The Shadow Companion: Paint Shadows That Look Right (133-Page PDF Course)

Why do your shadows look muddy, flat or pasted on?

Usually it isn't the paint. It's the light you haven't noticed yet, the value you guessed, or an edge that's the wrong width. The Shadow Companion teaches you to see what a shadow needs, then paint it on purpose.

It's a 133-page illustrated course that takes you from your first useful shadow study to making confident decisions on your own, in watercolour, acrylic, oil or gouache.

What's inside

• 24 illustrated lessons, each a two-page spread: a big idea to remember, three short sections, plus myth checks and key words in the margin

• 24 visual labs with labelled diagrams. Many are 3D renders, so the shadows, halftones and reflected light you see are calculated from the light, not guessed

• 12 guided projects (box and cylinder, white fabric, portraits, dark fur, woodland, buildings, interiors, snow, glass, metal and a landscape repair), each with six decisions to paint through and an "understand your result" page

• A six-page Studio Workshop: one problem, one change, a stop rule

• 6 checkpoint quizzes with answers

• 4 medium guides: watercolour, acrylic, oil and gouache

• A problem finder: "The subject looks flat", "The shadow edge looks cut out" and 10 more, each linked to the lessons and projects that fix it

• 32 myth-or-truth answers, like "Are shadows always cool?" and "Should I ever use black?"

• Printable practice sheets, a progress tracker and a working vocabulary

You'll learn to

• Find the light before you mix a colour

• Tell form shadows from cast shadows

• Group values so your subject reads at a glance

• Fix "muddy" by naming what's actually wrong: value, hue, chroma or handling

• Choose hard and soft edges for a reason

• Paint white, black, skin, glass, metal, foliage and snow in shadow

Who it's for

Painters who can mix a few colours and want their shadows to look right. Beginners can start with the Quick Start and Lessons 1–8; experienced painters can go straight to the problem finder.

Format

• 133-page PDF, US Letter

• Clickable contents, chapter bookmarks and page links

• Reads well on a tablet or computer; practice sheets are printable

• Instant download

About the images

The lesson diagrams are 3D renders and constructed diagrams. They are not photographs of real paint stages, so use your own setup to check colour and handling.

Licence: personal use. Print the practice sheets as often as you like.

Want to look inside first? Download the free 13-page sample.