#shadow projection

TIP 109 Cast Shadow using the “Parallel source of light”

To make your sketch pop out from the background, it’s essential to add a Cast shadow. The “cast shadow” projects the shadow of an object on a surface (basically the ground surface).

I basically use 2 methods at drawing the cast shadow:

the Parallel source of light

the Diverging source of light

Let’s see today the most simple one, the cast shadow with the Parallel source light.

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Off the top, let me say that I didn't come up with these exercises. You can message me if you'd like details.

I thought it might be helpful if, along with the previous post, I included two short and easy exercises in self-perception. The way this is broken down is: exercise then explanation. Let's just jump right into it.

Exercise 1: Shadow Projection and You

Step 1. In either a text document or on a sheet of paper, list three people whom you admire. It's best if these are people you know personally, but you can use fictional characters, celebrities, politicians, philosophers, etc.

Step 2. For each of those people, write out the three qualities you most admire.

Step 3. In the same text document or on the same sheet of paper, list three people whom you despise. Again, it's best if these are people you know personally, but they don't have to be.

Step 4. For each of those people, write out the three qualities you most despise.

Step 5. Look at each list of qualities. Read them out loud and keep them in mind for the explanation.

Exercise 1: Explanation

Now, let's talk about Shadow projection. If you're not familiar with the concept of the Shadow you can learn about it here. Briefly, and very simply put, the Shadow is a composite of all of the personality traits that you don't think of as being "you" (your persona). The Shadow contains both good and bad traits, all of which are unconscious. In D&D terms, you might say it's true neutral. Shadow projection is what happens when you, unconsciously, attribute things in your own shadow to other people.

Now you know the key to this exercise: the things you've listed that you admire in other people, as well as the things you despise in other people, are projections. In some form or another, perhaps not quite as strongly, those things exist in you. The reason you admire or despise these people is because you unconsciously recognize that.

The goal with this is to accept and actively embrace those things, good and bad. With the good, work on strengthening them and incorporating them into your conscious self. With the bad, accept and acknowledge them as a part of you, and then work to minimize their influence on your life.

Exercise 2: Behavioral Modeling

Step 1. Imagine a person you admire (either from the list above, or someone else). Again, it's best if this is someone you know personally but it doesn't have to be--it can even be a composite of different people or characters if that works best for you.

Step 2. Now, visualize that person engaging in activities that allow them to express what you admire about them.

Step 3. Analyze their behavior. What are they saying? What are they doing? What does their physical appearance look like? Look at their body language and mannerisms. What do those things suggest about their current and general emotional state?

Step 4. Freeze the image. Take a moment to walk around it and fully process your analysis. When you're done, imagine yourself stepping into that person, essentially becoming them.

Step 5. Unfreeze the image an imagine yourself engaging in those activities as that person. Again, take note what you're saying or doing, your physical appearance, your body language, mannerisms and emotional state.

Do this as often as you need to, when you need to, until those parts of yourself reflected in this person are strong and fully congruent with who you are. In doing this, the expression of those traits may and probably will change but that's OK. That's the whole point, really.

Exercise 2: Explanation

I'm not entirely certain "behavioral modeling" is the correct terminology to use, but it's the best fit I can think of. You can learn more here, but the gist is this: you observe and analyze a real or existing behavioral system, and then simulate it as best you can.

In doing this exercise, or even reading this explanation, you might think, "But I'm not being genuine to myself! I'm being dishonest!" Maybe, maybe not. The point is to get you to think about an ideal version of who you are, and begin to perceive yourself as that person; essentially to think about the person you'd like to be and how they act, think and influence the world around them.

Using someone you respect or admire as a model isn't necessarily being dishonest with yourself. Yes, you're imagining stepping into that person as you perceive them, but the goal is not to become that person. The goal is to strengthen and use those positive traits you see in them which are actually in you (as you learned from the first exercise).

It would be dishonest and ineffectual if you attempted simply to imitate that person. However, emulating the expression of traits that you admire, and that are ultimately within you anyway, gives you the chance to work with and strengthen those traits while finding how you express them best (which is key: as those thing are strengthened beyond the model, you will abandon the model in favor of your own method of expression).