The Meaning Of Light And Dark In Terms Of Shape

You have learned that shading of light and dark gives an object shape.
But how does this help you? How can you bring this into practice?
Darkness tells your brain that there is depth; light tells the brain that something is raised. In other words, high points in your drawing should be highlighted; deep or sunken points need to be covered up in darkness.
Cheeks are usually highlighted, the inside corner of the mouth is in depth so it is darker, and when drawing an animal this usually also applies for fur and muscle structure. Upon drawing a flat area you give it one smooth shade, the same throughout the area you wish to apply it to. The moment you darken the shade the area seems to slant down, and as soon as you begin to highlight the area seems to elevate.
And that is just the thing you need: you want to delude the viewer of your drawing that they are actually looking at a three dimensional picture instead of a two dimensional one. That is the key in creating depth, that is the key in creating a realistic drawing. The more contrast you use, the better you define the shape of your subject.

I know this might be too much information, and you won't be able to keep in mind everything. Do try. If you really want to learn, practice. Practice, using the right technique, a technique that works, that applies shading in a blending way. If you practice, all this foreign, new information I just handed to you will become natural, as if it has always been part of your original drawing technique.

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