I’ve been unhappy with the shape of the cast shadow on the back wall. It seemed awkward. I went back and looked at the photo I took of my initial set-up and discovered that indeed, it looked a bit different. (See the photo below.) Perhaps my spotlight got shifted a bit. In any case, the angle of the shadow coming from the upper right was too shallow. Also, the vertical part of the shadow near the basket handle should have been set further to the right, allowing the shape of the shadow of the basket handle to show it’s full curve. Below, you can see the original shot of my set-up.
Below, you can see the adjusted shadow. I scumbled some light paint over the existing shadow, making the angle steeper. I also used a scumble to adjust the shape of the shadow, showing the full curve of the basket handle. I softened all edges.
It’s worth noting here that I never paint from photos. I always look to the set-up for my information. The photos are very useful, though, for judging compositions and refreshing my memory as to what drew me to the set-up in the first place.
Linda Mann Artist 