Rendering Matte Surfaces: Volume 2

Shading Cylinders, Cones & Spheres with Neville Page

In this second volume of Neville Page’s Rendering Matte Surfaces series, he continues teaching the essential skills that all designers need to learn. Blending clear demonstrations with real-world observations, Neville helps artists to train their eye and sharpen their technique, whether just starting out or refreshing their foundational knowledge.

Volume 2 focuses on rendering round, geometric surfaces, teaching the fundamentals of how light behaves across simple rounded forms, and demonstrating how to render them convincingly. Aimed at beginners and intermediate artists alike, this workshop is concentrated on building solid shading instincts.

Using Photoshop, though the techniques apply to any medium, Neville demonstrates how to shade a cylinder, cone, and sphere, the core building blocks of form. He shares observational video clips of physical objects under light to help train your eye and reinforce how we perceive volume through value. Artists will discover how he approaches value assignment, casts shadow construction, and how he simplifies the process to make it stick. These skills have been used by Neville through his 30 years working as a concept designer in the entertainment industry.

The workshop concludes with a full rendering demonstration of a more complex form, applying everything taught throughout the prior lessons. This class is ideal for anyone learning how to render light on form with clarity and intention, while also offering a chance for experienced artists and designers to brush up on their skills and revisit the essentials.

Watch Rendering Matte Surfaces: Volume 1 – Shading Planar Surfaces with Neville Page.