The Art of Shadow Mapping: Digital Course
The Power of Shadows
Shadows are one of the most important tools for creating depth, mood, and atmosphere in an image, but for many people, they can feel confusing and unpredictable. I designed this course to make light and shadow feel less confusing and more intuitive to apply yourself.
What You’ll Learn
Across five focused lessons totalling around 50 minutes, you’ll learn the core principles behind believable light and shadow, broken down into clear, practical ideas without unnecessary technical theory.
- Light Logic & Behavior: How light interacts with different forms and surfaces.
- Simplifying Complex Forms: Learn how to break complex objects down into simple forms that are much easier to light.
- Core Shadow Elements: Understand the underlying logic behind shadows and how to work out where they fall.
- Advanced Shadow Mapping: Explore a more precise approach to shadow placement. Even if you choose a simpler style for your everyday work, this advanced logic will greatly strengthen your understanding and intuition.
By the end of the course, you'll have developed an understanding of shadow logic that makes shadow placement feel more intuitive and far less like guesswork.
Lessons Included
- Designing With Light - The foundations of the two-tone approach to light and shadow
- Light Logic - The core rules of how light interacts with 3D forms
- Form Shadows - How to map form shadows across three-dimensional forms
- Cast Shadows: Foundations - The core principles of cast shadow behaviour
- Cast Shadows: Advanced - A more in-depth approach for accurate shadow placement
Practice Exercises & Discord Workshop
To help you apply the concepts from the lessons, the course also includes:
Practical Exercises
Two hands-on tasks designed to help you apply some of the things you've learned yourself. Each includes a downloadable worksheet that can be printed, used digitally, or easily sketched out by hand.
Dedicated Discord Workshop
A community space where you can share your results, compare approaches with other students, and receive feedback from me.
Ongoing Learning & Community
Beyond the course exercises, the workshop is also a place for students to share shadow-related artwork, compare approaches, exchange feedback, and help each other continue developing their understanding of light and shadow.
Shape What Comes Next
This is the first version of the course, and I'll be using student feedback and questions from the Discord workshop to guide new lessons in areas that people find most challenging and would like more help applying.
As a thank you to the founding students for helping shape that process, the course is currently available at a lower launch price, and you'll get access to any future additions as they're released.
About the Instructor
I’m Benji, an artist and content creator who uses light and shadow to create depth and atmosphere through a graphic, two-tone style.
The question I get asked most often is how I decide where shadows go. This course is designed to help you understand the thinking behind those decisions, so you can start making them with confidence in your own work.
Try the Course Risk-Free
I want joining this course to feel like an easy decision. If you work through the lessons and for any reason feel the course isn’t the right fit for you, simply send me an email within 30 days of purchase letting me know why, and I’ll refund your payment in full.
