"Rivers of Light and Shadow: An Introduction to Notan"
'“A painting is not a picture of a thing—it is a thing."
A painting should read as a single, whole statement, not a collection of unrelated parts.
Above: Patrick Lee’s Notan sketch during a figure drawing session. I took an online course with him where he prompted us to do lots of Notan studies. Below: Edward Hopper
What is Notan?
Notan is a Japanese concept in art that focuses on the interaction between light and dark shapes to create balance and harmony within a composition. The word "Notan" literally translates to "light-dark" or "dark-light" in Japanese.
Historically rooted in Japanese aesthetics, Notan emerged from the philosophy that beauty lies in the balance of opposing forces. This concept is also sometimes called "massing," "shape welding," or "value massing" in Western art culture.
The concept of Notan is useful because you begin by seeing the world as simple shapes of light and dark, not objects. Seeing the structure and designing a strong foundation helps hold a painting together. Notan reveals the bones of an image. What holds up when you take away colour and detail?
The core principle of Notan is the balance between positive and negative space, where both elements are equally important in creating a cohesive visual impact. We are not looking to arrange the 'named things', but looking to see and emphasise contrasting tonal shapes to achieve artistic harmony.
Rudolf Arnheim teaches that clarity in visual art doesn't mean simplicity—it means the structure is perceptible and expressive. Good art makes its internal logic visible. When viewers can "read" the underlying structure, they experience beauty, tension, or unity more clearly. Clarity comes through structure, and Notan provides that structural foundation.
Types of Notan
2-Value Notan: The simplest form, using only black and white to explore the relationship between positive and negative space.
3-Value or Multi-Value Notan: Incorporates shades of gray in addition to black and white, allowing for more nuanced compositions.
Expert Insights
According to James Gurney: "The reason I find such an exercise useful is that a simple tonal design has much more impact. You can tell at a glance what's going on, and it reads from across the room or when it's reduced to a tiny size. If I don't do it, I tend to put the full range of values in each area, or worse yet, render each section of the picture in middle values."
Advice from Frank Webb: "You cannot paint values you have not seen."
Troubleshooting with Notan
If a painting looks flat or confusing, value relationships are usually the first thing to assess.
Check whether the value pattern is too fragmented or lacks a dominant value. Simplify your values.
Are the lights and darks organised to lead the eye?
The way I use Notan is that I squint at the scene, not to see less, but to see what matters. I strip away details and look for tones, shapes, light and shadow. I often refer to this as the 'river of light and the river of darkness' in my painting. I use these rivers to control how your eye flows through the painting.
Exercises
Exercise 1: Black & White Paper Cut-Out
![Teach and Shoot_ Art Room Handouts [Round One].jpeg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65a5ae5352dd17331841f137/1752394986270-SX5342LTH4VKNDS3571X/Teach+and+Shoot_+Art+Room+Handouts+%5BRound+One%5D.jpeg)
Objective: Understand the balance between positive and negative space. This exercise shows how flipping shapes creates visual balance and harmony.
Time: 30-45 minutes
Materials:
Black construction paper
White paper (background)
Scissors
Glue
Instructions:
Cut a black square from construction paper (e.g., 15 x15cm).
Place it on a white background.
Cut shapes from the black square and flip them outward, placing them on the white background to create a mirror-like composition.
The goal is to balance the positive (black) and negative (white) shapes.
Variations:
Try organic shapes (curves, natural forms)
Try geometric shapes (squares, triangles, etc.)
Success indicators: The composition feels balanced with neither black nor white dominating; shapes create visual rhythm and flow.
Exercise 2: Sketching with Ink or Markers ( two-value)
Objective: Simplify complex scenes into black and white shapes. Learn to see beyond details and recognize the core structure of a composition.
Time: 45-60 minutes
Materials:
Black markers or ink
White paper
Reference photos
Instructions:
Choose a reference photo with a clear balance of light and shadow (landscapes, portraits, architecture).
Use a black marker or ink to block out the dark areas.
Leave the light areas white.
Focus on large shapes first, not details.
Common mistakes to avoid: Getting caught up in details; making shapes too small or fragmented; not squinting enough to see the big picture.
Exercise 3: Notan Landscape Study ( three-value)
Objective: Understand how light and dark shapes interact in a real-world scene. This exercise helps students simplify complex scenes and plan compositions effectively.
Time: 60-90 minutes
Materials:
Pencil or similar dry medium
White paper
Landscape reference (photo or plein air)
Instructions:
Choose a landscape scene with strong contrasts (mountains, trees, buildings).
Squint your eyes to blur out details and focus on the big light and dark shapes.
Create a 3-value study by adding a mid-tone (gray).
Success indicators: The landscape reads clearly even at a distance; there's a clear pattern of light and dark that guides the eye through the composition.
Exercise 4: Plan a painting by making two Notan sketches and a colour study unrelated to local colour.
Objective: Think through all possibilities and clarify the structure before you commit to canvas.
Time: 60-120 minutes
Materials:
Black markers or ink, gouache, acrylic or oil
Brown Cardboard
Reference that you’re considering for a bigger painting
Instructions:
Draw 4 blocks roughly 15 x 15cm
Draw the scene in black, thus only 2 tones
Next, draw in three tones, adding white
Experiment with emotional colour that is not ‘local’ colour.
Key insight: This exercise teaches you how to choose a reference well and to adapt it where needed.
Exercise 5: Notan in Master Studies
Objective: Learn from great artists by simplifying their work into Notan studies. You will gain insight into how master artists use light and shadow to create powerful compositions.
Time: 45-60 minutes
Materials:
Black markers or digital tools
Reproductions of master paintings
White paper
Instructions:
Choose a masterpiece from a famous artist (e.g., Rembrandt, Hokusai, Van Gogh).
Simplify the artwork into a 2-value Notan study.
Focus on identifying the balance between light and dark areas.
Compare your Notan study to the original to see how the artist achieved balance.
Recommended masters: Rembrandt (for dramatic light/dark), Hokusai (for bold graphic shapes), Caravaggio (for strong chiaroscuro).
Exercise 6: Digital Notan Study
Objective: Explore Notan using digital tools. Students learn to use digital tools to study Notan and adjust light-dark balance.
Time: 30minutes
Materials:
Digital drawing app (Procreate, Photoshop, Picsart)
Reference images
Computer or tablet
Instructions:
Use a digital drawing app like Procreate, Photoshop, or my favourite, Picsart.
Import a reference image and convert it to grayscale.
Use the threshold adjustment tool to create a high-contrast black-and-white image.
Adjust the threshold to see how different levels of light and dark affect the composition.
Digital advantage: Easy to experiment with different threshold levels and instantly see how value changes affect the overall composition.
Key Takeaways
Notan reveals the underlying structure of any composition
Strong value patterns create more impactful, readable artwork
Both positive and negative spaces are equally important
Squinting helps you see the essential light and dark shapes
Master artists use Notan principles to create compelling compositions
Digital tools can help analyse and understand value relationships
Artists often create Notan sketches to:
Simplify complex scenes into basic shapes
Identify the underlying structure of a composition
Explore abstract patterns that balance light and dark
Figure out how to fix a painting that’s gone off track
Plan stronger, more unified compositions before adding colour and detail
Above are examples of where I used the Notan pattern to see what I need to push or pull in a painting, and below are examples of students who use the Notan patern to figure out what to correct in their work.
Here is an exercise I did with my Art Classes in 2011, the good old days when we all had lots of scrap magazines lying around, ready to be cut out. I gave everyone a picture of young Matthew McConaughey, and they made collages looking for the right tones in magazines. I love how everyone’s came out differently!
