Chiaroscuro Lighting & Techniques For Painting

Start with a dark space
Use a single light source
Narrow the beam of light
Create warm-colored lights

What does chiaroscuro mean?

Chiaroscuro means light and dark. It's an Italian word. As an art technique, it means creating a bold contrast between light and dark. A similar term is tenebrism. Tenebrism usually refers to a painting with an overall darkness, a boldly lit focal area, and an exaggerated sense of chiaroscuro.

Learn how to paint chiaroscuro.

To create a chiaroscuro effect in your paintings, you need to set up, or take advantage of, chiaroscuro-like lighting.

This means illuminating certain areas with focused light while leaving the remainder wrapped in darkness or shadow.

Start with a dark room. Block out all light sources. I like to take chiaroscuro source photos at night. I set up my still-life and turn off the lights, creating a dark space.

Use a single light source.

If using a lamp, you may want to narrow the beam of light to create a spotlight effect. There are many ways to narrow the beam of light. Consider blocking some light as it falls across your subject with paper or fabric.

Creating Warm-Colored Lights.

Candles produce warm golden light said to be around 1900K or 1900 Kelvin color temperature. The golden light we experience around sunrise or sunset measures around 2000K or 2000 Kelvin. Similarly, 2200K light bulbs produce warm, natural-looking light.

Taking Chiaroscuro Photo For Painting

Place the camera on a tripod, set the camera's timer, use a shutter release cable, or use a camera shutter remote control to minimize shaking. Shaking creates blurry photos.

If the camera is capturing detail in the dark areas, lower the ISO, adjust the shutter speed, or the f-stop until you get a darker exposure.

Create a sense of chiaroscuro in painting by carefully matching the values to what you see.

The concept of atmospheric perspective states that objects off in the distance often lack detail and clarity. Create an illusion of depth in a painting by muting colors and softening details in the shadow areas.

The colors should be muted, and edges should be softened. Color changes within the shadows should be subtle. Values should be similar. Use the bristles of a paintbrush to slightly soften edges as you transition from one color to another. Create an overall lack of contrast within the shadows.

Paint Thin Darks

Apply slightly thicker paint layers in the light areas of the painting. Reserve the thickest paint for the highlights. The texture of thicker paint catches more light, therefore drawing attention.

Conclusion:

Once the lighting is right, paint what you see.