Giovanni Civardi shares his great expertise in drawing light and shade, beginning with the basics of drawing simple 3D shapes. There are sections on shadows and cast shadows, simplifying tone, methods of shading, form and relief, composition, the perspective of shadows and many more. We also learn a little bit about how light and shade have been used thoughout the history of art. Finally the artist shows through his own superb drawings how the techniques and principles learned can be put into practice.

Author Biography

GIOVANNI CIVARDI was born in Milan in 1947. While training to become a sculptor, portrait artist and illustrator at the Free Life-Study School of the Accademia di Brera, he also studied medicine and surgery. For over a decade, he worked as an illustrator, producing commissions for newspapers, magazines and book covers. During frequent trips to France and Denmark, Civardi put on one-man exhibitions of this work and pursued his interest in studying the relationship between medical anatomy and the human form as depicted by the artist. His experience gained from teaching anatomy, life drawing and portraiture in schools and institutions over many years has led to the publication of numerous books in which Civardi's experiences are brought into focus.