How to Learn the Chiaroscuro Technique in 7 min (TUTORIAL)

Learn from Marco Mazzoni how to create perfect highlights and shadows on portraits

In art, chiaroscuro is the use of strong contrasts between light and shadow, creating depth and drama. Adding a sense of volume, it not only fleshes out the artwork’s subject but also draws the viewer’s eye to it.

Artists well-known for their use of this technique include Goya, Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Caravaggio, and it is still very much in use, not only in paintings but also in cinema and photography.

In this tutorial, artist and illustrator Marco Mazzoni (@marcomazzoniart) demonstrates how you can transform a simple drawing of a face using the chiaroscuro technique to add shadows and depth. Using just a pencil and piece of paper, the result can either be an artwork in itself or serve as the base layer for a more detailed and colorful composition.

1. Create a simple drawing

Draw a simple head, with basic lines suggestive of different facial features. Though it might be tempting, resist the urge to try to create something detailed, since later in the processing you’ll be using shadow to create that effect.

An interesting way to gain more practice using chiaroscuro is to create additional elements on the face that will cast shadows. In Mazzoni’s case, he uses two almost triangular shapes which will later become lilies.

2. Think about the skull

Chiaroscuro is a technique used to “model” figures, using dramatic depth to make them seem like they have actual volume. Before you begin to expand on the basic marks you’ve made for each facial feature, take a few moments to think about how each feature relates to the skull, and how it adds volume to different parts of our faces.

Eyes, for instance, are holes in the skull. That means, since they go inward, shadows surround them. In comparison cheekbones, which stand further out, will receive more light - though if they’re very sharp there might be shadows along their underside. Thinking about how each part of the face relates to the others, and if it is closer or further away from your light source, will help you add shadows that create depth.

3. Creating a background

To create a sharp contrast between your subject and their surroundings, immediately drawing your viewer’s eye to the focal point of the piece, you’ll need to create a dark background.

If you’re going for something truly dramatic, a black background works best, and you can achieve one by applying heavy pressure to your pencil and filling in the empty space. If you want to create a consistent black background, use smooth, rather than textured, paper.

If you want a background that’s softer and more atmospheric, you can apply less pressure to your pencil to create darker shading. If you later choose to add a color base to your drawing, you can even choose to create this shading with a colored pencil.

4. Begin fleshing out shadows

Thinking about the direction of your light source, you can begin adding more shadows to the elements of the face. In the case of Mazzoni’s lilies, that means creating shadows on the parts that are opposite the light source, as well as the shadows that they cast on the face. Even subtle shading will instantly start to give the drawing more depth.

A tip that Mazzoni shares for the mouth is that the upper lip is always darker than the bottom one, and rather than drawing a line between them, the delineation looks more natural if it’s created in contrasting shadow. The nose will be darker than the rest of the face, something that might not feel intuitive but a detail you’ll begin to notice as you look at more reference photos and paintings. By studying these images and paying attention to where light and shadow sit next to each other, you’ll be able to slowly continue building shadows.

5. Keep working

The process of creating a drawing using the chiaroscuro technique can take time, since it’s an effect that is most powerful when the entire image is covered in contrasts.

Once you’ve finished you can either leave your drawing in black and white as a completed piece, or further develop it by adding other colored bases.

If you enjoyed this tutorial and would like to learn more about how to use this classical illustration technique, check out Marco Mazzoni’s online course, Chiaroscuro Creative Portrait with Pencils.

You May Also Be Interested In:

- Introduction to Artistic Figure Drawing, a course by Leonardo Gauna
- Artistic Illustration Techniques with Graphite Pencils, a course by Ricardo Núñez Suarez
- Illustration with Pastel and Coloured Pencils, a course by Elena Pancorbo