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Why You Should Paint Shadows First – The Color Strategy That Instantly Clarifies Light & Form – The Atelier Newsletter
Published 21 days ago • 3 min read
You’ve probably heard that it’s best to paint “from dark to light” but what does it really mean?
Starting with your shadows is never mandatory but it helps in multiple ways. It’s a framework that makes everything else much smoother.
Let’s break it down today.
Why You Should Paint Shadows First
Keying Your Values
Setting your value key means establishing the range of darks and lights the painting will live in.
When you begin with the darkest dark (=the key), you immediately define the darkest element of that value scale.
Keying consists in choosing a reference color (called a key color) on the model and on the palette and admitting that they are the same.
Once the key has been established, all the remaining values in the painting are found by comparison from one to the other. Rather than trying to "find" an isolated color, make sure that the difference between the key color and the neighboring color is the same on the model and on the subject. From there, proceed by comparing the colors one by one, every time.
Painting without first establishing the darkest dark is like trying to play an instrument without knowing the right key : everything feels inconsistent and out of tune.
The Structural Impact of Shadow Shapes
Shadow shapes are not just tonal areas — they are an integral part of the structure of your work : they help as much with proportions and likeness (if not more) as they do with values.
"Iris" - 1895 by Bouguereau, notice how the dark shapes frame the composition and contribute to the proportions and likeness.
When you block in the full shadow mass early, you:
– Establish proportions and big relationships right away
– Reinforce the plane structure of your subject
– Separate light from shadow in a clean, graphic way
– Prevent overmodeling before the foundation is set
Shadow shapes carve the form for you. They give you the “big puzzle pieces” before you worry about the smaller ones. This is another reason why we start with darks: because the shadow mass functions like a blueprint: if the shadow is correct, the underlying form is almost guaranteed to read correctly later.
Add Variety on Top of the Dark Tones
A common misconception is that the shadow mass should be a flat, dead area. In reality, the best painters introduce subtle variety within it. That’s why we need to paint the shadows first, and then bring variety and embellishments.
Once the basic shadow shape is down, you can layer:
– Reflected lights (cool or warm depending on the environment)
– Temperature shifts that clarify planes
– Chromatic accents like violets, reds, or greens depending on the situation
– Soft gradations that reveal the turning of form
This variety is gentle (never brighter than the light family) but it brings life into what would otherwise be a lifeless mass. If you don’t start with shadows first, it’s very hard to keep tone consistency under control and very often you can end up with reflected light taht are lighter than the midtones.
The rule is simple: Shadows can have color and variation, but they must never compete with the light.
Keep the Highlights for the End
Leaving highlights for the final stage of the painting gives you two major advantages:
1. Cleaner Color
If you add lights too early, they mix with the wet darks and turn muddy. By waiting until the end, you can:
– Place thick, opaque strokes that stay pure
– Let lights sit on top without contamination
– Use impasto or texture to enhance the impression of brightness
This is why painters talk about “preserving your whites.”
2. Stronger Impact
When highlights are the last layer, they naturally become:
– Fresher
– Full of texture
– More intentional
– More opaque
Final Thoughts:
Painting shadows first is one of the simplest ways to achieve clarity in your work: – You establish your value key – You structure your forms early – You enrich the shadows with controlled color – You protect the purity of the highlight
It’s an old method, but among professional painters, it remains one of the most reliable approaches to achieving convincing light.
Free Art Newsletter filled with the best oil painting and drawing tips, directly from the Atelier tradition. Timeless techniques to enjoy weekly to grow and inspire.
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