Drawing from a dark background

It is very difficult to work from dark to light. For this study, I wanted to see if I could apply color on black paper to create all the warmth and light on the figure without having to worry about the dark values. The difficulty with drawing though, is that you are limited in the value range you can achieve and can easily over saturate certain colors making them too intense. Notice the eyes, once light is added it becomes difficult to darken them again. Especially in this medium, as colored pencils do not leave much room for correction. This is an important excersise that all artists must attempt as it helps understanding values and temperature when you are working in reverse. Caravaggio was the master at bringing lights our from a dark background, and his work pops off the canvas.