Understanding Edges and How to Use Them Effectively

Understanding Edges and How to Use Them Effectively

Edges are the transition between colors, shapes, and values. Every time two shapes meet, an edge is formed, marking the boundary where one element ends and the next begins. In this article, we’ll explore what edges are and how they can help elevate your art.

Edges create contrast, depth, and visual focus. By mastering edge control, you can guide a viewer’s attention exactly where you want it.

Hard edges represent a sudden, sharp shift between colors or values. Because there is no blending, the shapes feel solid and clearly articulated. This gives them a sense of weight and presence, making them ideal for focal points. By placing defined edges only where you want the viewer to look first, you create a clear order of importance in your piece. This is because the human eye is naturally drawn to high-contrast areas. However, if everything in your artwork is hard-edged, you risk nothing standing out.

In the example above, both the ball and the value scale use abrupt, sharp shifts instead of blending. Each plane changes instantly, creating a defined edge that makes the forms feel chiseled. These transitions simplify the lighting into more distinct, readable shapes, allowing the viewers to understand the structure of the object. 

The technique is commonly used in cel-shaded styles. By removing gradients, the artist shifts the attention of the artwork between the light and shadow rather than relying on blending. This steers focus towards the relationship between your values. Hard edges make each plane easier to read and create stronger visual clarity.

Using this technique also is effective when learning to study shading, since it forces the artist to think cautiously as to where they should place their values. Without blending, every shape with different values must be positioned correctly so that it can make an object look three dimensional. This proves that smooth blending is not necessary in order to create the illusion of depth: as long as the right values are placed in the right place, the object will still appear 3D. The article Exercises to Improve in Art demonstrates this technique.

Beyond simple shapes, hard edges are especially vital for communicating three-dimensional forms such as faces. In portraits, artists use hard edges to distinguish planes of the face and show where light changes abruptly across its structure. As light moves across the face, it creates a boundary between the light and shadow, creating a hard edge. For example, these sharper transitions appear across areas where skin sits tight against the bone, the jawline as well as the chin and the nose bridge, as these areas are where the skeletal structure is most prominent. While every face is unique, these “bony” areas generally create the sharpest planes even when softened by different facial types. For a deeper understanding of how these structures vary across different individuals for both facial structures and human bodies, check out Anatomy.

Soft edges are gradual transitions between colors or values. Unlike hard edges, these softer transitions allow shapes to merge, which helps de-emphasize secondary details like minor surface textures or peripheral elements. This keeps the focus on the primary point of your artwork regardless of your composition. These edges are a practical choice for rendering rounded volumes or parts of your drawing that need to recede into the space.

For example, this image shows both a shaded ball and a value scale. In contrast to hard edges, the transitions here are more gradual. On the ball, values blend together, creating a smooth, round look. The same holds true for the values on the box; edges appear smoother, with values blending together. This approach results in a less intense visual impact than the high-contrast look of hard edges.

Edges also play an important role in creating a sense of depth. In the real world, the more ‘air’ there is between you and an object, the blurrier its edges become. This is what we call atmospheric perspective. By keeping your edges distinct, objects will feel like they’re right in front of you, while softer edges make distant objects appear to fade into the background. By controlling your edges, you can easily create a more believable atmosphere.

Lost edges take soft edges one step further. This occurs when the transition between two shapes becomes so seamless that the boundary disappears. When the values of an object and its surroundings are identical, they will appear to merge into a single shape.

Using lost edges intentionally simplifies forms and prevents a piece from looking ‘over-rendered’. You’ll often see this where a shadow on a figure perfectly matches the darkness of the background.

For example, the subject above blends in with the background that at some points, we can’t tell where her silhouette begins and ends.

Lost edges are a versatile tool for controlling focus. Allowing certain shapes to merge with their surroundings can create a good balance with your more explicit focal points. This technique ensures that every part of your artwork supports the primary subject, preventing other sections from creating unnecessary visual clutter.

These edges are versatile because they can be used in any artwork no matter the mood. They can be used for soft and peaceful artworks due to their subtle blending. But they are also utilized for artworks that have a more mysterious, dramatic effect by hiding forms in the atmosphere. They can be used for many other different compositions, since they act as a balance between focal points and supporting elements. Additionally, they’re useful for more natural, realistic art because the human eye does not perceive every detail and blends in many background elements.

A successful painting relies on a variety of edges to feel grounded. Relying too heavily on sharp boundaries can make your work feel too flat or rigid. Conversely, overusing soft or lost edges can result in a smudged, out of focused image that lacks structural clarity.  Rather than sticking to one edge style throughout an entire piece, you can aim for a diverse range that reflects the different textures and lighting in your scene.

Leaning too heavily on soft transitions can lead to a muddy, shapeless result due to every edge equalizing the values of a piece. Without those crisp edges, your subject loses its structural integrity, making the overall composition feel unfocused and indistinct.

A well balanced piece uses a balance between soft and hard edges. Hard edges can be utilized for focal points, while soft edges can be used as a supporting block to assist the hard edges.

Arcane is a great example of using both edges effectively. You can see that the facial planes and facial features on the character’s face are prominent, located especially at the cheekbones, nose and brows. These hard edges capture the viewer’s attention and define his bone structure clearly. The soft edges assist the hard edges by blurring other areas in order to draw attention to the focal points. You can see as we move our vision away from the subject’s face, we will notice softer edges surrounding him.

The Portrait of Madame X, by John Singer Sargent, is another great example of edge control. The viewer’s attention is guided up to the face of Madame X with the use of both edge types. The hard edges outline her face, as well as define the silhouette of her body, while the soft edges control the background and skin in order to achieve a soft, porcelain look. Although there is a prop in the background, we know it’s not the main focus due to its soft boundaries.

Here, I attempted to redraw this painting through a digital canvas to see if I can capture the same edge control Sargent had. I focused primarily on creating a similar feeling through distinct edges and planes, rather than focusing too intensely on details. Although not the best replica, I think I was still able to capture some of the most important edges.

When translating life to a digital canvas, your edges don’t have to be a literal copy of your references. You have the creative freedom to manipulate them to serve your composition or goal for your piece. By intentionally exaggerating a type of edge in a drawing, you can create a more dynamic and readable piece than a 1:1 study would allow.

Mastering edge control allows artists to shape their artwork by guiding the viewer’s attention through clarity, depth, and contrast. Understanding these three edges can help you understand how to make a piece balanced and clear rather than flat.

Below are three exercises you can do to practice edge control!

Now that we’ve learned about the different types of edges, let’s put that knowledge into practice!

Drawing simplified shapes is the easiest way to understand how to draw edges because it removes the distraction and pressure we would get from drawing more complex objects. The first exercise I would recommend is to shade a value scale.

You don’t have to depend on specific brushes in order to control your edges. There’s a variety of texture brushes that are available to use when you want to achieve either effect. To get a hard, crisp edge, use the lasso tool or any hard brush in order to block in your shapes. By layering different lines over each one, you can subtly transition the values and get a softer edge. To easily blend the values, you can use the blur or smudge tool around the intended area. Or you can use the eraser tool and set its settings to a softer option.

Next, we can move on to three-dimensional forms.

Start by blocking in the planes with the lasso tool. This establishes the structure of your artwork. Afterwards, use the smudge tool to soften transitions where needed. You can even make a well-balanced artwork by starting with the opposite process–using soft edges as a foundation, then cleaning up with harder edges.

In the first image, the edges are balanced enough that we can describe its form, allowing viewers to read the box as a solid figure. To explore this further, I experimented with different brushes. Despite having different textures, the shape remains recognizable because the main edge relationships are still preserved.

After you practice different shapes, you can start experimenting with simple objects!

Remember to be intentional about each edge. The drawing of the bow has visually strong, hard and soft edges to represent the fabric material and the amount of wrinkles it has.

Let’s take a look at the photo on the left, focusing mainly on edge relationships. What do you notice?

We can see that there is a clear boundary between the light and dark side of our subject’s face. The hard edges on the face clearly define the depth of her facial features and establish focal points to the right side of her face. The soft edges assist this transition by blending in details in order to make them appear out of focus, and making the face feel more dimensional. Lastly, you can spot the lost edges more throughout the background where the subject appears to merge within the background.

Practicing this skill can help you understand where what types of edges form and how you can replicate them in your own drawings.

After we practiced the first two exercises, we can move on to the third. This exercise combines both analysis and edge control practice.

For this example, I chose a closeup dramatic shot of a tv show and decided to replicate it. The main focus is the subject’s face, so I tried to be intentional about that. First, I blocked in most of my shapes with mainly sharp edges, then blurred some areas to add dimension. After that, I added more detail and blurred the background/outer edge of the subject in order to draw attention to her face, but was still mindful of the edges in the original photo.

Mastering edges can be difficult, but once you practice enough you’ll be able to guide your viewers attention and make your pieces come to life. As you train your eyes to see these transitions, you’ll be able to manage your edges more easily!