Lesson 1 - The Basic Physics of Reflectivity

In my first lecture, I will introduce the basic physics of reflectivity and how to plot environment and object reflections in perspective. The learning focus is on understanding your "line-of-sight angle of incidence," and how to predict and plot it to a reflective surface.

Assignment: Part 1 - from a series of photographs that will be provided, diagram the reflections and show why they appear the way they do. Part 2 - there is a shiny object in an environment; in a perspective drawing of your own, plot the reflections of the environment on the surface of the shiny object.

Lesson 2 - The Fresnel Effect

In Lecture 2, I will explain the "Fresnel Effect" and how it becomes the underlying way to communicate the form of a reflective surface. I will show how the local value of a surface changes the perceived reflectivity of that surface and demonstrate how to render a simple form in an indoor studio environment. Lastly, I'll discuss my layering strategies and custom brush settings for Photoshop.

Assignment: Render a glossy-painted, simple reflective form of your own and collect useful photo reference of shiny objects in indoor studio environments.

Lesson 3 - Rendering Complex Forms

I will begin this lecture with a summary and review of plotting reflections and rendering a strong "Fresnel Effect" in an indoor studio setting. Then I will carry on with a more complex rendering demo using the principles we have learned so far on a more complex form. An example of this would be something like my concept bike frame renderings as seen on drawthrough.com.

Assignment: Render a glossy-painted, complex reflective form of your own design and collect photo reference of reflective surfaces in outdoor environments.

Lesson 4 - Simple Forms in Outdoor Environments

Now our reflective rendering environment will shift to an outdoor setting. My lecture this week will focus on understanding the differences between indoor vs. outdoor environments and how this will change the way you set up your rendering strategy in Photoshop.

Assignment: Render a glossy-painted, simple reflective form in an outdoor environment, and collect photo reference of objects with metallic-painted surfaces.

Lesson 5 - Complex Forms in Outdoor Environments

Building on Lecture 4, this week I will talk about applying our previous principles to rendering a complex form in an outdoor environment.

Assignment: Render a glossy-painted, complex reflective form in an outdoor environment, and continue collecting photo reference of objects with metallic-painted surfaces.

Lesson 6 - Metallic Surfaces

This lecture will be supported by your collected photo reference, which was touched on at the end of Lecture 5. Metallic paint behaves very differently from glossy painted surfaces, so I will explain how to best render this material using a new rendering strategy.

Assignment: Modify your earlier Photoshop renderings and change your glossy painted surfaces into metallic painted surfaces. Also continue collecting useful photo reference with an emphasis on other reflective materials you wish to include in your final rendering.

Lesson 7 - Combined Materials (Part 1)

This week, I will combine the techniques discussed in previous lectures and explain and demo how I render a wide range of reflective materials such as chrome, other metal alloys, carbon fiber, semi-gloss surfaces, glass, translucent plastics, and water.

Assignment: Part 1 - render a simple form of your own design with a variety of materials. Part 2 - do a line drawing for your final assignment and determine the lighting for the scene; block out the layers and grey-scale shade the matte surfaces of the form. Part 3 - continue collecting useful photo reference of reflective special effects like shiny spinning wheels or spider-webbing reflective highlights you want to include in your final rendering. This is also the best week to present complex and confusing reflections you don't understand in your collected photo reference.

Lesson 8 - Combined Materials (Part 2) and Special Effects

Now it's time to combine all of our new techniques together in a final rendering. I will demo how to colorize a grey-scale image and then render the reflective surfaces in my chosen materials based on photo reference gathered specifically for this final rendering. Along the way, I will also introduce and explain some special effects such as blooms, glints, moving reflections on moving objects, spider-webbing highlights and "orange peel" to name a few.

Assignment: Your goal this week is to work at least halfway through completing your final rendering.

Lesson 9 - Review and Recommendations for Future Learning

In my last lecture, I will review everything we have covered in this course as I put the finishing touches on my demo from Lecture 8. I will also suggest more exercises and techniques that you can practice in order to further your knowledge of rendering reflective surfaces.

Assignment: Complete your final rendering, which you started in Assignment 8.