Mastering Form and Light: Insights from Artist Stephen Zapata

Stephen Zapata, a renowned artist and instructor, recently shared his insights and techniques in a live stream hosted by Proko. With years of experience in both commercial design and fine art, Zapata offered valuable advice on rendering form, working with light and shadow, and maintaining a positive artistic practice.

The Importance of Personal Projects

Zapata emphasized the significance of working on personal projects, even for beginners and intermediate artists. He believes that staying "on project" is crucial for artistic development, especially for those learning primarily online. Contrary to the common belief that artists should focus solely on skill-building before tackling personal work, Zapata encourages artists to pursue their dream projects from the start.

"I think it's very important for beginner and intermediate students, especially people who are learning mostly online, to stay on project, to do projects, and to take projects seriously," Zapata stated. He explained that projects were pivotal for every stage of his own development and helped him progress faster.

Zapata categorizes projects into three levels:

1. Beginner projects: Illustrating existing material, like a book.
2. Intermediate projects: Adapting existing material, such as changing the genre or setting of a story.
3. Advanced projects: Creating entirely original work from scratch.

He encourages artists to attempt projects at all levels, regardless of their current skill level, while maintaining realistic expectations about the outcome.

The Creative Process

During the live stream, Zapata demonstrated his creative process by working on a drawing of a dryad, a tree spirit from mythology. He shared how he develops his ideas, starting with writing and gathering reference materials.

Zapata read an excerpt from his writing that inspired the visual concept: "As they approach, a vine on the ground begins to twitch upward and joins with another vine that has detached itself from the basin of the fountain. The wind blows a burst of fallen leaves through the yard, and these the vines catch up as they pass, arranging them curve into curve into her form."

This description guided his artistic choices, leading him to create an illusionistic quality in the drawing where the figure emerges from leaves and vines.

Reference and Inspiration

Zapata discussed the importance of gathering references, even for imaginative work. He showed examples of mood images he collected, including paintings of dryads and photographs of leaves and branches. He also emphasized the value of using real-life references, such as leaves collected during walks.

"I really like to have something in every piece that is in my personal life," Zapata explained. "Even though it's for a totally imaginative story, even though it's for something that I've never seen - a dryad - it's nice to have something that just feels like it's connected to your real life."

Rendering Techniques

Zapata delved into his rendering process, focusing on the concept of modeling factors - the elements that create the illusion of three-dimensionality in a drawing. He outlined 12 key modeling factors:

1. Form light
2. Center light
3. Specular reflection
4. Half tone
5. Terminator
6. Core shadow
7. Reflected light
8. Ambient occlusion
9. Cast shadow
10. Penumbra
11. Ambient light
12. Form shadow

He explained how these factors interact to create a sense of form and depth in a drawing. Zapata emphasized the importance of understanding where the terminator (the line where light transitions to shadow) is located on a form, as this is crucial for rendering convincing half tones.

Zapata demonstrated his technique for rendering half tones, which involves:

1. Establishing the form shadow
2. Creating a "soup" of value with a blending stump
3. Carefully hatching in arcs that follow the form, always starting from the terminator and moving into the light

He stressed the importance of patience in rendering, noting that even a simple sphere can take an experienced artist like himself 1.5 to 2 hours to render properly.

Tools and Materials

Zapata shared insights into his preferred tools and materials:

• Pentel Sharp 0.5mm mechanical pencil with HB lead
• Mono Zero eraser for precise work
• Pentel click eraser for larger areas
• Kneaded eraser for soft edges and large areas
• Blending stumps for creating soft transitions and textures
• Strathmore 400 series bristol paper (smooth)

He emphasized the importance of using high-quality paper, even for studies and practice work. "Get on good paper as fast as you can," Zapata advised, explaining that quality paper allows for a full range of values and techniques, and can withstand erasing and reworking.

Mental Approach to Art

Throughout the stream, Zapata touched on the mental aspects of being an artist. He stressed the importance of finding joy and relaxation in the artistic process.

"It's important to relax when you make art," Zapata stated. "It's not just that would be a nice thing, it's not just 'Oh, this is something that I'm gonna put off for 10 years when I'm really good' or something like that. If you if someone out there needs to hear it, it's important to relax while you draw. It makes it better."

He explained that being relaxed while working, even on complex pieces, makes it easier to return to the drawing board consistently. Zapata views the ability to enjoy drawing as part of the craft itself, essential for long-term success in art.

Zapata also addressed the challenge of returning to a project after a long break. His advice was to find ways to reinvigorate interest in the piece, such as adding new elements or making changes that excite you.

Time Investment in Art

Zapata provided insight into the time investment required for quality artwork. He mentioned that his personal drawings often take 30 to 50 hours, with some exceeding 100 hours. He contrasted this with his experience in commercial design, where deadlines often required producing numerous sketches in just a few hours.

This perspective on time investment serves as a valuable reminder for aspiring artists that creating high-quality work often requires significant time and patience.

Conclusion

Stephen Zapata's insights offer a wealth of knowledge for artists at all levels. From his emphasis on personal projects and the importance of reference materials to his detailed explanation of rendering techniques and the mental approach to art, Zapata provides a holistic view of the artistic process.

Perhaps most importantly, Zapata's passion for art shines through in his final words: "Being an artist is awesome. I love it. It makes me extremely happy. It feels great." This enthusiasm serves as an inspiration for all those pursuing a career or hobby in art, reminding us of the joy and fulfillment that artistic creation can bring.

For those interested in learning more from Stephen Zapata, his courses are available on Proko.com, and he can be found on various social media platforms where he continues to share his knowledge and passion for art.

Article created from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sD0dW4RRk4