Limitations of the Form Principle

Image result for james gurney paintings lost in the clouds 1998


  • solid objects with a matte finish behave predictably in strong light, but other materials such as clouds respond to light differently 
  • clouds transmit a greater quantity of light to the shadow side through internal scattering than the volume of light they pick up from secondary sources
    • if you try to make clouds follow the form principle, they risk looking like lumps of plaster
Image result for james gurney elm

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