qualities are distinct from other surface qualities in that they interact with their environment in unique ways beyond just light and shadow.Transparent allows you to see what is behind the surface, and reflective reiterates what is in front of the surface. Windows and mirrors.They also change the appearance of what is around them in consistent ways.The following examples will give you some specific points to look for when approaching transparent and reflective surfaces.There are many types of transparencies, and many types of reflective surfaces, however, so know these points and actively look to see if they are true in your subject and adjust accordingly. Always let your eye be the final judge.
  • 3. Transparency Transparent objects used to confuse me when attempting to draw them. If something is transparent, it’s basically invisible, right? And how do you draw something that’s invisible? Clearly (no pun intended) transparent objects, typically of glass or polymer, aren’t at all invisible, but it can be tricky figuring out how to balance out what is visible behind an object and the object itself. The first answer is value. Here I have stacked three sheets of paper, one white, one gray, and one black. In front of these sheets I have placed a pane of glass on the left side.
  • 4. Note the difference in value of each tone of paper from behind the glass versus not:Glass No Glass The white sheet at top drops a step in value. So does the grey sheet. The black sheet, however, steps up slightly in value.
  • 5. The first rule of thumb for capturing transparent surfaces is: The range of values seen through a transparent surface will appear more limited than they truly are. In other words, dark values will not be quite as dark, and light values will not be quite as light when viewed through transparency.This also means there will never be bright whites or solid blacks. Save those for other areas of your drawing. Glass No Glass
  • 6. Distortion Window panes are one thing, but we typically experience transparent surfaces as objects, such as glasses or bottles or vases, and these shapes tend to distort the appearance of what is behind them in subtle but important ways. Think about a magnifying glass; narrow at the edges but thick in the center.This changes the light patterns bouncing off the object as they travel through the glass and magnifies or enlarges the appearance of whatever you are looking at through the glass. Magnification is a form of distortion. Take a look at these two bottles and identify where distortion is taking place.
  • 7. Here we have two bottles sitting in front of two tones of paper; gray on top and black on the bottom. If you look where the two sheets meet between the bottles, you see a crisp line dividing the two tones. Now look at what’s happening as this crisp line travels behind the bottles.There is little difference in the center of the round bottle on the left or the flat areas of the cube bottle on the right. At the edges, however, things start to get a little psychedelic.
  • 8. With the round bottle, we are looking through more glass at the edges than in the center. In the center, we are essentially looking through two panes of glass. At the edges, however, we are looking through a thick layer of glass as the surface turns away from us. As with our magnifying glass example, this means that distortion will be most prominent here. Similarly, with the cube bottle, the thickness of the glass is heavier at the edges, creating visual distortion. Also, when there are sharp changes in direction of a transparent surface, such as these corners, there will be distortion happening there as well.
  • 9. While there are a number of factors that can create distortion through a transparency, the two most common that you will experience can be summarized as: Distortions occur according to the visible thickness of the transparency, such as the edges of a round bottle… OR When there is a sharp change in the direction of a transparent surface, such as the edges of a transparent cube.
  • 10. Solid Transparencies Does it matter if the transparent object is hollow versus solid? I would not have created an extra section on solid transparencies if it didn’t matter. It does, and for our purposes we are going to look at one of those bottles now filled with water. Transparent liquid inside of a transparent container; let’s see what happens. Do we have value changes occurring behind the bottle? Check. (Note how the value of the gray sheet is darker at the right of the bottle and lighter on the left; watch for these changes). Is there distortion happening at the edges? Check.
  • 11. However, notice the difference in distortion that’s happening now.When the bottle is full of water, the thickness of the transparency has changed. Now, the center of the bottle is the thickest, and is bending our crisp, straight line down into what should be the table area. It’s still distorting at the edges, but now the changes in the depth of the transparency is creating distortions everywhere.
  • 12. Here are a few more observations: Edges have now become very soft, blurry, out-of- focus. The water surface at the top is reflecting what is above it, including the light source, so the water surface tends to be brighter and higher in value. Cast shadows will now contain a bright light in their center.This is due to how light travels through water or transparent solids.
  • 13. One more point to make, and I find it the most interesting: In solid transparencies, there is a tendency, based on how far objects are behind the transparent object, for things to get reversed, a mirror of what is actually happening behind the object. Here we have a red square behind the bottle to the left, and a blue circle behind the bottle to the right. What do you see happening? Yep.The blue circle is showing up on the left, and the red square showing up on the right within the bottle. A mirror of what is actually behind the bottle itself.This doesn’t happen in an empty bottle, nor does it happen to objects that are very close or touching the bottle from behind.
  • 14. Key takeaways for solid transparencies: Edges become soft and blurry Distortions throughout Top of water or liquid mirrors what is happening above, typically including the light source and therefore brighter and higher in value Strong light transfusion into the cast shadow Reversal, or mirror, of objects behind the object when viewed through the object
  • 15. Reflective Surfaces Reflective surfaces essentially operate as mirrors; they reflect back what is in front of them. However, all mirrors aren’t the same. Ever notice how you look good in some mirrors, and vice-versa how terrible you look in other mirrors? No? Pay attention and you will. A more extreme example are “funhouse” mirrors. You’ve seen them.They make you look silly in fun ways; now you’re a dwarf, now you’re Slenderman. Oh look!Your entire abdomen just disappeared! You’re a floating, disembodied head! Congratulations! Funhouse mirrors are cool because they don’t pull any punches.You can clearly see how they manipulate the information that comes from them by bending, twisting, and warping the reflective surface you are looking at.
  • 16. These same bends, twists, and warps are one of the first keys to capturing reflective surfaces. When all objects are built from basic forms like cylinders, spheres, and cubes, those bends and twists translate into the same distortions as funhouse mirrors. And that’s a lot of bends and twists! It helps to recognize what is being reflected from a surface. After all, an informed artist creates an informed drawing. Understandably though, those distortions can become confusing. So the first rule of of reflective surfaces is: See the shapes of value in a reflective surface and capture those.
  • 17. Reflective objects also tend to be very smooth with a slick texture. If you think about the different objects you’re familiar with that have a reflective surface, you’ll see the truth in this. When drawing, this matters at the edges of objects.With high texture the edges are a great place to texturize an objectWith reflective surfaces, these edges become great resources to show that smooth slick quality. So our second rule of reflective surfaces: Keep edges of reflective objects crisp, smooth, and clean.
  • 18. Remember how transparencies tend to blur edges and soften contrast? Oddly enough, reflective surfaces tend to do just the opposite. Whereas transparencies tend to mute the value range of things, reflective surfaces tend to gain more contrast.Transparencies push toward grey. Reflective surfaces push towards extreme darks and lights. Give more contrast to the shapes within a reflective surface. In general, shapes will be very dark or very light.
  • 19. And the edges of things in a reflective surface? A highly reflective surface makes everything appear crisp and sharp.Those reflected shapes will have clean edges, regardless of what is being reflected. So: Keep reflected edges of shapes crisp and smooth.
  • 20. These rules for reflective surfaces are general and best apply to highly mirrored surfaces such a stainless steel and chrome, but there are a lot of factors that should be considered when working with reflective surfaces.The type of material will change the effects, as will the treatment of the reflective surface. For instance, a less polished surface, such as a brushed steel, will have soft edges and less contrast than a polished surface. So always let your eyes dictate what to do. That rule goes for transparencies as well. Know the basic rules, but always, always, always: Let your eyes dictate what to do.
  • 21. In conclusion… With transparent surfaces: The range of values seen through a transparent surface will appear more limited than they truly are. Distortions occur according to the visible thickness of the transparency, such as the edges of a round bottle. When there is a sharp change in the direction of a transparent surface, such as the edges of a transparent cube. With solid transparencies: Edges become soft and blurry. Distortions throughout. Top of water or liquid mirrors what is happening above, typically including the light source and therefore brighter and higher in value. Strong light transfusion into the cast shadow. Reversal, or mirror, of objects behind the object when viewed through the object. With Reflective Surfaces: See the shapes of value in a reflective surface and capture those. Keep edges of reflective objects crisp, smooth, and clean. Give more contrast to the shapes within a reflective surface. In general, shapes will be very dark or very light. Keep reflected edges of shapes crisp and smooth. And always: Let your eyes dictate what to do.