Want a quick tip to help learn where the shadows sit on a figure? Grab a manikin, a desk lamp, and a Lazy Susan (those rotating trays used on tables and counters to help share food and condiments).

Place the manikin in the center of the Lazy Susan and secure it with a little masking tape under the base. This way, you can slowly rotate the manikin by turning the Susan. This alone will give you a general idea of where shadows fall on a three-dimensional figure.

Want your shadows a little more pronounced? This is where the desk lamp comes in handy. (If possibly, try to find one that can pivot, both at the area where the bulb connects to the arm and in the arm itself.)

Want the figure to look like it’s walking towards you with the light source on its right? Turn the Susan so the figure is facing straight at you and place the lamp on your left-hand side.

Want the lighting to look like it’s noon? Stretch the arm of the lamp up till the bulb sits as close to the top of the figure as possible.

Want sunrise/sunset lighting? Lower the arm of the lamp so the bulb is near the top of the Susan and pointing slightly up.

Experiment and see what you get. Now, is this a perfect tool? No, not by any means. But, it’s a decent and inexpensive way to see where shadows fall based on the location of a light source. This can also work with dolls/action figures, provided you have a stand for them. They tend to fall over otherwise. Oh, and if you decide to take a picture of your manikin for your morgue (an artist’s collection of references)… be sure to turn the flash off first.

“Come into the light of things. Let nature be your teacher.”
– William Wordsworth